Q. How can I trust a contractor I hire? A Ask others for references. Don’t depend solely on the Yellow Pages. Interview and get bids from at least three contractors for comparison. Check out contractor references on past completed jobs. Make sure the contractor has general liability and workers compensation insurance. These types of insurance help protect you while work is being done. Insist on a written contract that details out brands, manufacturer’s model numbers and all specifications that apply. It should also indicate the planned date of completion and an agreement for the contractor and any subcontractors to clean up after the project is finished. Any special conditions should also be included. Q: Am I required to hire a home improvement contractor to do improvements to my home? A: When plans are required for room additions and other structural alterations, it is usually best to have an experienced design professional, such as a licensed home contractors or home improvement contractors assist you. Plans for nonstructural and conventional framing addition & alterations can be drawn by a draftsperson or someone like home contractors with home improvement experience & knowledge. For projects involving structural modifications, plans and calculations are typically required and must be prepared, signed and stamped by an home contractor or home improvement contractor licensed in the particular state. Q: Do I need to hire licensed contractors? A: Homeowners can act as their own home contractor (owner-builder) on their home improvement plans but we recommend that you hire a licensed and properly insured home contractors unless you are experienced in home improvement work and intend to do the work yourself. You can verify the status of any home improvement contractors' license and find excellent information on how to select the home contractor available at the Building Division in your state. Q: How long do typical home improvement projects take? A: That depends on the size and type of job of home improvement and your home contractors. Roofs usually take of few days. Painting projects usually last from a week to two and a half weeks. Retrofits generally take a week and a half to two and a half weeks. Of course, these times vary significantly depending on the size and condition of the home. Before beginning the job, the home improvement contractor should advise the client on how long to expect the job to last. Q: Should I competitively bid my project to several builders or negotiate with one builder? A:There is no right way. I prefer negotiating with a builder whom I have researched thoroughly and believe to be reputable and trustworthy. Obviously, the danger with this method is that if your judgment is wrong, you could end up paying way too much for your project. Your home builder might be a great craftsman but overpriced. Your home builder might be very fair on pricing but incredibly inefficient, which could end up costing you more than dishonesty. On paper, a competitive bid makes a lot of sense; however in reality it is intrinsically flawed. A competitive bid on a residential construction project is essentially a game. The bid is based on a set of plans which usually have mistakes and are generally incomplete. Competitive bids are never apples to apples: each builder is calculating on a different level of quality and service. Some builders bid low and make it up on extras. Some builders bid sloppily and make it up on crummy workmanship. Some builders scrutinize the plans for errors and omissions, areas that they can exploit to their advantage. Sometimes you can win the competitive bid game, but you can also lose. The more you do your homework and find out what things should cost, the more likely it is that you will get value for your money. If you find a good builder whom you can trust, and he or she has a reputation for pleasing clients, being efficient and fair on pricing, this is the builder you probably want. Q: How do I analyze competitive bids on home construction projects? A: Let's say you have three bids for $90,000, $100,000, and $110,000. The first thing you want to do is make sure the bids are as close to apples to apples as possible. The problem is that every home builder has his own way of estimating and may use different categories than his competitors. When the plans are given out to bid, an outline should be given to each builder, breaking down the job the same way. Each builder is then required to fill out the outline with his bid. Now you can compare the electrical price and the plumbing, etc. It is also helpful if you can get information from each builder as to how much overhead and profit or any other markups there might be in the bid. Choosing a home builder should never be based on price alone, but the more clear information you can obtain about how the bid prices were reached, the better chance you have of making the right decision.   Feel free to call us if you have any other questions, 757-689-8658.