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How To Find The Best Home Improvement And Remodeling Contractor

Tue 19 Jun 2007 - 16:16

How To Find The Best Home Improvement And Remodeling Contractor
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dan_Calderwood] Dan Calderwood

The following tips will help ensure you find the best contractor for your home remodeling.

1. Ask friends for recommendations. If you have friends, co-workers, or family members who have had a positive experience with their home improvement contractor, ask them for recommendations. You can also contact the National Building Association of the Remodeling Industry for members in your area. At the same time, ask around and listen to people who complained about their contractor. Some questions you ask people about the contractor they used include:

 Were you happy with the contractor?
 Did they complete the job in the time frame they promised?
 How was the quality of work?
 Was the contractor readily accessible and did he respond to problems as they arose in a timely manner?
 Did the contractor willingly make any necessary corrections?
 Did the workers show up regularly and was there supervision?
 Did he keep the project moving?
 Did the project come in at the cost stated on the contract?
 Would you use him again?

2. Conduct an initial phone interview. Once you have a few names of potential contractors to work with, you will then want to conduct interviews of your prospective contractors. Most often, these will take place over the phone. Questions you should ask include the following. These questions are important to ask and will give you a general idea about how smoothly the project will run and whether or not they are reliable.

 What size projects do you take on?
 Do you have financial references from material suppliers or from banks?
 Can you provide referrals/lists from previous clients?
 How many projects are you currently working on now?

3. Meet the prospective contractors in person. Once you have narrowed down a few potential contractors, meet with them in person to talk more and to get an estimate. There are a number of things you should be aware of in this meeting. The contractor should be able to answer all of your questions. In addition, it's important to make sure you communicate effectively and are comfortable with your contractor.

4. Put it in writing. One of the most important things you will need to do is have all terms put into writing. This includes the payment schedule, proof of insurance, projected start and completion dates, specific materials to be used, and so forth. Go over your contract carefully, and bring up anything you are not clear on, as well as mention anything you think was left out.

Your contract will have a large impact on the overall quality of your remodeling project. Make sure you take the time to hire the best one available.

HomeBuildingRemodeling.com is your source for top quality [http://www.homebuildingremodeling.com/] home building, [http://www.homebuildingremodeling.com/preparing_to_build_or_remodel/] remodeling and home decorating information.

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Article Source: [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Dan_Calderwood ] http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_Calderwood
[http://ezinearticles.com/?How-To-Find-The-Best-Home-Improvement-And-Remodeling-Contractor&id=611252 ] http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Find-The-Best-Home-Improvement-And-Remodeling-Contractor&id=611252


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