How can I go about finding a contractor to remodel my bathroom?
Monday, July 26th, 2010 at
3:28 pm
I need to remodel my bathroom, but I have no clue how to find someone to do it for me. I could just find someone who advertises in the want-ads, but I don’t know. Or I suppose I could go to Home Depot and have them do it. How do people typically hire someone for this sort of thing?
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Tagged with: clue • home depot
Filed under: Bathroom Remodeling Tips
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You need to be extremely careful of who you hire. We bought property and hired a contractor to build our house. I can tell you horror story after horror story.
Check with the local building inspector or county and see if they have a list of licensed contractors in your area. Also, talk to other people who have had work done to get a recommendation.
I wouldn’t recommend Home Depot either. Most of their work is done by local yo-yo’s who wouldn’t need Home Depot if their work was any good. I tried going to them for garage doors and canceled the order when Home Depot messed that all up.
My first rule of thumb is if you call a contractor and he doesn’t call back or show up for an appointment, he’s gone. If he can’t be responsible when he is trying to get your business, then how will he be if you need to call him back because of a problem.
I`d go to Home Depot.. we just had ours done and its BEAUTIFUL but it took the guy 2 weeks and it was expensive.. he was a friend from down the local village pub but he`s qualified and all that.. it looks amazing now but its cost about 4000 pounds…
Each city/province/state generally has an association of builders. GOOD contractors and construction companies (that do small jobs like remodeling a kitchen or bathroom) will be a part of such associations because it gives them credibility and there’s an body that oversees all of them and there’s rules they have to follow etc. I recommend that NO ONE hire out of a newspaper stating they do contract work etc.
Do not hire out of the newspaper. Ask friends, family, people you work with who they have had do similar jobs and ask if they are happy with the results. A satisfied customer is your best advertisement. Check with any "associations" that might be in your area. Do you have a building supply store (local owned and operated) that you buy things from? Ask them for referrals; they know who is good and who isn’t.
I’ve heard really mixed reviews about installers for Home Depot and Lowe’s. Some people are happy and some are majorly pissed off.
Get 3-5 estimates for the job. Immediately toss out the high and the low. Which contractor did you connect with the best? Have the best communication? Which asked questions about what YOU wanted? Which suggested things that might need to be done for building code reasons or safety reasons?
Compare the estimates completely. Look for someone using a lot more materials than others. Look for using a lot less materials. Either is a warning sign. And be sure to ask if they are insured and bonded. Any reputable contractor will be. Make sure they are; if they aren’t and you didn’t investigate and something happens, you could be held liable for hiring an uninsured contractor.
I could give you a long list of contractor horror stories just from my experiences. We’re putting a new roof on later this summer and the gentleman who is doing it has done numerous roofs for people we know or have had contact with and comes highly recommended. And when he was here for the estimate, he asked questions, made suggestions, looked you square in the eye when he talked to you. And if I asked a question, he answered me, not my husband. I can’t tell you how that drives me right up the wall! I will not hire anyone who does that because they are discounting me.