People often shirk away from home remodeling projects because of the amount of work and stress involved. A right place to begin, to ensure a stress-free and happy experience, will be choosing a home remodeling company with all the right attributes. That will be job half-done!

Steps

Get references from others who have used the company for jobs similar to yours. Gauge their satisfaction level, their overall experience. A good place to start off will be the local Yellow Pages.

Check the company’s status with Better Business Bureau (BBB). Use BBB to review complaints listed for that company and whether they have been resolved. It is important not to be tricked by the BBB review because some companies who have bad reputation tend to change their name and hence will evade the BBB assessment. Similar attention has to be paid for new companies because they will also not have BBB credential information.

Ask for bids from BBB-qualified contractors. Use the same job listing to obtain the bids from different comparison such that your comparison will mirror the actual difference between the different bids. You should emphasize for references from all the bidders before assigning the project.

Be wise; select the best bid, not necessarily the cheapest bid. Objective and critical evaluation of all proposals will allow you to choose the best and most appropriate bid for your project.

Cross check the references of the winning bidder. Before awarding the bid do remember to talk to a few references and get a real time feedback and act accordingly.

The contractor your assign the job must be licensed.

Ensure that you are happy with the contract before signing off on it. It is imperative to read the contract in details. Make it a point to ascertain if the company has full liability insurance and whether their workers are covered by workman’s compensation scheme. You have every right to feel satisfied with the contract before signing and request changes, additions or deletions as seem befitting to your needs.

The contract should be detailed about the entire job list, inclusive of the quantity of items to be used and their brand names. Clarify whether the job responsibility includes painting post-installation, post-construction cleanup and debris disposal and guarantees provided by the Contractor for their service.  

Get a liability of insurance certificate in your name. Do not be shy; this is your only legal proof in case some mishap happens.

The contractor should be liable for obtaining all required permits. This includes all checks made for underground cables in case of digging associated during the remodeling phase.

Sign off the contract and pay the deposit money. Sign off only after you are thoroughly satisfied with each clause there-in and the subsequent deposit payment you make should be receipted. Some projects will not require deposit money. The contract should have landmarks and payment terms for each landmark reached. Do not make payments out of turn, except for customized material which the contractor will not be able to return since it has been tailor made to your requirements.

Tips

• Choose a contractor company that has someone accessible over the phone to answer your questions and clarify your doubts. Stay away from a company where you are always routed to the voice mail service with the promise of getting back to you within the next business day.
• It might be unrealistic to find a contractor without any complaints against it. Choose the one with the least complaints.
• Stay away from making cash payments; using other forms of payment will help you have a legal proof in case of a dispute. But if you have no other option other than cash payment ensure to take a valid cash receipt for your transaction.

Warnings

• Get everything promised by the Contractor in your service agreement. Word of mouth is not advisable to be trusted.
• Do not make full advance payment. Have landmarks identified in the project and pay accordingly. Most projects will require an initial partial down-payment.
• Please make sure that the Contractor you are assigning the job to have workman’s compensation. Otherwise, any worker getting hurt on your premises can hold you liable for compensation. Similarly, liability insurance of the Contractor will help you avoid paying damages for collateral damage of someone’s property during the remodeling phase. Verify the insurance information from the provider, do not rely solely on what the Contractor informed you.