Top 5 Questions to Ask Your Contractor
By Elizabeth Dougherty
Most of us have seen the movie "The Money
Pit" where mishap after mishap culminates
in a historic home almost entirely collapsing
while Tom Hanks looks on in disbelief. If
you take a little time and find the right
contractor for the job, you won't end up
needing relaxation therapy by the time
the project is finished. Here are the top 5
questions to ask your contractor before the
job begins:
1 Is the contractor licensed,
bonded and insured?
The term "licensed" generally means
"permission to do something otherwise
illegal." It is not legal in the state of
Alabama for a person to contract themselves
out to a third party and perform renovations
without a valid license to do so with the
state. The word "bonded" means that there
are funds available either with the state
or with a recognized agency in the event
of claims made by consumers against the
contractor. The contractor should also be
insured in the event someone is hurt on the
job site. If the contractor has no insurance
and a guest at your home is hurt during
renovations, you could be liable. Ask for
copies of the license, bonding paperwork
and insurance binder and verify all three are
current.
2 Is the contractor skilled at this
type of job?
Your contractor may be very good at
bathroom renovations, for instance, and
inexperienced with kitchen renovations.
Find out your contractor's strengths and
weaknesses by asking detailed questions
and explaining exactly what you want done
to your home.
3 Does the contractor have
references?
Unwillingness to provide references that you
can call is a very bad sign. Try to get at least
three references with phone numbers. Call
them and find out if they were happy with
the work that was performed, if they felt the
price was fair and how well the renovations
have held up over time.
4 Has the contractor ever been
sued by a customer?
Many people check the Better Business
Bureau in their area to find out if there
are complaints against a company before
hiring them, but not many check the local
courthouse to see if any lawsuits were filed.
It's worth a trip down to the court to look
at the records and pull any cases that exist.
After all, your home is probably your biggest
asset. A little investigative work couldn't
hurt.
5 How long will the job take?
This is one of the biggest sources of
contention with contractors. They might tell
you it will take 60 days and it takes over 6
months. Get the time frame in writing and
make it part of the contract. If the contractor
is late, have a provision in the contract that
deducts some of the fee being charged for
every date the job is not finished past the
due date. You will be surprised how effective
this is in getting everything done on time.
With a little advance planning, you can have
a relatively pleasant renovation experience
with no unnecessary drama or pitfalls. When
it's all over, watch "The Money Pit" again
and be glad you read the Top 5.
Elizabeth Dougherty, a resident of
Auburn, is a former Real Estate Broker
and Mortage Broker. She can be
reached at EADougherty1@aol.com.
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