What's the best way to find contractors to get jobs done

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palomalove_IHB

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Hi Brothers and Sisters!!



What's the best trustworthy way to find good contractors? IS Service magic, Angie's list, or Craigslist any good? How do we determine who's actually professional guys and who picks out people outside Home Depot to subcontract to.



Help!
 
Unless you have several personal referals of a job well

done do not trust any contractor or subcontractor as far

as you can throw them.



Give them as little money as you possibly can and as

many little draws as you can get away with, even with

the referrals. I do not know what it is with contractors and

subs, there are good drs and lawyers and Indian chiefs, as

well as bad ones. . .

but contractors. . . Liz wipes brow in disgust.



In fact, I used to say that it would be easier just to sell the

house you want to remodel and buy another one that's fixed up than

deal with a contractor. That is no longer true I guess.



And dealing with the govt authorities that have to approve

what the contractor does will almost make you feel sorry

for the contractors. I don't know how anything gets built or

doesn't immediately fall down between the 2.



Make sure you have a written contract that says exactly

what you want done and if you can, put in specifications

so they can't substitute cheap stuff. Put in a clause that if

you have to sue, you get atty fees.



Watch them as much as you can, to make sure they are not

cutting corners. Inspect as often as you can.



Do not trust them. Do not give them the final draw until you

are sure that everything is as good as it gets, and all the

subs are paid. Inform yourself of what kind of notices are

required to know who the subs are in Cali or whereever you

are. There is this fantastically complicated procedure in

Fla. It will never be successful, because it is trying to cure

what the law can't cure, the fact that so few contractors

and subs seem to care about their work.



I'm sure some contractors or subs will blast me. But as

it stands now you are safest to assume you are dealing

with a bad apple until proven otherwise.
 
Liz has very good points. We built our first house

and we had to deal with many contractors.

It's a full time job dealing with some of them.

And you have to watch them very closely or they

will try and get away with whatever they can (in my experience anyway).

Educate yourself so you know what they are doing. Get permits so

everything gets inspected properly.



Good luck (sincerely). Dealing with contractors can take years

off your life. :-P
 
[quote author="palomalove" date=1216601939]Hi Brothers and Sisters!!



What's the best trustworthy way to find good contractors? IS Service magic, Angie's list, or Craigslist any good? How do we determine who's actually professional guys and who picks out people outside Home Depot to subcontract to.



Help!</blockquote>


Referrals usually are solid.

However, always check their contractor's license on www.cslb.ca.gov. This site usually shows any unresolved complaints and also shows if the contractor has insurance and most important, it'll show if the license is active or expired.



When you finally find a contractor that you're comfortable with, make sure the deposit you give is no more than either 10% or $1,000, whatever is less.



If a contractor says if they've been in business for 20 years ie. The contractor number should coincide with the number of years they've been in business. ie. One company who I moonlight for, they registered their license in 1986 and their contractor # begins with "4".



Where as some general con-men will tell a customer they've been in business for over 30 years, but their number begins with a 8 or 9.



Also ask the contractor if they provide a materials and lien release, this is very important.



Lastly, the pen is mightier than the sword, always get everything in writing.



If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me.



If you need energy efficient windows, garage doors, texture coating, patio coverings, sun rooms, definitely PM me.



Good luck.
 
Thank You everyone - Has anyone worked with Eric Choi - I think Venetian Flooring systems - for flooring - someone referred his name to me and I thought maybe I'll take it to the blog and see if anyone has anything else they can say.
 
I am having trouble finding a contractor to redo my bahtrooms too. Does anyone have any good referrals or tips?

Thank you!
 
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