Trusting your home renovations to a stranger can feel scary. While many contractors have years of experience, it’s sometimes hard to find someone with who you can trust and also work well with. A contractor, much like a doctor, or an accountant, should be someone who has the experience, but also a personality that matches your own. To help you find the contractor you need, here are some questions that we feel will help you narrow down your choices.
1) Experience
Get it right out in the open. How long have you been in business, and how long have you been doing this type of work. While you don’t need the most experienced contractor in the area, you definitely don’t want your home to be a school for beginner contractors.
2) License & Insurance
A renovation site can be a dangerous place. That’s part of its nature. There needs to be something to protect both you, the contractor, and their employees. By them being licensed, and insured, that protects *you* in the event something happens.
Pro-Tip: Ask about workers’ compensation, and if the contractor is registered with WorkSafeNB. These are more levels of protection for you.
3) Sub-Contractors
Many contractors hire subcontractors. It’s part of the ecosystem of home renovations. This is an opportunity for you to find out exactly who will be working on your home. By finding out ahead of time, you can do research into the subcontractors to ensure you keep your peace of mind.
4) Building Permits
While this shouldn’t be a sticking point, it is good to know if the contractor is familiar with local building codes and the permit process. There are things you may need to know about your home and neighborhood that someone with local experience can help you navigate.
5) References
While finding out what previous customer’s opinions are based on Facebook, Google, and Yelp reviews, finding out first hand from the contractor who their references are is a great way to find out more about them. Reaching out to previous customers, or seeing work that the contractor has done can help you feel good about your decision.
