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Guest Article: Tips on Selecting a Contractor Author: JL Saffell, a Homeowner Selecting the right contractor for the project is the most important project decision you'll make. How do you make this all-important decision, particularly if this is the first time you've ever attempted a major project like building a new home or remodeling an old one? Do your homework. Contractor selection requires you to do YOUR homework first. Remember, if you have to take out a loan you'll be paying the bills for a long time after the work is completed. You want your project to be done right, the first time. You want the whole experience to be a positive one. Allow yourself enough time. Selecting a contractor, getting an estimate, and the timeframe of the actual project often take much longer than you originally anticipate. Good contractors are frequently booked months in advance. If you have a specific deadline to meet, this may be a determining factor in selection of a contractor. You can watch some of those home improvement TV shows to get an idea of the whole process, too. Ask people you trust for recommendations. Talk to friends and neighbors and ask if they can recommend a contractor. If you are new to the area you may simply have to start with the phone book. Ask questions at your local building supply stores. Check in local specialty newspapers. Attend any home or garden shows where contractors may be exhibiting. Contact your local builders association. Look for reputable sources of information about local contractors. Be assured that if you talk to people you'll get both positive and negative feedback. This will help you narrow your list of possible contractors for your project. Check License and Insurance Status. In California, go to California Contractors State License Board. Check license status and find out if they carry Workman's Compensation Insurance for their employees. Read up on contracts, and learn the lingo. Inform yourself. This step is important. It could weed out unlicensed and uninsured contractors. Ultimately you should end up with a list of 3 or 4 possible contractors based on local recommendations, contractor advertising, and license checks. Call the contractors and discuss the basic steps involved in getting an estimate from them, including time. Be sure to ask about cost of the estimate itself (if any). Ask for referrals i.e. a list of satisfied customers that you can contact, a list of recent projects they've done. Go look at their work. Then revise your list again ranking the contractors according to the information you've already collected. Get a firm estimate, not a "guestimate". Most contactors will give you a free estimate in about 7-14 days. Make sure they include a timeframe in the estimate for start and ending of the project. Good estimates should be fairly detailed, outlining project materials, labor costs breakdowns and timeframes. Get as specific on materials to be used as possible when starting the estimate. Remember, the estimate is a prelude to a contract and the contractor is in business to make a profit. You, on the other hand have a specific 'picture' in your mind of the finished project. Be as detailed in your project description as possible in order to get the most accurate estimate. Here's a few more tips that will make the estimate more accurate and the process faster: Gather pictures from magazines similar to what you want. The more detail you can decide upon, the more accurate the estimate.   Get as specific as possible. Bathroom fixtures for example range from a couple of hundred to thousands of dollars per item. You need to be specific as to what you want in grade, quality, and even manufacturer.   Do some preliminary checking to make sure any specialty items (like specific fixtures, unusual flooring) are available locally, or if they'll need to be special ordered. Availability of materials can significantly affect project timeframes. Get an idea of local materials cost and availability by visiting your builder's supply.   Have a list of questions on project topics for which you need contractor advice.   Get prequalified through a lender if you are going to need financing. Get prequalified for at least 15% over what you think you'll need, because you might need it!   Allow a sufficient timeframe for the project. Major projects often take longer than you hope simply because of the difficulty of getting all the subcontractors schedules to work out in the right order. Don't schedule the move or plan the party until the end is in sight or you may be taking showers on the porch with the garden hose in November.   Be prepared to discuss alternatives and project trade-off's. For example, develop some idea of good-better-best in floor coverings, bathroom fixtures, light fixtures. Then you can get the best cost-benefit ratio for your project. You have to establish the priorities in cost decisions.   Ask questions about who will actually perform the work - the contractor you've met or a subcontractor you've never seen. Ask questions about problem resolution with subcontractors - who is responsible for work quality, etc.   Ask questions about cleanup. Is it included in the estimate?   Get answers about everything before you sign the contract. If there are any points in the estimate that need clarification, get everyone on the same page. Make sure you understand budget allowances, so that you and the contractor are both envisioning the same end result. For example are you envisioning a $100 front door or a $300 front door? Is this sufficiently spelled out in the estimate? Could you actually use the estimate you receive as the basis of a contract? Interview Contractors. At some point in the process, you'll really want to interview the contractor. You can do this early on when you are first making your list of possibles, or after you get estimates. But you do need to interview the contractor. You need to find out whether you can truly communicate with the contractor. You also need to determine if he/she actually oversees the work or uses a project manager. If there is to be a project manager, interview that person. The key to contractor selection is "communication". While a good estimate and staying within financial limitations are very important to the homeowner, the ultimate criteria for selecting a contractor is whether or not the homeowner can work with them. If your spouse will be the one to oversee the work, is your spouse comfortable in working with these people on a daily basis? Make sure you and your spouse are comfortable with the contractor. You are the one paying the bill. You should be comfortable and not intimidated by the contractor or his staff. You should be able to reach the contractor for questions. If possible, visit an active project to check out worker attitudes and actions. This contractor and his staff will be in your house - are you comfortable with that? Make your decision. Once the decision is made, proceed with creation of the contract and get scheduled. As a matter of courtesy, be sure to inform everyone from whom you obtained a bid that you've made your decision, so that they are not holding a place for you. Then get started on your project! Final note: This is the methodology we used in selecting a contractor to do a major remodel on our home in 2000. We ultimately decided on Hofer Construction, and I am happy to say we made a good decision! In fact, we hired them again 4 years later to do a second major home improvement project, and we are glad we waited for an opening in their schedule. If the project is important, Hofer Construction is definitely worth the wait. JL Saffell © 2002, updated 2004

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