10 Tips to Hire a Quality Contractor

Midwest Foundation Repair is helping the homeowners of Des Moines, Waterloo, West Des Moines, Ames, Urbandale, Fort Dodge, Cedar Falls, Ankeny, Marshalltown in Iowa by listing the commandments to hire a contractor.

1. Have a plan, know what you want to accomplish before you call anyone. Remember that you are in the driver seat.
2. Get more than 1 opinion. Just because a friend or family refers someone does not mean they are any good.
3. Have a budget in mind. Don’t be afraid to readjust your budget, you may have over or undershot the figure in your head. If you are not familiar with the industry, you may not have a good basis for your budget. Your budget should not reflect what you can afford to spend; the last thing you want is to get a lesser job done because your budget is not right. You may be better off not doing anything. Research the kind of work you are interested in doing.
4. Pick a good contractor. Don’t be afraid to change your mind after doing research. Can you find your contractor? How much are you willing to pay someone you can’t even find? Check the BBB. Get referrals. Check them out on the internet. See if you can visit a job site. Will there be subcontractors being used, will you get lien waivers. How long have they been around, are they local? Insurance, workers comp, and general liability.
5. Check out the products being used. Check out the materials being used. Remember you have to live with your decision. Your contractor doesn’t. You only get 1 shot at it.
6. Be very thorough on the contract. Remember if it is not on the contract it is not getting done. No work should be started without a contract. What happens if there are changes? A Clear understanding of payment. Written warranty. Who gets permits? Clean up and debris removal. Start date, and completion date. Unforeseen things. Get a good diagram of what is being done. Make no assumptions.
7. Be careful with deposits. You may never see that money again. Some industries require deposits. If there is no special order materials then why give a deposit. Can that company afford to do the job? Beware of scam.
8. How many jobs does the company have going at one time? There is nothing more frustrating than having a company start your job and then you don’t see them for a week while they use your deposit money to go finish someone else’s job. How long before they are going out of business. Don’t get caught.
9. Get the work done. Review work with foreman; ask questions as work is getting done, if conflicts arise this is the time to deal with it. Take photos as the job is being done. Proof. Keep good records and talk to the contractor.
10. Report on the results. If the experience was bad, try to resolve it with the company first. If you can’t to that, and you have given proper time, take action, be a good consumer. If they did a great job, report that and tell everyone, that company deserves an endorsement from you.

Please feel to call or email Midwest Foundation Repair for further more detail.

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