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The closer we get to the holiday season, the slower it becomes for home remodeling contractors. No one wants to disrupt their living space at this time of the year. Of course, that makes hiring a contractor right now a potentially smart move. Most contractors know their jobs won’t pick up until after the first of the year which could make them more willing to squeeze in another project at better prices before Christmas. It is definitely worth exploring but to do that you’re going to want to find the right contractor. These tips can help get you started:
Ask Friends
If you know anyone who has gone through a recent remodeling project, then you might have heard some horror stories about cost overruns and delays. Those probably aren’t the contractors you want to hire. On the other hand, if your friends had a great experience, then you can put their contractors at the top of the list.
Check References
Every contractor will have a list of references for their work. You can bet that those folks would fall into the “satisfied customer” category. There is still a lot you can learn from those customers like how they communicated with the contractor and if they were on time and one budget.
Check Reviews
Posting reviews online has never been easier and there is no shortage of opinions about everything. You’ll probably be able to find a bunch of online reviews about your contractor candidates. When reading the reviews, you should take in the totality of them. There is no pleasing some folks. However, if 9 out of 10 reviewers rave about a contractor, then the 10th person might just be disgruntled about everything.
Meet With All Candidates
Once you’ve narrowed down a list of three or four contractors, you should meet with all of them and that meeting should take place in your home. They only way they can provide an estimate is by taking accurate measures of the area and talking with you about what you want to accomplish. These meetings will also help you provide a “feel” for the contractor. This is someone who is going to be a big part of your world for several weeks. You could be talking to them every single day and a lot of those discussion can involve problem solving. You want to feel comfortable with this person and the crew they’re going to pick. A great price for your remodel might not be so great if you can’t get a hold of the contractor to deal with potential problems.
Compare Estimates
Each one of your prospective candidates will provide a written estimate. Pay close attention to the one with the price in the “middle.” Someone who is too high or too low might not be the best for the job but that middle range contractor could be the best of both worlds.
Once you’ve hired the contractor, you’ll start to work out a budget and schedule. Some of that early work can actually be handled by you. If you can take care of some of the demolition, then you could save an entire day of labor costs. All you would have to do is arrange for the clean. That is easy with one call to Junk Works. These are the professional junk haulers who have a lot of experience cleaning up construction waste. Put Junk Works to work at the beginning and the end of your remodel project and you’ll be sure to have a very clean space.
