Knowing how to find a contractor that won’t turn your project into a nightmare situation isn’t as hard as it seems. There is a right way, and a wrong way to go about finding one. If you take the steps below, you are much more likely to find someone amazing in your area. Keep reading to find out what the right steps are to hiring a reliable contractor for your home remodel project.
I made The Contractor Search Guide to help cover the most important steps in the hiring process. They are easy to understand and follow along with. What this guide covers are three crucial parts of looking for a contractor.
First is an in depth list of places to look for the contractor you want to hire. It covers the best options to use, no matter where you are living. It’s important to go where they are if you want to find them.
Next you get a list of 14 interview questions to ask your potential prospects. Each question also shows you what to listen for in their answers. You will get a printable PDF version of these questions, making it easier to ask them in the interview process.
The third part of The Contractor Search Guide talks about everything you need to know about the contract. It discusses the clauses in it, and what they mean. It also tells you where to go to make sure the contract you use is a good one for your own situation. You get a PDF of an example contract for you to look at when you write up your own.
Click the button below to get your copy of The Contractor Search Guide now.
The Contractor Search Guide Will Show You The Exact Process For Finding a Reliable and Trustworthy Contractor. Don’t Pick Someone Who Will make things worse!
You Will:
- Know Where to Look For A Contractor to Hire
- Get a Complete List of Interview Questions
- Know What Goes Into The Contract
Make Your Next Renovation Project As Seamless As Possible. Get Your Copy of The Contractor Search Guide When You Click The Link Below.
Let’s take a look at the three main parts of hiring a contractor for your personal home remodel job.
Where To Look For a Contractor to Hire
The first step to finding a contractor is to look in the right places. There are a few ways to do this. The first is probably the most reliable. You can get references from your friends and family. This is a great way to vet somebody because you trust what your family member would recommend to you. They would let you know if they didn’t like the person.
But you may run into the issue of either not knowing anyone who has had work done on their home. Or perhaps the people you know live far away so that the contractor can’t get to your home to work. That’s okay because the second place for you to look is with the local home builder’s association.
To do this you will go on the search engine of your choice and search for the term “home builder’s association”. You may need to type in the city or region you live in as well. Do some searching for a business directory. Then look for terms like “Remodeling”, or “Builders- Custom”. Think creatively for search terms you can use.
There are more options for you to use when looking for a contractor. You want to find about 3-5 of them for the next step. It’s okay if you go to the next step with each person when you find them.
Questions to Ask a Contractor
The interview process is a crucial stage for successfully finding someone who is reliable. It will help you get to know who you are working with better. You will want to ask some key questions to figure out if they are the right fit for your situation.
There is a good chance they won’t work out, so that’s why we will have 3-5 lined up for an interview. If they don’t work out, go back to the previous step and find another one to interview. Once you find the one you want to use, you can move on to the next phase.
Here are some good questions to ask. If you want a more thorough list to use, check out The Contractor Search Guide.
What made you want to get into this business?
This question is meant to give you a basic understanding of whether or not this person enjoys this type of work. Do you get a sense they are there just for a paycheck, or is it more than that? Do they have experience with the profession, or are they pretty young in the field?
Do you have any examples of projects like mine that you’ve already done? Can I see Photos?
Their portfolio might not have exact replicas of what you want in your bathroom, but it’s good to know if they have experience with similar projects. You can also build upon their experience to improve on the ideas you have.
The contractor’s previous experience and knowledge base is a good resource for you to tap into. Don’t be afraid to change your mind about some of your ideas if you like theirs better.
Can you provide at least 3 references for your work?
These can be previous clients, other contractors they worked with, etc. It’s better if it is a former client they have worked with. This will let you get a feel for what it’s like to work with them.
You want to call these people and ask how the experience was. Get a feel for what the contractor’s work ethic is like, and if the project was completed on time. You don’t need to ask about too many specifics, but instead get an idea of the overall experience of what the contractor was like working with them.
These questions are good starting questions for the conversation you are about to have. Remember that the main intention for asking these questions is to get to know who it is you are inviting into your home to help you. Make sure the person you choose is the best option for you to use.
After picking the right person to help with your home remodel, you want to cover all your bases legally. That’s why next we will be discussing what goes into drafting a contract.
What You Need To Know About The Contract
A contract is a legal document used to protect yourself from any damages that are caused by the other party/parties within the contract. There are many different versions to use for a renovation.
Not all contractors choose to use a written contract when taking a job. This may seem silly because their title is “contractor”, but it is considered normal because a handshake is technically a legally binding contract.
It is best to use a written contract for during and after the project is complete. There are many parts that can be included that are important for both parties.
The clauses may or may not be included in the contract, depending on the situation. A lot of it has to do with the size of the job being done. If you have a big job for instance, you may need to pull permits. But some jobs don’t deal with work that would require this clause to be included.
On the other hand, each project is going to have a “scope of work” which lists the details of the job. This will clear up a lot of confusion that might arise regarding what specifics need to get done.
There are many more clauses that are used in these types of jobs. This article is not designed to have a thorough listing of all the clauses to choose from. You will get a more complete list in The Contractor Search Guide.
The Contractor Search Guide Will Show You The Exact Process For Finding a Reliable and Trustworthy Contractor. Don’t Pick Someone Who Will make things worse!
You Will:
- Know Where to Look For A Contractor to Hire
- Get a Complete List of Interview Questions
- Know What Goes Into The Contract
Make Your Next Renovation Project As Seamless As Possible. Get Your Copy of The Contractor Search Guide When You Click The Link Below.
How To Find a Contractor Near Me
My favorite resource for looking up contractors in my area is HomeAdvisor.com. This website will compare options depending on your specific job requirements. You will simply type in the type of work you are doing (e.g. home remodel) into the search bar. After hitting enter it will ask you what your zip code is. This will narrow down the workers to those in your area. Take a look through the options before picking the one you think is the best.
You can also browse the categories to find specific jobs you might need done. This website has several ways you can use it to find a reliable worker for you to use at home.
I hope this article helped you with the process on how to find a contractor. There really are some simple steps to follow that will get you the result you are looking for. If you go through these steps you are more likely to find a contractor that you can trust. Also remember if you don’t have a good feeling about someone, you don’t need to use them. It’s best to search for the best contractor for your home remodel.
Happy Remodeling,
Kevin