What to Look for in Your Next Contractor

Renovating your home, no matter how small the changes may be, is not an easy task to take on. That is why many people prefer to trust a contractor to do the work for them.

Families hire a contractor for a reason – they know that the person they bring in will do the job correctly and safely. If the renovation isn’t done properly, those inside the house could be at risk if something went wrong.

A contractor is not a decision you want to make without doing a bit of research. To help you out, here are five questions you should ask your potential contractor before hiring him or her.

Ask if They’re Licensed

If you bring on someone who isn’t licensed and something went wrong, you could be liable for what happened. That is not something you want to be responsible for.

Not only that, a licensed contractor tells you that he or she went through the training and proper measures to be an actual contractor. It’s one thing to hire someone who does a bit of the work on the side. However, it’s something entirely different hiring someone licensed who will assume responsibilities for anything and everything during the renovations.

What is Experience?

Although everyone needs to start somewhere, do you want someone working on your home that has no experience at all? Ask your potential contractor what their experience is like. Don’t feel bad or shy about asking this question. It’s important for you to know.

If you have someone with little to no experience and just starting out, see if they are shadowing someone. That way, you have the expertise around to ensure everything goes correctly.

See Whoelse Will Be Helping

Many contractors will hire sub-contractors for certain parts of the job. It’s a common practice, and there isn’t anything wrong with that. Ask if your contractor is hiring any sub-contractors and if they’ll be around to supervise them.

The reason to ask this question is so you know every person that is potentially working on your house. If you’re not around, you want to ensure that those in your house are safe and responsible. Not only that, you’re trusting your contractor to do the job, so you’ll want to ensure that they’re overseeing the entire project.

What is Their Timeline?

A timeline is important. Although you can’t necessarily set an exact date of when the job will finish, your potential contractor should be able to give you a general idea of when things should wrap up. Their timeline should fit within yours, within reason.

See if They Have Other Jobs on the Go

There are two reasons for checking in on your contractor’s other gigs. The first is that if they have nothing else going on, you may question why that is. On the other hand, if your contractor lists off multiple jobs at one time, that could be a red flag for the quality of work, or the timeline being longer than originally planned.

Take the time researching different contractors before making your decision. You’ll have someone working in your house. So, it’s a smart idea to know as much as you can about your future contractor to ensure the quality of work meets your standards.