As the home building and remodeling industry celebrated National Remodeling Month in May, here are some important considerations to ensure you make the right decisions when you find, evaluate and hire a remodeler.
You should start by asking for referrals from friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, and others who have had remodeling work done. Or, ask local independent trade contractors, building materials suppliers, architects, engineers, home inspectors, lenders and insurance professionals for recommendations.
There are also websites where consumers leave comments about their experience with local businesses, such as www.yelp.com, www.angieslist.com and www.kudzu.com. But be careful about these sources of information, you have no way of knowing who left the comment or if they were honest.
Once you have a list of potential home remodelers for your project, do research to verify that they are appropriately licensed and/or insured. Contact your local or regional Builders Association and the local Better Business Bureau. In counties where remodelers are licensed (Westchester, Putnam & Rockland) be sure to verify that the remodeler is licensed.
When you begin meeting with remodelers, you want to find out information such as:
- How long they have been in business in your community? Can they provide references from customers and suppliers they work with?
- Ask for a copy of the insurance certificates.
- What is their working knowledge of the many types and ages of homes in the area, and what sort of issues could arise?
- Do they provide a written estimate before beginning the work, and a detailed contract that spells out the work that will and will not be performed, protects both of you, provides a fair payment schedule contract and complies with local, state, and federal laws?
- Do they offer a warranty? What is covered under the warranty and for how long?
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