Choosing the best contractor is quite a headache, no question. People open their doors every morning and find ads either wedged in the door or plastic - wrapped on the porch that advertise Bills Landscape and Carpentry, Expert Work, in Business for 20 Years. And once in a while, Bill gets business with those. But the people who are buying his services are probably in for a lot more headaches and expense, not to mention non - expert, non - quality work, than they bargained for.
It doesn't need to be that difficult however, since the best contractors are not hiding under a rock. They're also not sitting by the internet screens waiting for potential customers to log in so they can pepper them with 20 years of their reviews. Theyre probably out working, if they're the best. And that's a clue as to the best method to finding the best ones. Go where the work is, obviously, and see who is working hardest.
The first step to choose the best contractoris research. A quick Google search will yield some ten quotes for a particular contracting job; another search will give the requirements, in materials and labor time, to complete the job. Armed with those, a customer can contact any contractor with a good idea of average costs, which allows that customer to evaluate any estimates he may get from his prospective contractor (remember, this is not a marriage, and an estimate is not an obligation), and see who is and isnt over - charging.
To find the best man for the job, the potential customer can, once hes narrowed the field down (and this search will probably take at least a day), check the contractors references from other customers; they should be prominently posted on the business website. If theyre not, skip the guy and move on. Also skip him is he doesnt display the proper certification and licensure, explain his procedures for taking orders and filling them, and give specs about the job a customer is interested in. Customer and contractor havent met; this should all be available on the website.
One can also read reviews of the contractors work from other websites; the best contractors will be affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders, or of the Remodeling Industry, or of the Kitchen and Bath Association. The anagrams NKBA, NARI or NAHB should appear somewhere on their licensure and qualifications. And that contractor will always be associated with the Better Business Bureau; thats a given. Their website should also have a generous portfolio of professional work that they have completed in the community.
The next step to choose the best contractoris really a simple one: the customer meets the contractor. The first contact should be by email or phone. Chances are the customer will leave a message, and the contractor who responds first will get the inside track; he cares about getting the business and establishing a relationship. This is the time to ask questions that a website visit did not answer: how long is the work going to take, for example, or how are their workers insured, or what kind of warranty is provided?
The face- to-face meeting is the next step. Here is where the customer presents his plans, rough sketches or verbal ideas, and the contractor presents his credentials and shares more information. The meeting consists of both sides asking and answering whatever questions remain about the work, the time frame, the estimated price and finally the contractors offer. If one has done the research, its a fairly simple matter to know at once if the price is within an acceptable spectrum, and a good partnership can be formed.
Those are the steps to finding the best contractor; remember, one should just throw Bills ad away.
