Finding Your Family’s Home Contractor
If you’re planning to do work on your house, sooner or later you’re probably going to need a contractor. That’s especially true if you’re thinking about home additions. Home additions are a big job that includes a lot of planning and construction – never mind the cleanup!
Because home additions are such a big job, you’ll want to take the search for a contractor seriously. The right contractor can take your additions project and make it seem easy and fun. So what factors should you consider when looking for a contractor? Start with the following.
First, make sure the contractor has a license. This is a basic step. If he doesn’t have a license, he’s not worth your time.
Similarly, check the contractor’s references. They’ll tell you whether he’s trustworthy, reliable, and whether he delivers good work.
Ask the contractor to visit your home. Any contractor worth his salt will want to check out the job site before getting started. Make sure your contractor actually comes to your home before planning major additions.
Compare and contrast. Make sure to get bids from more than one contractor. That way, you can compare their rates as well as their promises. If one contractor says you could add on three additions, and another says you don’t have room for even one, you’re probably going to need a few more opinions.
Know your contract. This is an important one. Make sure you know what you’re signing, what you’re agreeing to pay for. This will help prevent nasty surprises down the road.
Develop a strategy for resolving differences in opinion. Before your contractor gets started on your home addition, make sure to talk to him about how you’ll handle differences in opinion. Sooner or later, the two or you are probably going to disagree on something. Having a strategy in place for how you resolve those differences is going to save you a lot of time.
A home additions project can seem overwhelming. But with the right contractor, you’ll have the project done in no time.