Tips for hiring a contractor for your remodeling project

If you’re planning your next home improvement project, big or small, here are a few tips that can help you find the right contractor:

Start with recommendations

Do yourself a favor: before you hop online, ask your friends, family, and neighbors for their recommendations. While you might find a perfectly good contractor online, there’s something to be said for a word-of-mouth endorsement. Your friend or family member likely wouldn’t recommend the person if they had a bad experience. And as an added bonus, you can go to their home and see the contractor’s handy work for yourself, even before you call.

Use online tools wisely

Websites like Angie’s List, Yelp, and HomeAdvisor can be great tools for finding the right contractor, if you use them right. Before contacting contractors, research their customer reviews. If you’re using a website to find your contractor, look not only at the rating but also at the number of reviews. Look also for themes in the reviews. Was the work great, but the clean-up sloppy? Did the contractor do good work, but disappear for a few days in the middle of the job? Common themes in reviews paint a clearer picture than a couple of bad reviews.

Ask a million questions

Your contractor is a business partner, of sorts. You should feel comfortable asking questions, and they should feel comfortable answering them. Ask about financials – do they have the cash on hand to purchase the materials they’ll need and bill you later, or do you need to buy them up front? Do their jobs ever go over budget and, if so, by how much on average?

Also, ask about how they’ll go about doing the work. Does the contractor subcontract work, or do they do it themselves? How many other jobs will they have going on while they’re working on yours? Do they only use licensed, insured labor? Will they pull permits, or do you have to do it?

Be sure to check with your state’s licensing board to verify that your contractor is licensed, and ask them for proof of insurance (including liability). Ask for names of subcontractors and do the same with them, too.

Get multiple bids

Even if the first contractor you meet seems like the right fit, do yourself a favor and get multiple estimates. Ask each contractor to prepare an itemized bid that includes the cost of materials, labor and other expenses. That way, if you decide not to do a certain part of the job — install a new floor, for example — you’ll know how much your price should come down. And you’ll be able to tell if one contractor is overcharging you a lot for a specific part of the project. You can then either ask that contractor to come down in price, or remove them from your shortlist.

Depending on the availability of contractors in your area, finding the right home remodeling contractor can take a few weeks or a few months. Once you decide on one, make sure to get a contract in writing, and follow up with your homeowners’ insurance company to make sure you have enough coverage. Once you do, you’ll be ready to start turning your house into a dream home.