Then once you have that list of referrals, call them. You have to get referrals for the type of work that you're looking to have done. “Just like in real estate they say 'location, location, location,' in this business it's all about referrals, referrals, referrals. How long have they been working with them? You want to make sure that he's using people that he's worked with a long time, that he has faith in and relies on, because the bottom line is you're only as good as the people that you send out on the job.” … Also, if they use subcontractors, you want to ask if they have established relationships with these people. You want to make sure the company is using qualified carpenters, licensed and bonded plumbers, electricians - all the proper people. “There are guys out there that call themselves professionals that actually pick up their workers every day on the corner. If you don't have a licensed person in your home, you don't have a leg to stand on.”ģ) Pick contractors who know their crew well They will send out an inspector and see what the problem is and enforce the fact that the contractor needs to get it done right. The license is a huge help in that if you have a problem later on, you can go to the licensing agency and get assistance in filing any complaints. “If they're not licensed and not insured, you don't want them in your house. But where a lot of guys cut corners is in the labor, and if you're dealing with a low-cost contractor you're probably going to wind up getting low-cost labor, which means they might be using a lot of day laborers rather than full-time employees or qualified tradesmen.”Ģ) Make sure they’re licensed and insured ![]() The materials are going to be pretty close from contractor to contractor because it takes ‘X’ amount of lumber and accessories and so forth to get the job done. When you're dealing with an estimate that's substantially lower than some of the other estimates that you're getting, there's usually a good reason why. “I think it's really important that people get a few estimates, but don't go with the cheapest one necessarily. Catch a Contractor airs Sunday nights at 10 p.m.ġ) Don’t automatically pick the cheapest estimate We spoke with Bedell, who runs Big Dog Building and Remodeling in Long Island, N.Y., for tips on hiring a good contractor and avoiding the bad ones.
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