HOME IMPROVEMENT CONTRACTORS…
Finding the Right Home Improvement Contractor
OK. So…how do you find a good home improvement contractor? Well, not under some rock, as many of you envision, slithering along the ground as some slimy snake. Within REPUBLIC OF RIPOFF – Confessions of a Home Improvement Salesman you’ll read enlightening stories about contractors which will provide insights into how these men operate.
A General Contractor, adept at most jobs within a home, is a good bet for medium to large projects, such as:
- Full gutting of your kitchen down to the studs, with installation of all new walls, ceiling, lighting, floors, cabinets, countertops and appliances. Along with this might go creating a countered “window” opening between your kitchen and dining room, or removing the wall completely
- Totally ripping out an old bathroom (just as the kitchen), and install all new walls, ceiling and floors, along with new floor and wall tiles and all those new bath fixtures we drool over in Home and Garden Magazine
For smaller jobs, hire your local professional plumber or electrician if you wish to do the following:
- Fixing a basic plumbing problem
- Patching some sheetrock that your dog didn’t like
- Running a new electrical line into the ceiling for a room without one to install a new fan
As the chapters unfold, you will, in addition to learning how to negotiate with a contractor to save gobs of money, gain understanding of what to look for and what to ask the contractors you are interested in.
Two important questions: Against all the wisdom of the ages, is it necessary to get the proverbial three estimates, or go with the first one you interview if you both know what other home owners have paid and have accomplished some on-line pricing research?
Do you still continue shopping IF the contractor arrives with photos of previous jobs, seem relaxed, knowledgeable and fully answers your questions, shows you the Better Business Bureau printout of their company’s record, plus letters of recommendation and gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling which creates movement in your fingers to engage the use of a pen to sign an agreement right there and then?
Delve into REPUBLIC OF RIPOFF for the answers!
