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6 steps to hiring a good contractor
By Youri Naimark of Denver Tile Installation
After evaluating your skills and interest in adding tile to your home, you realized you’re just not a do-it-yourself handyman. No worries, you can always go the professional route and hire a contractor for your tile installation project. But, hiring someone you can trust to follow through and finish the project to your specifications is job one when hunting for contractors. With so many “Contractor from hell” horror stories out there, take these six steps as the first towards your project’s happy ending. 1. Research. Do extensive research online or ask trusted family and friends about their experiences with contractors. Get quotes from at least three different individuals or companies—you’d be surprised in the price differences for the same tiling job. Don’t automatically go with the cheapest quote or the first Google hit. The most expensive contractor won’t always do the highest-quality work, and the cheapest price doesn’t mean you’ll save money. In fact, you may spend more money fixing a shoddy tiling job from a cheap contractor. A good way to evaluate potential customers is to break the costs down by line item, such as hourly wages and tile material costs. 2. References. Although you can find verified customer reviews on websites like Angie’s list, also ask trusted friends and family about their previous home contractor experiences. Don’t feel obligated to use a family friend, but if you hire without a personal contact, still get references from former, or loyal, customers. Ask: Were you satisfied with the work? Would you hire the contractor for future projects? Did you find anything unsatisfactory about the tiling job? Grill the contractor personally with questions like: How many years have you been in business? What is your work schedule for my project? Will you be subcontracting any outside help? 3. Credentials. Before you sign any contracts, but after you choose the perfect professional for your tiling project, you must make sure that he has liability insurance, which protects you in case the contractor damages your home or any injuries occur during the construction process. Also, check that he has workman’s comp insurance, which protects the contractor and any of his employees while they work in your home. The contractor must be licensed in your state. On your end, if your tiling project requires any permits, get them. 4. Paperwork. Get everything in writing! Estimates, warranties, everything the contractor will do or charges you for must be in writing before you get started. This avoids confusion about what exactly you, the customer, wants done and eliminates hidden charges or fees. Some things to look for in a standard contract: Warranty details (what’s included, how long it lasts), acceptable forms of payment, payment schedule, and a timetable for the start and finish of your tiling project. 5. Review. Don’t take your contractor’s word for it. Double-check and verify everything in your contract with your state’s laws. Verify the schedule of payments and any right to cancel clauses. If it’s a particularly large or expensive tiling project ($15,000+), you could hire a lawyer to review the contract for any errors or inconsistencies. By taking your time to do it right the first time, hiring a contractor for a professional tiling job in your home or backyard will be worth it for the expert touch and quality results—and you can enjoy the results without breaking a sweat! Learn more great tips on home improvement directly from our website at www.DenversTileInstallation.com, just click through to the blog when you get there.
Born and raised in Ukraine, Youri Naimark was an construction engineer for 20 years (specializing in coal mine construction). In that time Youri oversaw major projects and won several State-level awards. After moving to US in 2002, Youri scaled down and started a Denver tile installation company. Since then Youri's company has become a boutique home improvement firm. Youri has been publishing articles related to home improvement for over 3 years and recently he started a blog dedicated to proper home improvement practices and some Do-It-Yourself tips, which can be found at denverstileinstallation.com/blog.
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http://denverstileinstallation.com/
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