How to Pick the Right Contractor

If you’re planning for your home renovation, there’s a lot of important decisions that need to be made. Besides figuring out the scope of the project and your budget, you need a contractor that you trust to guide the project. Choosing the wrong contractor can result in project delays, unnecessary frustration, and additional financial investment. With such an important and costly investment like a home renovation, you want to make sure that you’re working with a contractor that has a strong reputation for quality work, integrity and trustworthiness. Knowing that you’ll be spending a lot of time with your contractor throughout the renovation process, you want to ensure that they are someone you can trust completely. Here’s a few questions to ask yourself to make sure you’re choosing the right person.

Do I trust them? 

When it comes to developing a professional relationship with someone, whether it’s a business partner, employee, or contractor, you want to make sure that they are a person you can trust. What does your gut tell you after you’ve interacted with them? If you’re getting a negative feeling about any aspects of your conversation, move on to the next contractor.

Do they have positive reviews? 

It’s important to determine whether you think your experience working with this contractor will be a positive one. One way to help you determine that is understanding the experiences of their past clients. If there are reviews or testimonials available, give them a look to see what others have to say about this contractor.

Do they specialize in this type of renovation?

In addition to figuring out whether you trust them and their past experience, you want to know whether or not they have experience with your type of renovation. Depending on the type of project you have, there could be complicated questions or issues that need to be answered, and working with a contractor who’s gone through it in the past will ensure a smooth process.

Do they understand my vision?

Though the contractor is generally responsible for executing your vision by providing the materials and labor for a renovation project, you want to ensure they understand your needs. Though they provide the expertise in the construction aspect of the project, they need to understand the functionality, design, and aesthetic you’re seeking.

Do they have all the certifications/licensures/insurance that they need?

Potentially the first question you ask, but it’s important to ensure that the contractor you’re working with has all of the appropriate licensure requirements, insurance, and certifications needed to complete your project in your area.

Your contractor is your partner throughout the renovation process and you want to ensure they’re someone you can trust, someone who has your best interests and the best interests of the project in mind, and has the necessary experience to carry out the renovation. You’ll be relying on their expertise to guide you through the renovation process, trusting their opinion when making tough decisions, and putting your faith in their experience to execute the vision for your renovation. It’s not a decision you want to take lightly or make quickly, put in the time to do some research, get to know your options, and pick the contract that is right for you.