All home owners will be faced with the task of hiring a trades professional to fix something at one time or another. Knowing how to go about finding and choosing the right contractor for the job isn’t something we are born with. It is something we need to learn and get better at with experience.
Here are the basic rules you should follow when you are considering hiring an individual or company to do any form of maintenance, improvement, and even minor repairs on your home.
1. Know what licensing is required for that particular job.
Check local, provincial and national government websites for the requirements to provide the services you require.
2. Make sure they are legitimate.
Any professional will have need some form of accreditation and certainly a licence to perform specialist tasks. Ask the supplier to show you exactly what they have. Better providers go to great lengths to acquire more accreditations and licensing than the minimum requirements.
3. Get references.
Ask potential providers for references or look around for them yourself. It is easy for an individual or company to show a couple of great references. Getting on Google and searching on their background is often better than getting references provided.
4. Get a thorough quote.
A proper quote details what work is to be done and all material requirements. A proper quote will also include licensing details and any other accreditations your potential provider has. Alarm bells should be ringing if these don’t appear.
5. Shop around and know what is acceptable.
Without a comparing quotes you cannot be sure if you are paying the right price. For smaller projects, the majority of cost comes from a providers hourly rate. Research acceptable hourly rates and normal material costs. A minimum of 3 quotes is highly recommended.
6. Get it in writing.
A quote doesn’t necessarily confirm the exact price and may not include your specific requirements. Make sure your provider gives you a written contract on the job that will be done. The best providers know their own contracts well and produce them as standard.
7. Play your part in the job.
If you are not clear about what you want, then you are looking for trouble. Changing your mind half way through a project is not included in a quote or contract. Changes can cause huge blowouts in cost. Be sure of what you want before you employ anyone.
Horror stories of poor quality workmanship and simple home maintenance, improvement or repair projects that went horribly wrong come from situations where the home owner did not take the necessary steps to confirm these basic requirements. Real references are extremely important. A great providers reputation is extremely important to them.
Get more tips on home maintenance and learn all you need to know about home inspections at C4UInspections today!
If you just want to ask our chief inspector, Lloyde Kenzle, a question on anything to do with home maintenance and home inspections, he is more than happy to oblige. It is very hard to set a fixed price for home inspections and home maintenance programs. However, we do our best to provide a reliable quote online. The more information you provide helps us with an accurate quote.
If you have images, photos and other bulky documents, please upload them to Google Documents or DropBox and share the link in the details box below. No question is too small or silly to ask. Lloyd spends a couple of hours at his desk each afternoon after managing the days projects and will reply to you as soon as possible.
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Need more information and have questions? Contact C4U Inspections today
Serving the Okanagan Since 2005
