5 Tips for Finding the Right Contractor

Spring is here and with it comes all those home improvement or repair problems you’ve been putting off due to the weather.

Everyone loves the satisfaction of completing those DIY tasks, but the truth is that some tasks are better left to a professional contractor.

Finding a contractor is the easy part. There are literally hundreds of them in and around the Chicago area. Finding the right contractor, now there’s another story!

Signing a contract with the wrong contractor can mean headaches galore! Substandard work, endless delays, and excuses, and in the worst-case scenario, legal problems.

Chances are that you’ve heard nightmarish stories from friends or neighbors about what went wrong with a contractor that they didn’t look at too carefully before signing. No one wants to deal with those types of problems!

You can avoid all those issues and potential problems by using the following tips when searching for the right contractor for your next project.

Use These Guidelines When Choosing Your Next Contractor

When you consider that your next contractor, and their employees, will be working in and around your home for a few days, or possibly even a few weeks, you want to be sure you’ve chosen a contractor who “gets” you, one that you can trust and feel comfortable talking to, a contractor who knows what you want and delivers the job on time and on budget.

Use these tips as a checklist before you sign on that dotted line.

1. Make Certain They are Locally Owned and Operated

Having an office in your town does not mean that the actual contractor even lives in the same state!

Ask if the contractor owns the business themselves and if they live in your area. You should also ask if the contractor themselves will be on-site (meaning at your home) during the project, or do they plan on coming only before work starts and after it is finished. Are most of the employees subcontractors or do the work for the company?

Of course, you should also ask for proof that they are licensed, bonded, and insured.

These things matter!  Keep in mind that the more involved in the community that the contractor is, the more concerned they will be about the final outcome. This is because locally owned and operated businesses have a big stake in the community, so they will take more interest in doing a great job that you will be proud to tell your friends about.

2. Check the Contractors Online Reviews

Review sites, such as Yelp, Google, and even Facebook, can be extremely helpful when it comes to real-life experiences.

Many people only write reviews when they are unhappy with a contractor. Finding a few negative reviews is completely normal. However, if a contractor has multiple great reviews and only a few or no negative reviews, you can trust what others are saying.

3. Ask for Samples

When it comes to contractors, you aren’t looking for a list of phone numbers from past clients. Ask the contractor for some local addresses where you could drive by and see some of the work they have performed. Samples are much more important than any phone reference when it comes to a contractor’s work.

Whether it’s a fence, a new porch, or a new roof, the contractor should have no problem providing you with at least a few locations where you can see some completed work. If they can’t provide you with any addresses, look elsewhere.

4. Trust Your Gut

When you are speaking with the contractor, how do they make you feel? Are you nervous? Do you have a “bad” feeling about them? Does the contractor talk down to you or try to push you into using more expensive materials or going over your budget?

Take a moment to see how you feel while you are discussing plans. If you feel uncomfortable or if things seem awkward, they will only get worse after you have signed the contract.

5. Introduce Yourself to Management

If the person you are speaking to is not the owner or the manager of the contracting office, be sure that you introduce yourself to them and briefly discuss your project, the costs, and the deadline or timeline.

What you want is to be sure that the owner or manager is on the same page as the worker. The time to discover that, while the worker said the job could be completed in 3 weeks, management says it will be more like 5-6 weeks, is NOW, not after the contractor has your kitchen torn apart.

Why Choose A&D?

As we mentioned earlier, we understand that you have dozens of choices when it comes to contractors.

Our company has been servicing the Chicago and suburbs of Chicago for more than 15 years. We live and work in your neighborhood, so we understand local problems and the unique styling each Chicago neighborhood has.

At A&D, we want to earn your business and look forward to your complete satisfaction. Our best clients are the ones who love our work so much, they refer us to their friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family.

We back up our work with one of the best labor warranties in the state because we want you to trust our craftsmanship and feel comfortable if there should be a future problem.

We encourage you to read all of our online reviews. We are proud of our work and it shows!

Call the professional and friendly team at A&D Home Improvement. We will be happy to set an appointment so we can discuss your next project. At A&D, we do great work at a reasonable price, so why not call today while you are thinking about it? You can also request a free estimate online by clicking here.

Large or small, indoor, or outdoor, we are looking forward to talking to you about your next home improvement project.