Although most homeowners don’t realize it, renovating your house will be a huge project, no matter if you’re planning on changing a single room or the whole structure of it. Of course, if you’ll only be painting walls and adding fixtures, you could opt for a DIY project, however, if you’ll be overhauling entire rooms, Dallas Nugent Canada suggests that you hire a general contractor.
But, if you did some digging online, you probably learned that there are hundreds of contractors that you could hire, which might have left you confused. Luckily, choosing a suitable organization doesn’t have to be complex, especially if you choose to follow our list of 10 tips for finding a suitable contractor for the project:
1. First Things First, Determine What You Wish to Change
Before you can do anything else from our list, it’s quite important that you sit down and determine what you want to change in your home. Why is this important? Well, all general contractors will ask you about the work that has to be done, and if you cannot answer this question, it’s highly possible that you won’t be able to get precise estimates. Remember, you need to be specific, hence, think about the materials you’ll want, as well as what you would like to change in your home.
2. Ask For References + Make a List
In most situations, your family members, friends, neighbors, as well as coworkers might have done such projects in the past, which is why you should ask them for references. Once you find out more about a particular company, make a list.
You could also do some research online and make a list as well, especially if you didn’t get any references. By making a list, it’ll be easier for you to compare things between different companies, hence, the entire choosing process will be less daunting.
3. You Must Read The Reviews
One of the easiest ways to eliminate some contractors from the list you made is to read the reviews left by their previous clients. By doing so, you’ll be able to learn whether or not other people had a pleasant experience by hiring them.
Of course, if there are more negative testimonials than positive ones, you should scratch them off your list and move on to the next organization. Additionally, you should check the reviews on independent sites as well, mostly because they tend to be more honest.
4. They Might Not Be Available Right Away
Even if you found a really good organization, their availability will entirely depend on the season, as well as where you reside. However, this can help you opt for a general contractor, mostly because experienced and good ones will have continuous work. Also, you should know, the best ones will use programs such as sure-bid.com that they can use for quickly telling you whether or not they have an available time frame in their schedule.
5. Ask Whether or Not They Work With Subcontractors
As mentioned at the beginning of our article, if you’re planning on renovating your entire home, a general contractor might have to hire subcontractors such as ones that are specialized in plumbing, electrical work, and, for example, carpentry. You’ll want to know who will be in your home, but by learning whether or not they work with subcontractors, you’ll also be capable of finding out if they’re licensed, which leads us to our next point…
6. They Must Be Licensed!
If there is one thing that you must take away from this article, it’s the fact that all general contractors – as well as subcontractors that they might work with – must be hired. Of course, the licensing procedure will be different in each state, nonetheless, they must have it.
If the license isn’t displayed on their website, you can ask them for a copy or you could check the BBB. If they aren’t licensed, you shouldn’t hire them, mostly because they might not do a good job and you might not pass the inspections later on as well.
7. Were There Any Complaints Made?
We’re all humans, hence, we all do make mistakes – and the same can be said for a contractor. However, since they might be working on the structure of your home, it’s incredibly important that they know how to do it properly. This is why you must check your local disciplinary board, BBB, and court papers if there were any complaints made about a particular company. By doing so, you can ensure that you opt for someone experienced.
8. Double-Check The Contract
Another important thing that you must do is to double-check the contract that you may be given. Hence, ensure that it highlights all the processes that need to be finished, which can include things such as the length of the project, the payment requirements, the materials that’ll be utilized, the number of people that’ll be working on your house, and so on. If it isn’t detailed enough, you might want to ask for some changes or you might want to scratch them off that list you previously made.
9. Don’t Give More Than 15% Down Payment
No one wants a builder to use their funds before they finish a project, hence, you shouldn’t pay more than 15% of the price before the work in your house is done. So, when you’re reviewing the contract, focus on the payment schedule and make sure that you won’t be paying for their services if they’re behind schedule. Of course, if you’re planning on using costly materials, you might have to give a deposit upfront, but otherwise, don’t.
10. Communicate With The Company Often
Last on our list, but an equally important tip is the fact that you must communicate with the company you hire often, so, when you’re looking for someone that you’ll hire, ask them how you’ll communicate, but more importantly, by what means. If you do this, you can ensure that you know everything that is going on with your project – which is something that could help you with the stress you might be feeling.
Conclusion
As you were capable of learning, choosing a general contractor could be worth the additional money. After all, they’re experienced in building and remodeling projects, and they could also help you with obtaining all the permissions you need, but more importantly, they’ll be able to secure all the equipment, materials, tools, and workforce that you require.
By hiring an organization that is licensed, you won’t only ensure that the entire remodeling project goes smoothly, but you could also ensure that you pass all the inspections that might happen if you’re planning on making changes to the structure of your house. Thus, don’t lose any more time, instead, start looking for a reliable and experienced company that’ll complete the project in no time!
