{"id":399,"date":"2010-09-13T19:13:39","date_gmt":"2010-09-14T02:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=399"},"modified":"2010-09-13T19:51:21","modified_gmt":"2010-09-14T02:51:21","slug":"hiring-a-contractor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.isearchdecor.com\/blog\/design_tips\/hiring-a-contractor\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiring a Contractor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hiring a contractor to do renovations and\/or start from scratch requires considerable work on your part if the job is to be done in a timely and satisfactory manner.\u00a0 Sitting down with them and putting, in writing, the work to be done as well as the total cost of the project is very important.<\/p>\n<p>In order to reduce stress as well as wear and tear, it is important that all supplies and materials be included in the original quote.\u00a0 While buying materials yourself may appear to be a cost savings idea, it&#8217;s important to remember that contractors often have contacts and get reduced rates with suppliers because of their volume of purchases with the store.\u00a0 A more important concern is the level of knowledge required when purchasing supplies.\u00a0 To know what type, size, or kind of material is required by law and for a sound result takes years of experience and is beyond the capability of most homeowners.\u00a0 Additionally, anything not used will need to be returned or exchanged which can also become quite a headache.\u00a0 This is a waste of time and money.\u00a0 From experience I find the following very important when working with a contractor:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Compare prices<\/span>.<\/strong> Get bids from no less than three      contractors in writing and let them know in advance your expectations and      budget.\u00a0 If you like the      contractor with the highest price, but get a lower bid, check with the      first one and see if they are willing to negotiate.<\/li>\n<li><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Negotiate<\/span>. <\/strong> Do not be afraid to bargain and try      to get a lower price.\u00a0 If work      is scarce a contractor is usually willing to do the job for less, but make      sure they are reputable and have references that you can call.<\/li>\n<li><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Paper work<\/span>.<\/strong> Get everything in writing,      including the fact that they will furnish the materials.\u00a0 With everything from putting in      new hinges, to putting on a roof, it is important that every possible      contingency be included.\u00a0 Add      on charges for extra work can be a killer.<\/li>\n<li><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Property Irregularities<\/span>.<\/strong> If you have had an inspection on a      property be sure any irregularities found are included in the contract.\u00a0 Since the residence will be taken      apart anyway, now is the time to fix any small things that came up on the      original inspection report.<\/li>\n<li><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">References.<\/span> <\/strong>Check the contractor\u2019s      credentials and references.\u00a0      This includes not only property owners, but the state licensing      board and better business bureau as they will have records of any      complaints made.\u00a0 This is very      important to be sure the contractor you select really knows what they are      doing.<\/li>\n<li><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Building Permits.<\/span><\/strong> Find out yourself, from the county      or city building departments, just what permits are needed.\u00a0 To test a contractor&#8217;s knowledge      ask them if the job needs a permit.\u00a0      If you&#8217;ve found out it does require a permit and the contractor      says it doesn&#8217;t, be wary.\u00a0      Once the contractor has been hired, double-check to make sure the      permits have been obtained then post them in a visible location.\u00a0 There have been cases when an      entire deck had to be removed, bathroom torn out, and construction was      halted in the middle of a job because the proper permits were not      obtained.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Needed Materials.<\/span> <\/strong> Make sure all materials needed are      included in the contract.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A good contractor is a gem.\u00a0 They will get right in, do the job, guarantee it, and ensure you get the most reasonable price possible.\u00a0 Most contractors fall into this category because they know that a good job means references to other people.<\/p>\n<p>___________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n<p><em>iSearchD\u00e9cor is the nation\u2019s premier, free, online referral service for those seeking the perfect match to local home d\u00e9cor hidden gems stores and home service professionals. Exclusive savings are offered to the users of the iSearchDecor website.\u00a0Visit us for all of your home decor needs at www.isearchdecor.com. Coming soon to Tucson, Dallas and Southern California.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hiring a contractor to do renovations and\/or start from scratch requires considerable work on your part if the job is to be done in a timely and satisfactory manner.\u00a0 Sitting down with them and putting, in writing, the work to be done as well as the total cost of the project is very important. In [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[38,39,41,40],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isearchdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isearchdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isearchdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isearchdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isearchdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.isearchdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":428,"href":"http:\/\/www.isearchdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399\/revisions\/428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isearchdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isearchdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isearchdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}