Construction projects are surprisingly intimate things. After all, you’re using your hard-earned money to pay strange people to come into your home to change your living environment amongst your family. That’s why it’s so important to pick the right company for your new home improvement endeavor. Also, prefer a new home warranty for your new property that provides protection for the new owner for 10 years, and covers any defects found once the buyers move in.
There are a lot of things and qualities to consider before making your choice. You need to consider the type of project you’re about to start and the kind of company you need to complete it. What is the time scale of the project? Do you need to find alternate housing arrangements while your home improvement undertaking is implemented?
These concerns are just scratching the surface. If you aren’t careful, you could lose all your money to an unscrupulous construction company that makes its living by scamming customers or producing low-quality results that cost even more to remedy. For that reason, this guide details many of the things that any homeowner should consider before hiring a company and getting started.
Make Sure You Hire The Right Company For The Job
The primary concern for the homeowner is to hire the right company. This decision is the single most important factor in the outcome of your home improvement project. Since all projects need to be completed on a budget, people are often forced to live with bad outcomes because they can’t afford to hire someone to do it again. Choosing a responsible company is the best way to ensure that the task is accomplished the first time correctly. So there are many logistical concerns you must consider.
What is the nature of your construction task? This is the starting point for the hiring process. Make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish, and then look for a professional contractor specializing in that kind of work. You aren’t paying a company to use your home as a guinea pig while learning a new marketable skill.
Here are a few of the most popular home improvement projects:
- Landscaping projects
- Reshingling the roof
- Kitchen remodel
- Bathroom remodel
- Basement remodel
- Living room and bedroom updates
- Attic conversion
- Improved window installation
- Another exterior remodels
Each of these different tasks is best completed by specialist companies. The first thing you should do is to make sure you define your vision and hire the right kind of company for the task at hand. You don’t want to hire Bob’s kitchen refit company to reshingle your house when you should have hired the roofers over at A to Z Construction. In a perfect world, companies would only take jobs they are suited for. But in this highly competitive environment, contractors are pressed to take any job they can. So be sure to pick the right style of business.
Now that you’ve chosen the right kind of company, it’s time to narrow it down and pick a specific contractor for the task. There are a few things you need to do to be sure you hire the right one.
Checking Out References To Protect Your Investment
The most important thing now that you’ve chosen the right kind of business is to pick a high-quality and responsible contractor in that category. Choosing the wrong company can have devastating consequences. If you look online, you can find countless horror stories about people hiring contractors that show up late, get way behind schedule, go over budget, perform substandard repairs, steal valuables, and even assault family members. That’s if they even show up in the first place.
Here are some red flags to look out for when hiring a new contract company:
- The price is too good to be true
- They have no suggestions and no examples to pick from
- They have no portfolio, or their portfolio looks like something they stole online
- They ask to be paid in cash
- They produce no labor contract
- They cannot provide references
- They don’t appear organized
- They don’t follow basic safety procedures
- Building codes aren’t followed
In the end, trust your gut. If it feels off, it’s probably because of something you’re picking up on but can’t quite put into words. It’s your hard-earned money, don’t be afraid to interview several companies before making your choice.
Unscrupulous contractors aren’t just taking your coin, they’re risking your property, your health, and maybe even your life. Just consider a new gas range being improperly installed. Or poorly wired electrical work. Things like these could have devastating results. Not to mention, they won’t hesitate to sue you for liability if they were to become injured due to their own failure to follow basic safety guidelines. That’s a liability that you and your family don’t need.
There are several things you can do to be sure you get the right team for your job. One of the best things you can do is look for online reviews. But don’t be fooled, there are a few ways that online reviews can be misleading. A company with 5-stars but only 2 reviews can’t be trusted. Anybody can make a few spoof accounts and review their own work, or they can get their friends to register false reviews.
Make sure that they have a good score and a lot of reviews! Any company that has retained a four or 5-star rating with hundreds of reviews is great and can surely be trusted. Reading reviews is also a good way to find out about unexpected issues and capabilities that you didn’t foresee. This will both temper your expectations and ensure you get the best results for your money.
Don’t Overlook These Other Qualities For A Great Experience
There are many other things to look for when considering the contractor for your new home improvement project. Some companies are perfectly good but cannot work with the innovative new technologies you might be seeking. They simply aren’t modern enough.
Some companies can produce standard results for cheap. Others will exceed your wildest expectations, for a price. Other minor concerns to consider could be as little as to whether or not they are comfortable with your dog. You don’t want your little pup to end up in the pound!
Taking all these things into consideration will ensure you get the results you want, safely. And for the budget that you’ve set aside. Carefully planning and considering your construction contractor will guarantee a great result and a rising property value!
