There are lots of home renovations that happen to be beyond the expertise of most homeowners, in those cases a homeowner often turns to a general contractor to deal with these upgrades and repairs. When selecting a handyman it’s important to do your homework to ensure you are dealing with a reliable handyman that will provide the services that you’re spending money on. By doing some research and homework now, you can avoid home improvement scams.
Signs that you may want to choose a different handyman:
- The contractor doesn’t turn up for your meeting when he says he will.
- The business doesn’t have references that you can check.
- The cost is far under all other estimates you’ve received.
- Payment needs to be made up front, paying some is fine, but not all.
- The business doesn’t have liability insurance.
- Contractor will not put the estimate in writing.
What you ought to look for in a contractor:
- Experience, you want a handyman that has been around for a while, never hire someone who happens to show up on your door step trying to find work.
- Professional and polite. You’re going to work closely together and it is important that you can get along.
- Proper licenses required for your state.
- Willingness to take the time to explain what is going to happen and also to answer the questions you have about your home improvement project.
- Liability insurance. Without it you may end up paying for injuries or damage.
For home improvement projects it’s a good idea to get at least three estimates. Make sure that each handyman provides you with a written estimate. Review every part of the job. Make sure that the business is going to take care of getting all the needed permits. Be clear on who handles clean up. Remember that everything really should be written down. This is certainly going to be particularly important when the contract is written out. If it’s not in writing, it will be hard to prove later if something goes wrong and then you end up in court.
It is a good idea to use an experienced handyman for your home improvement needs. If you know of friends, neighbors or family members who have had work done, you could call to get names and numbers. A seasoned handyman (this one, for instance) will have knowledge of permits, license requirements and building codes. They’ll also have local references for you to check. They’ll have no problem providing you with written estimates. It can give you peace of mind knowing you are dealing with a handyman that has been around for a while, instead of one just starting out.
Your general contractor should take the time to answer any and all questions that you have. They should be on time and ready to work whenever scheduled. Don’t feel pressured to choose someone you aren’t happy and comfortable with. You will be working together on this project and it is important that you feel you can work together.