Hire a Professional

I received a call early one day last fall from a prospective customer asking for help with their recent home remodel project. They briefly stated the issues and invited to the home to meet with them and to see the issue they have.

The customer began by telling me the back story how they met and subsequently hired the remodeling contractor who was referral to them. They went on to say he did not require a contract, and that he knew exactly what they wanted to have done, just taking notes on a small pad of paper.

He let them pick from some of his samples for interior trim doors and flooring options, as well as paint. He quickly showed them photos from his phone of some other project he did. The customer tells me he did a bate and switch on them with several of the finish items. They said, he didn't even present them with a written quote! But yet they trusted him based upon their friends advise.

As it turns out the customer did not vet this contractor fully.

They had issues with the contractors workmanship which effected the finished product.

From my conversation with them and my knowledge and expertise.

The issue and problems were resolvable in the beginning stages of framing.

The contractor as they called him, did not live up to their expectations as was advertised by their friends recommendations. They said, "We sure found out the hard way".

The moral of the story, vet your contractors credentials. Check with your local BBB office and the Workforce Development office. They should have a record of the contractor registration on file. You can check with the Secretary of States office as well for a listing of any business entity, if they are registered.

Ask for a written quote, and a contract agreement between you and the contractor before starting the project. Make sure you have everything in writing before you get started.