Although modern day life is more expensive than ever, apartment dwellers still seems to have a bit easier than homeowners in terms of maintaining their living spaces. One of the benefits of renting an apartment is having the landlord take care of any issues in regards to maintenance, such electrical system repair, heating and cooling system maintenance, and even water damage repair. All of these, especially water damage repair, can be expensive and leave a large dent in a nest egg of savings. But since apartment renters are only renting the property and don’t have ownership of it, they’re not required go through the hassle of finding a contractor that’s reputable to carry out the repairs and coughing up the change for their time and labor.
On the other hand, since homeowners own the property and home their living on and in, they’re required to pay for all repairs and maintenance services out of pocket. And everyone knows that maintaining a safe home is anything but cheap! There’s always some kind of maintenance to be done, but homeowners should never put off their home maintenance simply because they don’t want to go through the task of finding contractors to do the work! This is especially true for new construction projects that must be done in order to make a home safer, such was foundation crack repair. Procrastination when it comes to finding contractors will only lead to more headaches down the road.
Knowing what questions to ask contractors can make the process of deciding on the right one easier than you think. Here are some examples of important questions to ask prospective contractors in order to weed out the time wasters and find out who actually means business.
License, registration, insurance and professional references please and thank you!
Asking contractors for their professional and state licenses, registration, insurance professional references is an excellent way to immediately separate those who run a legitimate operation and those who don’t. Contractors are required by law to be licenses and registered by the state in which they perform work in addition to carrying insurance. Any contractor worth their salt will gladly supply you with this information with question. You may also want to cross reference the information they provide you with by checking with the Better Business Bureau.
So how much is all this going to cost?
Getting multiple bids from several different contractors is the best way to determine whether or not you’re getting a fair price and whether or not they’re actually qualified to do the work they say they can do for you. Although they may be tempting, be wary of bids that seem too low. Usually, they’re too good to be true and can indicate shoddy work or overall unprofessionalism. Similarly, bids that are too high could also indicate a certain level of deceit. It’s best to aim for bids that priced somewhere in the middle and that are itemized and detailed. Don’t be afraid to inquire about any charges that seems suspect or confusing.
What is your schedule?
Once you decide on a contractor, it’s important to establish a schedule with them. This is especially important for kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects, where the room being renovated still needs to be used by the household. Furthermore, this allows everyone to stay out of everyone’s way and makes the often disruptive process of remodeling a space much easier to deal with. This also allows homeowners to have a better idea of how the project is progressing, when it will or should be completed, and what to expect at each stage of the process.
Who will be at the house everyday?
No one wants strangers in their house for obvious safety reasons, but the answer to this very important question can vary widely depending on the size of the company and the size of the project itself. Many contractor companies have a superintendent that not only works directly on the project but that also manages a team of workers. It’s always good to have this person’s contact information in the event you have any questions or concerns. Many companies also perform professional background checks.
