4 Questions to Ask a Contractor
If you're not particularly handy with a hacksaw, putty knife, and pliers, and you're hiring a contractor to do the job, there are four key questions you need to know and ask that the contractor should answer for you. These questions are simple:
- Are you licensed and insured? Any responsible contractor should be able to show you a license and insurance, and the insurance should list the homeowner as “additionally insured” (AI). Yes, such a contractor will be more expensive, but you will avoid unnecessary problems and financial losses if something goes wrong.
- Can you show me references? If a contractor has a portfolio and can show recommendations from other clients, then he is serious and reliable. Especially if his previous jobs are the same as those you plan to hire him for.
- Are your employees ready to start working and do you have enough of them? Any delays caused by the fact that the contractor has not yet found the people he needs, or cannot complete the work on time, can cost you a pretty penny, not to mention the work being abandoned halfway through.
- Do you have all the necessary materials? See point above - delays can be expensive! But there is one more nuance: if a contractor promises to get you any materials, equipment, etc. at the snap of his fingers, then he, perhaps, either does not understand how supplies work in his area, or is simply lying, trying to get a contract and then “somehow " solve the problem of.
