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Prescreened Contractors |
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Home Improvement Contractor Guide |
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![]() That's right — finding a competent and reliable contractor is an important step to achieving a successful and gratifying home improvement project. While many of us discuss home improvement and remodeling projects with our families, friends, and co-workers, it is sometimes possible to obtain more information from other sources such as Angie's List and Home Advisor. These services maintain extensive databases of prescreened designers, construction professionals, and tradespeople who have designed or built construction projects and who have been rated and reviewed by their customers. Angie's List includes detailed member reviews about companies in more than 700 categories. Home Advisor strives to help homeowners connect with qualified home service professionals in their local area. Both services can help you locate a wide range of design and construction professionals including local architects, remodelers, and interior decorators.
Choosing a Contractor
So how do you choose a contractor? You can talk to family and friends about contractors they have worked with, making sure to get at least four or five solid recommendations. If you don't have time for this process, you can enlist the services of a company that will find you a prescreened contractor. With these contractors, most of the work has been done for you. The organization you contract with can find just the right contractor for your needs, and you don't need to go through the hassle of interviewing multiple contractors. Recommendations have been taken care of, and you can be somewhat assured that these contractors are reputable. In addition, some contractor matching services check that the contractors they represent have all the necessary licenses and bonding required by your state. In order for these services to match you with the right contractor, you'll need to tell them the important details regarding your project, including its size, scope, and budget, and when you would like to start. For this initial conversation, you should be prepared to spend at least 15 or 20 minutes talking about your project and answering questions.
Once you have met with several contractors, you will want to compare their bids. In order to best compare, ask each candidate to itemize cost for labor, materials, overhead, and profit. As a general rule, the profit margin should be in the 10 to 20 percent range, and the overhead shouldn't be more than five or 10 percent of the total.
The ContractOnce you've selected your contractor, it's time to deal with the contract terms. Depending upon the company you work with, your contractor matching service may have a standard contract, or each contractor may supply their own. Regardless, good contracts have several things in common. Remember, the more detailed your contract is, the more protected you are if something should go awry. The contractor's name, license number, and all contact information should be front and center on your contract. The project start and completion dates, as well as any rules pertaining to extensions or delays, should be included, as should a complete set of blueprints.
Finally, one of the most important pieces of information in a contract is a plan outlining how to resolve any disputes that may happen, as well as what situations would allow for the termination of the contract. PrescreenedContractors.us provides access to home remodeling and home improvement information resources from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), as well as to the Service Magic contractor matching service. Home Improvement Consumer Information
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