How Do I Hire A Contractor?

An-D

So, the house I live in needs some work done that is kinda above my expertise. Putting up some trim around the fireplace, fixing a door, replacing some drywall (dog got scared during a storm and dug through it). I know I need to hire a contractor-guy to do the work, but I have no idea where to start. How do I find a good one? How do I not get ripped off? How do I ensure that the work actually gets done? Is there a certain type of contractor that I need to hire?

I live in Roxboro, NC right now (super rural town). Googling 'contractors roxboro nc' gave me a bazillion potentials and I'm really not sure where to start.

Thanks!

Xaquin

Check local community forums. Get at LEAST three estimates. Ask for a break down of material costs as well as labor. Make sure they are licensed and insured.

bowen

Make sure they have a long list of clients too. Do as much due diligence as you can to make sure they're not fly by night. Obviously cheaper may not always be better.

wmelon

Ask your friends and coworkers. They'll generally have a few and you can follow Xaquin's advice with them.

Dr. Frenchenstein

barring local advice, Servicemagic.com is a pretty alright service. I've found some good guys through it. they usually give you like 3 options with reviews and stuff, call em all and get estimates.

Thanatos

wmelon wrote: »

Ask your friends and coworkers. They'll generally have a few and you can follow Xaquin's advice with them.

This is really the best way to go. This way, you'll also probably get some names of people to definitely not use.

see317

Also, do not hire family to do contract work for you.
Doesn't matter how good they are, or how much you trust them to do a good job. Hiring family leads to problems.

It's one thing if a family member volunteers, but once money gets involved it tends to get messy on both sides.

Pel

As a contractor, servicemagic (now homeadvisor) is nothing but an overadvertised Yelp. Their "screening process" is a joke if not a complete fabrication. They literally charge 4 different contractors $20-$90 each so that you don't have to decide which fellows to call from the list on yellow pages, yelp, or google maps.

Of course, that's your prerogative if you want to go through them, and the guys who will get the bill sign up for it, but don't be fooled into thinking that they add any value to your search (except providing a forum for customers to offer feedback). Not only this, but because all of the contractors you'll be getting estimates from have to pay these inflated prices to have access to your business, they can safely add that servicemagic fee to your estimate as a (hidden, of course) cost of doing business, because they know their competitors pay too. Thus, you can generally expect to pay more for contractors found through these types of services.

The hands down best way to get a job done is a personal reference. If you have none, then narrow your google search a bit. What you probably want is actually a "handyman". There are probably more types of "contractors" than there are finches on the Galapagos Islands, thus your confusion. Use google maps, not google. Most results from google search will be fishing results that direct you to a service-magic type matchmaking service, for which you will pay an inflated price (even if it's free). Find actual, physical businesses in your physical area. Preferably someone with a few reviews.

Call some fellas.
If the work you need is minor, describe it and get a rough-guess for BOTH TIME AND MONEY over the phone. If he won't give you a rough guess, that's ok, but for most types of work, most contractors have a general idea of what they will charge before they come out, and its his loss if his price is out of your range and he's wasting his time. Call a few people, get a "ballpark", and then call the guy you like most and tell him to come on out to give an estimate and, if he wants, be ready to work if he gives you the estimate. If you have ANY reservations, take the estimate and tell him you'll give him a call. If he is pushy or comes up with an excuse as to why you need to do this, like, NOW, take the estimate and tell him you'll give him a call. Don't worry about making him mad or wasting his time: it's part of the job. Better to inconvenience an honest contractor a bit than to let yourself get pushed around by a shady one. On the other hand, if you like the guy and his price seems reasonable, have him take care of it. You should have gotten a few "ballparks" on the phone so you should have SOME idea what "reasonable" is by now.

If the work is major, forget the "rough guess" bits and get a few written estimates. Going with the cheapest guy is generally, but not always, a bad idea. Cover up the prices, and decide which guy you would like to go with based on your impressions of him during the estimate appointment and the things written on the estimate. After you have a favorite, THEN compare price. If your guy isn't the cheapest, call him, and ask if he can work with you. Most will. If necessary, use the cheaper bid for a bit of leverage. If you're willing to be a bit shady yourself, you can even pull this trick on the CHEAPEST guy if you like him, but don't expect much mileage. The bottom dollar contractors usually know exactly what they need to be the cheapest price and are less likely to budge.

Things to remember:

Detailed estimates/work orders/proposals are better.
Price is not always related to quality. You don't always get what you pay for. Choose who you like, THEN look at price.
Pictures are nice, Reviews are good, references are better, referrals are best. If they have references, call them.

Iruka

I'll admit, I don't know much about contractors, but my mom always used Angie's List.

Dhalphir

the name you want to be searching for is "home handyman"

Page-

Having worked with and as a contractor for most of my life I'll also say that getting word of mouth is probably easiest and best for both you and the contractor. If you've never had any work done and don't know anyone, then find someone you trust who has had work done and has someone they trust, even if they're not quite in the same business as what you're looking for. Chances are that any decent, trustworthy, and established contractor will also know other contractors in other lines of work, since they like to feed off each other--that is, a mason won't do carpentry, but he'll probably know a few carpenters (or more likely some roofers, since they often inhabit the same space and can get each other work). Every contractor I know depends way more on word of mouth and business contacts than on online advertising or flyers, especially when they're running a small crew that specializes in home renovations or restorations.

Digital cameras are everywhere and everyone has a cell phone, so ask for pictures. I know the guys I work with all take before and after shots, both for promotion and for the customers.