5 Things to Look For In a Home Remodeling Contractor
Now that you’ve settled on new countertops for your kitchen or a new shower, you are ready to look for qualified home remodeling companies. Hiring a contractor can facilitate the process if you need more time, resources, or patience to undertake a new DIY project. However, there are several factors to consider when choosing the best home remodeling contractor. What characteristics do you need for a remodeling project to be successful?
Know that you are recruiting a new employee for a job when looking for a contractor. You wouldn’t select the first person who applied for a job at your company, so you shouldn’t pick your home improvement contractor before speaking with the top applicants.
Here are the top 5 qualities you should look for in a home remodeling contractor.
1) Reputation
Researching local full-service contractors in your area with the best skills is the first step in choosing the best contractor for your home remodeling project. Including more names than you’ll need now is preferable because you’ll eventually utilize this list to select your builder after gradually whittling it down to the top candidates.
Recommendations
Reputable contractors will make it easy to contact them and view their portfolios. Shun contractors without readily accessible information, such as a website, social media presence, or ratings.
2) Capabilities
Choose a remodeling specialist for the type of work you require. For example, choosing a drywall repair contractor to renovate your bathroom might not be wise. On the other hand, if you want to paint a room with a faux finish or build a tile entryway with a complex mosaic, you’ll need a professional who specializes in that type of job.
Request a portfolio of their recent projects from the home remodeling companies on your list. They might have a tangible portfolio or point you toward an image-rich website. At least ten projects should be part of a strong portfolio. Photos from before construction, during renovation, and after completion should be present. Images like blueprints, sketches, or other designs help give you a better understanding of how the contractor tackles a project.
Recommendations
Watch out for a portfolio with few completed projects, no previous photos, or blurry, difficult-to-view pictures of the finished result. Remember that only the most outstanding work of home renovation contractors appears in their portfolios. On average, they do even shoddy work if any completed house addition projects fall short of your expectations. Consequently, remove their name from your list.
3) Transparency
Your list should now contain approximately six to eight names. A simple method to narrow it down even more is to inquire about the contractors’ credentials. Depending on the project, your home remodeling contractor may need to possess special licenses or certificates. Call the licensing office in your community to inquire about the precise requirements since state laws differ.
Beyond verifying that they have the appropriate licenses and qualifications to carry out the work legally and safely, verify that everyone on your list is covered by liability insurance in case they damage your property. Worker’s compensation should equally cover the contractor and any additional workers. Get a summary of their insurance policies and ensure they are current.
Recommendations
Remove any contractors who do not have the necessary credentials from your list. In addition, we suggest cross-checking the names of anyone reluctant or taking a long time to provide you with this information.
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4) Communication
Once you’ve reduced your lengthy list to five or six top candidates, ensuring your contractor has excellent communication skills is crucial. You can ask any professional home remodeling contractor for a thorough breakdown of your budget and schedule. If your project has a projected timeline, that’s helpful; if the timeframe isn’t listed, ask them.
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Very few references or big gaps in time between references are some warning signs. Before assuming the worst, inquire about these. A gap in the schedule doesn’t always indicate danger; they could have been sick or taken some time off. Your concerns can meet the contractor’s transparency and willingness to provide additional information.
Even if there were a few minor issues, if a client had a pleasant overall experience, they would be optimistic about the contractor. On the other hand, you might observe the person hesitating or providing a vague response if the experience wasn’t satisfactory. Try to interpret what the individual says for yourself; they might not mean to say anything hurtful. After speaking with each contractor’s references, you should examine three or four contractors. Discard any who receive negative or conflicting feedback.
5) Skill
Cross out any licensed general contractors who received negative evaluations after you’ve contacted their references. Next, choose which of the remaining contacts you want to meet in person to see the project your contractor accomplished for them. Choose folks who seem approachable and forthcoming, whose tasks are comparable to yours, and, preferably, who live nearby. The work should originate from at least a few years ago so you can assess its longevity. Finally, visit at least one completed project from each of the top contenders you have left.
Recommendations
There are a few red flags to watch out for, depending on the project type:
- Kitchen Remodeling: Countertops with obvious seams, low-quality materials, an illogical placement of the “kitchen triangle” (sink, stove, and refrigerator), poor lighting, and insufficient counter or storage space.
- Bathroom Remodeling: Sloped flooring, dark stains on the walls or ceiling, substandard materials, and inadequate illumination.
- Paint: Overspray, streaks, paint runs, crooked lines, imperfect edges, and paint splatters on the floor.
- Tile Work: Misaligned tiles or lines, tile or grout breaking, extra grout or caulking along edges (meant to hide improperly cut tiles), mismatched grout lines, uneven surfaces, and evident transitions between characters.
- Decks, Patios, or Pergolas: Boards that are warped or bloated, boards with uneven edges, spaces between panels or windows, floorboard cracks, fissures or separations between the house’s side and the deck, and concrete cracks.
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C&K Roofing Inc. & General Contracting is a family-owned and operated interior home remodeling contractor serving Maynard, Marlborough, Acton, MA, and surrounding cities. We specialize in residential and commercial roofing and licensed general contractor services such as kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, painting services, drywall repair contractor projects, and deck installations.
For your project to be successful, we prioritize teamwork, coordination, and communication with all parties involved. This commitment starts with our office, project managers, supervisors, and vendors and trickles down to our loyal customers.
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