How to pick a contractor?

[EricG]

When people get multiple bids, the deciding factor is the lowest price many times. This is a problem more times than not. The higher bid may not be off base, as the price may be reflective of the product the contractor wants to provide. The lower price may be your slam bam job. The client needs to compare apples to apples. Sometimes you want to toss out the high bid and the low.

Agree that the bid price is only part of the decision. I know I passed the lowest two bids on my heating system work simply due to the reputation of the company I finally selected and the fact that they were very responsive and seemed like they really understood what I wanted done and weren't going to cut corners to get there.

 

[alia176]

Does money and co-worker mix well in the long term?

It seems that money and friends is a bad mix as well as money and family. So, that leaves money and 3rd party whose ass I can chew if something goes wrong, like a leaky roof in a down pour during the monsoon season (like right about NOW!).

Think long hard on this one....

 

[sirenmoses]

^ true dat, thus the post. still pondering....

 

[alia176]

I've been working on a house that was added on by "friends" and "friend's contractors". The amount of sub par work is astonishing but the owner definitely got what they paid for.

 

[Goebeler]

Being "the Contractor" here, I thought I would chime in.

Word of mouth is key in our business. If the contractor has a huge territory, you wont hear most of the bad stuff. If you look at local folk and enquire about best and worst jobs, you will learn quite a bit. Most folks can't hide the fact that they are just average. Their process, management skills, systems software, etc. will give you a sense.

Trust your gut as well. You are not doing a huge project so you wont get folks to jump for you. Even in this wonderful economy.

Best thing you can do is use someone that someone else knows well and has had a great experience with. Using a friend isn't all that bad. Good friends can do great work and create a better friendship. Just be ready for a few hickups with your friend and be patient.

Good luck with your project!

Goebs

 

[sirenmoses]

Thanks again for all the input. My gut says different things on different days: I'm inclined to use him, knowing what the watch-outs are.

Chose to assist him in a work-related even recently, to build good-will, hoping I won't need it. Had some snafu moments: talking w/him about them later will give me a better sense of his organizing skills.

 

[romegadave]

I don't know how I managed to find one with my luck but my mechanic suggested an old time/old school builder. We're at Week 5 with septic in (waiting for inspection) and with shingle man on the way tomorrow. Windows arrive Thursday so we have to get the front and French doors ASAP.

 

[sirenmoses]

^ that house is gonna be a beauty.

my guy managed to bang out the roof tear-off and rebuild in about 10 hrs yesterday. what he forgot to mention was that the tear off would be loud as all get-out, rendering his claim of a habitable house invalid.

so I loaded my dogs into the 60, and hooched up in the woods, after trying to find somebody to work my next shift so I could bounce to a vacation place, with no luck. Couldn't even resent it too much, because I have a landcruiser, did small wheeln, and my dogs enjoyed it, so I really can't complain.


there were more bumps, including finding my driveway blocked despite specific instruction to not do so , consistant failure to shut gates, thus allowing my dogs to roam if they were so inclined, and not bringing his own lighting for after-dark work, but so far I'm happy.

final decision will come when it's not raining and he can wrap up the gutters, and hopefully clean up the rest of the nails, old shingles, and other crap that is laying around.

all of the above is why I would have prefered to not be home while the work was done, but he busted his ass today (unlike at work) in the rain, on a side project, which made handing over the cash much easier.

snaps of my newly installed soffits, w/new roof shedding rain.