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7 Hacks for Hiring a General Contractor: A Cheat Sheet for Rockford Homeowners

November 2, 2019 by Carter Leave a Comment

Written by: Cross Country Construction

Rockford homeowners: Are you planning on refurbishing your kitchen, bathroom, or doing any other home project? Are you having a hard time finding an excellent general contractor from all the ones out there?

Well, worry not since there are some tips and tricks you can put into play to ensure that you select the best general contractor for your Rockford home.

Remember, the general contractor will be around your home for days, weeks or even months. You should, therefore, hire a contractor in whom you’ve got one hundred percent trust and one that your family will be comfortable around.

Here are some guidelines that will enable you to select a reputable contractor for your home.

Get recommendations from local sources

Start by consulting your friends and family to find out if they have worked with any reputable remodeling contractors. You can also ask your local go-to lumber shop or home improvement stores for insights on contractors who purchase high-quality items for their projects.

Click here for a list of home improvement stores in Rockford, IL

Also, be mindful of contractors who no one has ever heard about or seen to avoid getting conned or getting you a shoddy job done. Use of unsatisfactory quality materials is a red flag and contractors who purchase such material should be avoided.

You can also consult a home inspector before hiring. Home inspectors assess the condition of your home and help you in solving the situation you are in. Since they see so many properties and are usually well networked within their communities, they are the best people to get referrals from when hiring a general contractor.

Do phone interviews with potential general contractors

Before giving any general contractor the address to your home, it’s important to ask him some questions on the phone. You should find out which projects the contractor is best suited for, the complexity of the projects they engage in, his charges on a plan as well as the means of payment he prefers.

You should also him about his license, and when it’s likely to expire, his office address, as well as the types of insurance coverage he carries. The answers provided for these questions will give you some insights on their reliability and availability, as well as how much attention the general contractor will provide your project. This will be of great help in the hiring process.

Meet your contractor face to face

After the phone interviews, select a few residential renovation contractors (maybe two or three – depending on the complexity of the job) to meet for further discussions face to face. An excellent residential renovation contractor should be able to answer all the questions asked satisfactorily and in a style that puts you at ease.

REMEMBER: The contractor will be in your home for a long time, and it is therefore best to select one that you are comfortable with.

Investigate!

Don’t let a general contractor’s personality fool you. Do some background checks before hiring. You might want to contact the previous clients that your Rockford general contractor has worked for in the recent past to get the facts straight on their reliability, quality of work and efficiency. However, do not rely on this information alone.

You can opt to visit his office or even his current engagement site to assess the contractors’ work as well.

Don’t choose your remodeling contractor solely based on price

It’s always tempting to go for the remodeling contractor whose charges are lower than the rest. However, don’t select a contractor based on the price only. He could be charging less because he uses low-quality materials, does a shoddy job or maybe he hasn’t worked recently and is desperate for a job.

Go for remodeling contractors whose methods, background, price, and personality you are comfortable with.

Agree on a payment schedule

It’s normal to set up a payment schedule with your contractor before hiring him.

These can give additional insights on the contractor’s work ethics – as well as his financial status. If your general contractor in Rockford IL goes for half the bid upfront, then he might be facing some financial crisis, or he may be afraid that you will not clear the remaining potion after seeing the results. Of course, they may also be charging because a lot of materials need to be purchased up front so use your common sense with this tip.

The most important thing is to have a clear agreement before you start the work or sign any contract. Which brings us to the next point. . .

Draft a contract!

Design a contract that lays out all the details of the project. It should contain the payment schedule, the insurance coverage, materials to be used as well as the starting and completion time. Remember to include all other material information in the contract to ensure your safety in case something goes wrong.

Renovating your home is a normal and often joyful experience for every homeowner and nothing to shy away from. However, before hiring a contractor, it’s necessary to do some background research to ensure you hire a reputable one.

Go for a contractor who you are comfortable with and one whose reputation and experience renders him suitable for the job. You can never go wrong when you integrate these seven tips into your search process.

Both images from www.unsplash.com

 

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Neighborgoods is all about living a healthy and community based lifestyle. Staying active and being outdoors is what life is all about :) It may not be for everyone, but I believe that the more time we spend with others being active outdoors, the happier we are.

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