01/09/2018
Hiring a Contractor
With winter soon coming to an end many people are starting to think about summer projects in and around the house. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the skills or access to the skills needed to complete these tasks. For many this means hiring someone to come in and run the project for them. If you find yourself in a position of having to hire out, you want to make sure you get the best, qualified person or company to do the work. This means either relying on friends and family or sourcing out reliable contractors.
While referrals are usually a pretty good way to get capable people there are pros and cons to this that you should be aware of. Some of the benefits include previous experiences others have with the contractor, familiarity (through a third person) with the professional and so on. Something to be aware of is that even though the contractor referral comes from someone you might know and trust you still need to do research and checks to make sure the contractor has the skills and capabilities you are looking for. This means checking references, both business and customer, asking for licensing and insurance documents, as well as examples of work such as pictures.
If you are looking on your own to find a good contractor there are some things you should also be aware of. For some these make sense and you wouldn’t even consider hiring someone without taking these steps. For others who might be new to the renovation arena or with only a bit of experience should move carefully when hiring a contractor.
Did you know if you hire a contractor to come onto your property and they or one of their workers are hurt and they do not have up to date WCB coverage and proper insurance and licensing you may be liable for any and all expenses while that person rehabilitates. That could be a very costly mistake so do your due diligence and protect your assets. Be sure to get hardcopies of these certificate prior to any work commencing.
If you don’t get a good feeling when you first meet with a contractor do not be afraid to simply walk away. You don’t want to get into a relationship with someone who you are not comfortable with. Let the contractor know that you are continuing to meet with other contractors and you will be in touch regarding your decision. Let the contractor know that you have chosen to go with another contractor but be certain that you do. From a contractor point of view not knowing is by far worse than being told that another contractor was chosen.
Before you meet with contractors you should know what you budget is. It is very difficult for a contractor to come up with solutions if you don’t know what you are willing to spend. Keep in mind that unknown surprises, scope creep, can occur so don’t use your entire budget up at the start. Keep a minimum of 10% of your budget back to cover surprises. If you don’t need the extra, you can always upgrade some of the fixtures you are replacing or save the money to take a nice vacation after the stress of the project is complete!
Don’t be afraid to negotiate with the contractor's price. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact many contractor will provide quotes with a built in dollar amount so they can drop their prices to look good to the customer and still maintain the margins they would like to achieve.
One big thing I have found that many customers and contractors alike are guilty of is not to have a written contract in place that identifies the cost of the labour for the renovation, the contractor's role in the project, the customer's role in the project, what happens if unforeseen problems arise, a payment schedule and the rights of both contractor and customer should disagreements occur. There are other topics that can be addressed based on customer needs and expectations but these are the main areas that need to be documented.
Also, many contractors say their work is guaranteed but often it is no where in writing. Be sure that you have this documented as well and ways to recover any losses should problems arise during the warranty period.
