No matter how much you love your home, some areas may not look as stylish as they were some years back — home trends change over time, and old age takes away the luster of fixtures and decorations. Luckily, you can renovate your home to improve its aesthetics and increase its value if you plan to sell it in the future.
However, for a renovation to bring significant change, you must hire an experienced contractor who can incorporate the latest home interior and exterior trends, making your home showcase your personality.
Even if you choose online hiring methods, don’t hire a renovation contractor without assessing their ability to offer quality services. A one-on-one interview can help gauge a contractor’s skills, experience level, and industry knowledge.
Ask your prospective renovation contractor these questions before hiring them.
1. Are You Insured?
Before you let a contractor work on your property, ensure they have general liability and workers’ compensation insurance. These covers protect you from liability in the case of damage to your property or workers’ injuries when the contractor is at your premises.
If you hire a contractor without insurance coverage, you risk huge losses in the form of damage to property and medical expenses for workers who may sustain injuries due to work-related accidents on your property.
2. Are You Licensed?
Most states in the US require contractors to have a roofing contractor license before performing work.
Also, ask your contractor for a business license that allows them to operate in your area of residence. Licenses are an excellent way to ensure that your contractor has the relevant skills for the job, as they must pass a trade exam and gain experience through apprenticeship to obtain the license.
3. Do You Offer a Warranty for Your Services?
To protect your investment, hire a renovation contractor who offers a warranty for their services. A contractor’s willingness to re-do a job for free if anything goes wrong several months after they finish the project proves they are confident that they offer quality services.
However, since warranties have varying terms, ask the contractor about specifics like the warranty’s duration, what the warranty covers, and what can void the warranty.
4. Who Will Do the Work?
This question can help you avoid last-minute surprises due to subcontracting. Subcontracting involves a company hiring another company to do a job they had contracted for. Most contractors subcontract their jobs if they lack essential skills or equipment for some areas of the job.
For example, if your home renovation project involves some plumbing work, your contractor can hire a plumbing company to do the plumbing job if they don’t have in-house plumbers.
Since subcontracting is acceptable, you can allow your renovation contractor to involve another contractor but vet the other contractor to ensure their suitability for the job.
5. How Long Have You Been in the Home Renovation Business?
Experience is crucial in all technical jobs, as it helps technicians find solutions fast and avoid costly mistakes. A contractor who has been in business for a long time can do a better job than a newbie because they have served numerous customers and completed projects of varying complexities.
While renovation provides an opportunity to renew your home, only qualified and experienced contractors can actualize your ideas. Therefore, ensure that your chosen contractor ticks all the boxes before signing the contract. The questions above can help you vet a home renovation contractor’s ability to complete your project flawlessly.
At Distinctive Renovations & General Contracting, LLC, we have the skills, experience, and equipment required to offer unmatched home renovation services to our clients. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.
