How Do I Know That My Home Improvement Contractor Won’t Do A Bad Job?

It’s the kind of thing that can make a homeowner wake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat… the thought of a dodgy or ill-equipped contractor botching a home improvement project, turning dreams into nightmares.

And it does happen. When it comes to home improvement projects, horror stories abound.

Sadly there are no guarantees in an industry like home improvement. But there are safeguards and practical measures you can take to protect yourself and your home while making sure you select a reliable, trustworthy contractor and get the best work out of them.

Stay Local

When shopping around for quotes, the temptation can be to look far and wide for the cheapest price. But it’s a process that can invite untried contractors to your area where they may not have worked before and have no references. 

Sandra Parker from MoneyCrashers says that when it comes to finding a reputable contractor, staying local is best.

“Choosing a local contractor means that the company has a permanent place of business in your hometown,” she advises. “It also means that he or she has a business license, a telephone number, and local references you can verify. Most importantly, it means someone will be nearby if there is an issue with the work performed.” 

Ask For A List Of References

If you follow our earlier advice and use a local contractor, they should be able to provide a list of references for other work they have completed in the area. It gives you the opportunity to see their work for yourself before signing on the dotted line. When it comes to choosing a home improvement contractor, customer review sites such as Angie’s List, Yelp!, Home Advisor, and Houzz are also a helpful guide when choosing reputable businesses. 

The Federal Trade Commission agrees, stating that: “A contractor should be able to give you names, addresses, and phone numbers of at least three clients with projects like yours. Ask each client how long ago the project was and whether it was completed on time. Was the client satisfied? Were there any unexpected costs? Did workers show up on time and clean up after finishing the job? You also could tell the contractor that you’d like to visit jobs in progress.” 

Educate Yourself

Homeowners are always their own best advocate and educating themselves on the home improvement process, products and procedures can be a helpful way to ensure their home improvement contractor is doing what they promised. Being educated is the only sure-fire way to verify what your contractors say, and there are several good sources of unbiased information available that can assist homeowners in vetting their contractors and keeping them accountable. 

Be Wary Of Low Bids

No one wants to pay more than they have to, especially when it is a significant investment like replacement windows for your home. It cannot be stressed enough - you need to understand the nature of low bids. A low bid can look really tempting and it might be substantially lower than other bids from your professional window replacement contractors. The simple truth is, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Replacement windows are expensive because of the hard cost of the materials, the trained, professional labor required in a proper installation, and the insurance required to cover workers and protect contractors and homeowners from litigation. 

Beware Fly-by-Night Contractors

Many fly-by-night contractors are uninsured and work with cheap, untrained and ill-supervised laborers. They will often use your home’s windows as a training exercise to figure out how to replace windows and will return mid-job demanding for more money to finish a job that was not correct from the start. By shopping for professional, established home improvement contractors, getting multiple estimates from companies with a proven track record, and weighing your window options, you will have beautiful replacement windows, professionally installed at a fair price that adds value and comfort to your home. 

Ask Questions

When it comes to selecting a contractor, do not be afraid to ask questions and probe them for more information. Reliable and trustworthy contractors will have solid answers for the following:

• How many projects like mine have you completed in the last year?
• Will my project require a permit?
• What types of insurance do you carry?