Tips for hiring a Home Contractor
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Make sure the contractor has the proper insurance. Accidents can happen on the job, and you need to make sure you, your house and your contractor are covered by the proper insurance. Assuming your contractor carries insurance can be extremely costly.
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Ask for references. Ask the contractor if you can visit a current job site or look at a portfolio of completed work. Better yet, request a list of names and phone numbers of recent customers and call them. Ask about quality, timeliness and if problems arose how the contractor handled the situation. Let's face it, problems arise...it's how the contractor handles them that matters.
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Chemistry is critical! This contractor will be doing major construction, and there will be times you may need to deal with difficult issues. It is good that you feel comfortable speaking with your contractor, so make sure you choose the one that you feel you can work best with.
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Compare estimates. You should receive 3 written estimates and compare to see if all your requests have been included. Obviously, the cost is a major determining factor, but you also need to feel confident that all of the estimates include the same materials, so you can be assured that you are comparing apples to apples.
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Last, but not least, put it in writing. Its always best to put your discussions, as they pertain to the project, in writing. It can be easy for one party to say something and the other party to hear something different. As long as it is in writing, both parties will be on the same page!