How to Hire A Contractor

(plumber, electrician, painter, handyman, etc.)

Contractor by definition is a person or business which provides goods or services to another entity under terms specified in a contract (example; Plumber, Electrician, Painters, Carpenters, Roofers, all could be considered a contractor or sub contractor if contracted to perform under another contractor or general contractor).

Usually a consumer would contract a contractor to complete various repairs, installations, maintenance and upgrades to an existing home or business.

A good rule of thumb would be if your project requires more than two or three different specialty contractors, your best interests would be served by hiring a general contractor who has the resources to complete the project at hand. Many homeowners do not fully understand the process and scheduling of individual trades and would benefit greatly from a Professional Contractors experience. (see: Hiring a General Contractor).

3 Steps in finding and Hiring a Contractor

1.  When planning a project talk to friends, relatives and neighbors who have used contractors for projects like yours. If you are unable to locate a contractor through referrals try your local directory and seek someone in your community.

2.  Depending on the size and scope of your project you will need to have several questions answered before you have a contractor come and estimate your project.

• Is the contractor licensed and insured to do the kind of repairs or installations you need? (check with your local state licensing agency).
• Does the contractor perform the specific task(s) you require? (some contractors may only service commercial customers).
• Some projects can be verbally estimated over the phone (small repairs and service type calls, remember to always get the cost in writing before the job is done).
• Ask the contractor what type of guarantees or warranty they provide for their labor and products
• Make sure the contractor will be pulling any required permits for the job they will be doing (its the law in most states).
• Discuss the method(s) of payment for the services that will be rendered.

3.  Once you have a contractor to handle your project, follow the above guidelines and use your best judgment (if something does not seem right question it, if you are still uneasy with it get a second opinion).

All true professional service companies understand the need to educate their clients and will be able to explain their services in a manner in which you should understand their service. Remember its not necessarily about the price when it comes to service contractors, you should be more concerned with the quality of service and the expertise you will be receiving from that contractor.