You have some home improvement projects and are not sure who to turn to for help, you want a legit contractor but don’t know who to trust, you know there are many fly by the seat of there pants home remodeling contractors and have heard and read all kinds of horror stories, like people taking your downpayment and never showing up again or starting a project then leaving it halfway finished, or just simply someone doing shoddy workmanship.
How do you know if the contractor that your talking with will treat your home renovations like there own, here are some questions to ask that should be able to help you answer the question, how to find a home remodeling contractor?
Verification
Can I see remodeling projects that you are currently doing? This will enable you to actually see them in action, and see there craftsmanship, employees, and also enable you to see if they are actually doing jobs. It is easy to create a profile that looks like your a good company but much better to actually see who will be doing your job.
Can I speak with someone that you have done work for, also what work did you do for them? preferably more than one so that they do not just give you a friends #, than you can ask the person that has already dealt with them exactly how they conducted themselves. This cuts out a lot of what ifs by letting someone else do the home work for you.
Employees Vs. Subcontractors
Does your company have employees or do you use subcontractors to do your work. There are lots of pop up company’s that are good at selling something but not actually knowledgeable in remodel/construction They sell the project than hand it over to someone else who does the work which could be multiple different subcontracting company depending on the size company that you are working with.
The draw back on this would be if you do your research and talk with homeowners to see what there experience was there is no guarantee that you will be getting the same sub-crew to do your home.
At times they may have to get whoever is available at the time and this could cause you a lot of headaches when Businesses with employees that do the work themselves are better able to control the quality of there work and train there employees exactly how they want the work to be done helping them better ingrain there core values making you more apt to get exactly what you bought what you were sold initially.
There are also good company’s that do not have employees but have strong relationships with there sub crews but in our opinion the best customer experience can be given the most consistently to you the homeowner with a company who trains its employees, teaching them the trades which takes year’s to learn.
There are specialty trades that it can be beneficial to use sub-crews to do your work (we use a gutter crew that is not employed by us) the reason being is a gutter machine is a big investment for a small percentage of the job, so we use someone that is an expert in there field, all they do is gutter).
How Long Has The Company Been Around
How long have you been in business (startups can be good and everyone started somewhere but do you want to be there first project)?
Warranty?
What kind of warranty do you have (industry standard is 3-5 years most work man-ship issues will turn up before that) no company Is perfect and all occasionally make mistakes but do they stand behind there work or will they disappear when you give them the final payment?
Salesman
What steps can I expect throughout this job? The sales guy should be able to tell you the steps that it takes to do your job; listen carefully to his reply. Is he knowledgeable or is he just simply a good talker, in our opinion the best experience can be given to you, the customer, if your initial point of contact actually knows what he is talking about and is already an expert because he actually wore a tool pouch, swung a hammer, and worked on a crew.
This will enable him to spot potential issues before the project starts and help answer any questions that you have before the project is started, helping suggest things that he has seen over and over and over walking you through so that you clearly understand it; No one like surprises!
Read there reviews look at there website are they doing a lot of projects, do they look like a real company that is in ti for the long haul.
Storm Chasers
Are they storm chasers, basically are they a company that goes from storm to storm and gets you to sign today/right now, are they offering to pay your deductible if you pay cash. This is fraud, if they do these things what makes you think that they will not also try and take advantage of you?
If they are from out of state and are just in town because of the storm do you know were they will be when the storm money is gone, out of town! you will be left with know one to turn to if there is ever an issue, take your time do not make hasty decisions do not fall for high pressure sales tactics why not think about it for a day or two while you decide don’t make an emotional decision but one that is based on facts.
Reliable
Do they show up when they say that they will on your initial contact attention to detail in small things translates into big things.
Can You Trust Them?
Last but certainly not least do you trust them? do they answer your questions strait forward and honestly or are they good at talking and getting nothing said. This last point is crucial. YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TRUST YOUR CONTRACTOR!
Our goal on every project is to treat your home like our own, we believe when we finish you will be a lifetime customer because you will see that we actually care and can follow through with our promises, Give us a call for any exterior remodeling needs. Windows, siding, doors, decks, and porches we would be honored to partner with you to make your vision come to life.
Contact 5 Star Exteriors today to upgrade your home!
