Install laminate flooring :: How to find a reliable contractor or handyman

Hiring a contractor or Handyman

As a homeowner you always have some jobs or home improvements you're not able to do yourself. Either due to lack of time or skills, or because there are some law requirements. (Electric installation, plumbing, gas installation, etc)

To nab a good home improvement professional is not easy, specially if you know that about one third of the contractors are top qualified, an other third average to good and the rest would better do something else.
Due to the current economy and the popped real estate bubble it's more easy to find reliable and qualified contractors. The negative side of the situation is, that you have to deal also with more scam artists and business with financial problems.

To shortcut the contractor search, post your project directly to a free referral service. They work as a local project and advertising source for handymen. After posting your project, the contractors looking for new jobs can bid on your post. These kinds of sites are a win win situation for homeowners as well as contractors. You will get up to 3 competitive quotes from qualified prescreened contractors, while for them it's an other kind of advertising and never ending source of interesting jobs.

To bring your project to a happy end with a good and reliable contractor you should follow these steps.

Step 1: Define your project clearly

The least confusion and most satisfaction you will get when you know exactly what you want to have done and when your goals are clear and realistic. To prepare for your discussion with a contractor or handyman get clear with:

What do I want to be done? (e.g. new flooring in the bedroom)
Do I need expert advice and if yes, what kind? (e.g. how to let a small room look brighter and larger, colors and structure of the floor fitting to my lifestyle, guide the eye to a focus point, etc)
Do I have special conditions? (Ecological, health, color, material, etc)
Do I want to purchase the material my self?
Do I plan to do parts of the job myself to save up money? (Disassembling, breaking down, etc)
Is there some side work to be done by the contractor? (Moving furniture, final cleaning of the room, etc)
What is the timeframe for the job? (Start and final date)
What is my budget? (including possible additional or unexpected work.)
Make a list of the work you need done, containing what you will provide and what the handyman must do.

Step 2: Do some research

Use your relations to neighbors, family and friends to get a mouth to mouth recommendation. This will be the strongest feedback beside the references. An other good source is the Internet with reliable reviews or discussion boards as well as the local pages. Supply stores not only give you an overview of products, but also often are able to recommend a skilled handyman for the job.

List all the information up you get to have finally a list of contractors name with pros and cons to them.
Points to have a look on are:

Is it a job within his area of expertise? (e.g. cast the concrete subfloor and lay afterwards the floating floor.)
Does he have a valid license or is he working under an other person's license?
Does he have insurance and how much in which case do they carry?
What is his industry (and personal) reputation?
Does he have a verifiable business address?
How is he reachable? (e-mail, mobile, etc)

To shortcut this time consuming and the next step, post your project at a free referral service.

Step 3: Pre chose your contractor and get a quote

Pre chose now three contractors out of your list and ask for a free, no obligation estimate.
The quote should contain:

Material description and cost
Labor description and cost
Exclusions, which means you have to provide that work, respective material
Delivery time
Payment conditions

Step 4: Compare the quotes and do additional research

Compare the received quotes and get some additional company informations on your favorite contractor. When comparing, it is important to check the material quality, especially if there are price differences of a few hundred Bucks. Do this comparison well to avoid additional costs or unpleasant discussions during the realization. Don't hesitate to ask questions when you don't understand a point, or you're not sure if it is included. The most important points are:

Are all points of step 3 clear?
Know what's all included in the price!
Know the contractors past. Call him and ask for at least 3 to 5 references. One of them at least 2 to 3 years old and one just recent.
Contact at least one, better two references and ask them the right questions. (Work attitude, within time and budget frame, quality, etc)
Check the financial situation of the contractor

Don't forget: It's your home and you will live with the result for long. Therefor make the efforts and take the time to hire a competent and responsible company. Remember that not only he leaves a first impression, but also you on his side. So be prepared, competent and polite.

Step 5: Chose your contractor and negotiate the quote

Now you have all the facts and your first impression (personal or by phone). You are ready to finalize the contract.
Don't just look at the price. You must also feel comfortable with him, because during the remodeling you need to work closely together.
Finally negotiate and sign the contract. This means discuss the price at last and get an additional discount or some forgotten work done instead. When signing the contract, make also your work-list part of it. This list will then function at the end as a work-acceptance-protocol.

Important note: Never sign without understanding and reading also the small prints.

Let the other contractors know that they didn't win the job. This is polite and let them improve their performance, since they spent time to prepare the bid.

Step 6: Help the contractor to get the job done smoothly

To get a smooth and satisfying job done for both side, keep to the following rules:

Do your preparation well ahead, so your contractor can start his work immediately after showing up.
Have all needed material ready you said you will supply.
Don't be late and unprepared
Keep the kids and pet away from the working area. They just bother and bring danger to all.
Don't be chef. Your contractor is the expert.
But don't be afraid to ask questions right away or let him know when you are unhappy with part of his work.
Find the right mix of general conversation and let him work efficient.

Following these steps will prevent you from bad experiences, but are no guarantee for it.

Signs, which should ring your alarm bells and could bring you troubles, are:

Some one just knocks on your door, is working in the area and have some material left
Pressure to sign a contract
Making a big point with the BBB membership
Offering you a big discount if your project can be used as a reference project
Pay more then about 30% upfront
Having no verifiable address

All the best on your successful and hassle free project.

From the desk of Daniel Aebi
Project manager and owner of
www.install-laminate-floor.com

PS Thank you for leaving me a note about your experiences with the recommended services.

Referral Services

Not all services are strong in all areas or even have contractors. Due to this reason you find different services listed below.

United States and Canada

Great Britain

Reliable reviews for the United States and Canada

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