Renovating an apartment is a task that requires a lot of work, dedication, attention to details and hiring reliable contractors. In order to successfully go through all of the above mentioned, you need to know what to look for in each segment of the renovation. We have heard many stories of unsuccessful renovations, which ultimately leads to the need to hire insurance claims adjusters. People sometimes take on more than they can chew on. In such occasions, it is only expected for the process to snap at some point.
Unfortunately, usually it snaps right across the backs of people who own the house that needs renovating. Therefore, we have decided to write an article that is going to help you make a right decision when hiring reliable contractors. Follow our bits of advice and you should be all set for a successful renovation. Also, please let us know in the comments if there is anything we should have mentioned.
Recommendations are great, follow them!
First and foremost, there is no better a way to hiring reliable contractors that to hire the proven ones. When we say proven, we mean contractors that have worked with someone you know. Obviously, they should have done the job right in order for you to get in touch with them.
Sometimes people do not feel comfortable asking around for contractors or any other kind of referrals. This should not be you. The best way to get someone to take care of renovations in your new home is to get those that have done work at your friends’, parents’ or colleague’s place. People are very aware of their reputation. They will not recommend anyone that is going to influence negatively on their image. Therefore, in the case that you know someone who had contractors work at their home, but is hesitant to refer them to you, be aware that probably those people did not have a very good experience with that particular company. Therefore, keep on searching.
Check online reviews when hiring reliable contractors
Online reviews are all around us today. It seems that you simply cannot escape them even if you wanted. While some business owners may not be super happy about having reviews of their companies so easily accessible, other will take advantage of them. What you need to do is to go full on the twenty-first-century mode when hiring reliable contractors. Therefore, get online and get diggin’ on those reviews. They will let you know a lot about what kind of a company you are thinking about contracting.
Obviously, Yelp is going to be your best friend here. Nevertheless, do not underestimate the power of Facebook and other social media sites. Instagram, for example, is great to take a look at the final outcomes. However, do not be too naive. You cannot see it all from the pictures. Furthermore, contractors, not all of them though, can try and take such pictures in which certain aspects of a job cannot be noticed. Look at the pictures just like you would look at the pictures of a car that you are thinking about buying. There probably will be certain differences between the picture and the actual car.
Make a list of important question that you are going to ask all of your potential contractors
You will want to be prepared for the interviews that you need to conduct with the potential contractors. In order to do so, you should make a list of questions that you are going to ask each and every one of them. Here are a few examples of the questions that you may ask:
- How long have you been in the business?
- Do you have a contracting license? May I see it?
- Do you have insurance?
- What is the timeframe for the completion of my project?
- How do you select workers?
- Is there going to be a dedicated team of workers taking care of my property or will they switch?
- What type of materials do you use? Any particular brand?
- Is there a warranty on your services?
- Do you only implement the final solutions or do you create solutions as well?
- Do you clean up on a daily basis at the end of the day?
- What are your working hours?
- Who will be the person for me to talk to in case that I have a suggestion to make?
Conduct interviews
When you are hiring reliable contractors, you should make sure to conduct interviews with a few companies first before deciding to hire a particular one. You should first call them over the phone. By this time, you should have a list of questions set and a paper and a pen by your hand to write down the answers. If it is legal in your state, you may record the phone call as well. Bear in mind that in certain states, the law requires you to notify the other party that you will be recording the call. Obviously, you should record it in order to make sure to have it all in one place. It is going to be somewhat difficult to write it all down.
After the first round of phone interviews, you should set up a meeting with the contractors you liked the best. They should come to your property, take a look first-hand and give you their suggestions about what needs to be done and how. In case that you are not from the contracting business, it would be wise to have someone by your side to help you out when interviewing. The last thing that you would want is to get in touch with claims adjuster due to property damage inflicted upon you just because something was not done properly. By hiring reliable contractors, you will make sure that everything ends up well.
