Remember - Measure Twice, Cut Once

Professional Renovations - 30 Years Experience

References are King – and a Must!



Never hire a contractor without proven references (verified by you)… and never hire anyone that gives you a bad vibe, you are entering into a temporary partnership in a sense, and it is best if you like the person you are going to work with – it will make a huge difference.

That said, this is sometimes easier said than done, how do you know what references are good and trustworthy.

As a renovation contractor I can tell you that satisfied customers, especially in the renovation business, are more than happy to provide reference and usually will allow you to view the contractors past work (not always, but most satisfied customers will). It is rare to find a good renovation contractor, and those that do good work usually continue to work for the same people over the years – so it makes sense that past customers will still be familiar with the contractor in question and willing to show you his work.

For any sizable project, a good contractor should come prepared and have a list of references ready when he arrives. Unless the contractor declines the job, he should leave these with you before he leaves – in some cases, contractors will provide these when they deliver the estimate for the work to be done, so if this is the case, it is totally acceptable.

In addition, ask for a list of sub-trades that the contractor uses on a regular basis. First do a little research on them (any BBB complaints etc),  then call them and ask them if they feel the contractor is good, organized and if they are always paid in a reasonable time frame.

The reason to ask for sub-trades, more than anything, is to make sure the contractor in question actually uses sub-trades — or attempts to do most of the work himself (although it is acceptable for a contractor to do minor plumbing and drywall repairs etc). Frequently small contractors do their own carpentry and finish carpentry, in fact many general contractors start out as carpenters and gain experience with many trades since they do lots of prep and adjustments for them. However, to complete larger projects on time (such as a basement renovation) a sensible contractor will use sub-trades for most of the project.

You need to make sure sub-trades are good and they like working for the contractor.

There should be no restrictions in regards to contacting references and a phone number should be provided with each reference. You should have a minimum of 6 references with an overview of each project, and the project timeline should vary from very recent, to a minimum of 5 years back – if you get more than 6 references and ones that date back more than 5 years, all the better.

Call every reference and try to view at least two of those that are most similar to your own project. You should be able to get a hold of most references but it is reasonable for one or two to no longer be available – people do move. If you can view a few past projects, ask the owners how the contractor preformed, were he and his crew, or sub-trades, there on time and consistent? Did they keep the job site clean and orderly? Did he point out problems as the came up and did her offer good solutions? Was the job finished on budget and on time – or close to it? Bottom line, this is the time to ask as many questions as you can. Also ask if there was anything that bothered them in regards to the contractor, his sub-trades and crew – leave this one wide open… you never know what you will find out.

One of the most important questions to ask past customers is how the contractor responded to any problems that arose after the job was completed. Did he show up in a reasonable amount of time? Did he repair the problem properly? If within a year of completion, did he charge for the repair? There is almost always a few problems after a job is done so it is reasonable to ask this question. If no problems arose, all the better.

The older the job the more impressive the reference if the customer is still happy – means his work is standing up and the quality of work is probably good – this is the type of reference you want to visit if possible and get a first hand look at the contractors work — best after 3 or 4 years or more.

Finally, after all the above check out, I cannot stress enough that you like the person you hire. Keep in mind when I say like, I am not saying to be friends, at least not until the job is complete and you are happy with the work. Once you know the contractor is top notch, being a little more friendly is fine, have a beer, coffee or whatever,

…but until the job is done, getting too friendly makes it harder to negotiate an issue in your favour should problems arise, or if you are not happy with some of the work being done – keep a professional distance until the job is done!


Reconditioned 234x60
   

January 6, 2012 | Filed Under Do's & Don'ts, Warning Signs 

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