Sandy Petrocelli – How to Select the Right Contractor to Do Your Home Remodel

It looks so simple on television, but in reality there’s a lot that can go wrong when you do a home remodel. For this reason you need to be really careful about picking a contractor to do your home remodel.  Electrical contractor Sandy Petrocelli cautions that the contractor will determine both the process and the end product, so here are some tips to make sure that you make a good choice.

Research all of your candidates

There’s no smarter approach to hiring a contractor than to research that company. For starters ask anyone you might know was done a remodel that they and you find impressive, about the contractor they used. Are they happy with his work? Did they like the budget he charged and was he able to stick to the budget? Have there been any issues since the remodel was finished? Being able to ask these questions gives you a clear idea about whether this is the right contractor to utilize. You should interview several. Some may come from Friends and others you might find on the internet where you can look at online reviews from past clients and read what those clients say.

Conduct an interview

You should bring several contractors in to your home and discuss with them the remodel you have in mind end. Pay attention to how they bid for your job. Do you like this person? Is this someone you trust to let into your home? Are you satisfied with the interview? You should ask for references and an ability to view some of his past work. Reputable contractors are happy to show you work that they have done in the past, and their clients are happy to show off the work that they have gotten done by the contractor.  The contractors to bring his licenses and insurance with him to the interview so he can show that he has all of his paperwork in order. If he fails to bring it make sure that you see it before you sign any contracts with this contractor.

Get a clear understanding of the project plan, the budget and the timeline

The contractor should be able to lay out exactly what is going to happen, when, and how much everything will cost. This should all be on paper and it should ultimately be in the agreement that you sign with him. Every budget will need a contingency but that contingency should be no more than 5%. Same with the timeline. There should be some flexibility because doing construction is an inexact science, but it should be no more than an extra week. Anything over these amounts end times might create a problem. Remember time is money and the longer the project takes, the more money it will likely cost you. In any case however you should set aside an additional contingency budget for yourself, an extra 10% should be sufficient.

Visit the remodel all the time

Nothing keeps a contract on his toes like a client constantly on site looking over his shoulder. This is your house and your money so you have the right to be there as often as you would like providing you do not get in the way and slow things down. You want to make sure that if anything goes off course or schedule you catch it early, so it doesn’t negatively affect the budget of the timeline.