Here's How: Select the Best Remodeling Contractor

Dear James: I just bought an older house that is going to need quite a remodeling project. Do you have any tips for selecting a good remodeling contractor? -- Kevin S.

Dear Kevin: If you do an internet search, you will find many local remodeling contractors. In general, most are reliable, honest and price things fairly. As in any profession, though, you will find some who are out to take advantage of people, particularly ones new in the area without many contacts.

The best way to protect yourself from unscrupulous remodelers is to first educate yourself a little about house construction or at least learn enough of the jargon to fake it. Spend a few hours online searching through several builder magazine web sites. You may get some good design and material ideas at the same time.

Here are several good magazines to start with: Remodeling, Qualified Remodeler, Builder, Fine Homebuilding, Journal of Light Construction, Custom Builder (particularly good for design ideas), Kitchen and Bath Business, and Old House Journal.

You can try checking with the Better Business Bureau, but be careful about evaluating its information. A company may at first appear to be worse than another because it has had twice as many complaints, for example. But you may find upon further research that this company does 10 times more business than the other one, making the first one a better company.

Asking for references can be helpful too, but keep in mind that you will only get the names of the contractor's satisfied customers. Go to several local lumberyards and commercial building supply outlets. Ask the store managers which contractors they would consider if they were having a remodeling job done on their own homes. Also check online reviews of local contractors.

Having done the above research, you should be able to narrow the field down to several potential remodeling contractors. At this point and with your newly acquired building knowledge, it is time to sit down with the contractors and ask them questions face to face. Not only will you find ones that you are comfortable with, but by impressing them with your knowledge and thoroughness, they will also be extra careful to do a good job.

The following is a list of helpful questions to ask the prospective contractors when you meet with them:

How many employees -- not subcontractors -- are on their regular company payroll? This will indicate the relative size of the contractors. Although bigger is not always better, a larger and growing company must be doing fairly decent work.

How soon can they start on your job and how long do they estimate that it will take? A good contractor, especially in today's economy, should be busy and not able to start a substantial remodeling job immediately. If they can start it immediately, ask when they finished their last job.

What are their best and worst experiences that they have had on remodeling jobs like yours? This will help you to determine how open and honest the contractors are about previous problems. Their best experiences will give you an idea of what things the contractors feel are most important about a job.

Who on their staff will be at your jobsite each day and in charge of the project? You want to make sure that someone will be there directing their workers and subcontractors and that it is an actual employee of the contractor's company.

Do their company and all their subcontractors have workers' compensation and general liability insurance? For your own protection, it is critical that all the workers at your site are covered by workers' comp. Don't be afraid to ask to see current certificates and insurance policies. This also indicates the thoroughness and professionalism of the contractors.

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Send your questions to Here's How, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45244 or visit www.dulley.com. To find out more about James Dulley and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.