The process of hiring a professional contractor to take care of your bathroom renovations can get your head spinning pretty quickly.
First of all, there are many bathroom renovation companies. Look under ‘General Contractors’ or ‘Bathroom Remodeling’ in the phone book and you’ll see what we mean… there are hundreds of bathroom remodelers and general contractors in every area. On top of that, there are hundreds of other great bathroom remodeling contractors that aren’t in the phone book.
Second, it’s pretty easy to call yourself a bathroom remodeling pro. People don’t necessarily need an office or a lot of fancy equipment or tools to start a business. Therefore, people who have done some repairs on some houses or rooms may try to trick you into thinking that they are highly trained and experienced bathroom remodeling professionals. If they have a truck, a tool belt, and a business card, they could fool a lot of people!
Finally, there are many different types of bathroom remodeling contractors. There are handymen, general contractors, builders, construction companies, and companies that specialize only in bathroom renovations.
So what do you do when looking for a contractor to remodel your bathroom?
We recommend:
o Ask your friends and neighbors if they have had good or bad experiences with local contractors. Just knowing that someone else has had a good experience with a contractor before you call them reduces the chance of having a contracting problem.
o Call 3-4 companies to bid on your remodeling project. This will help you determine the fair market price for your work. This does not mean that you should always go for the lowest price. You should go with the company that you are most comfortable with and that you think will do the best job. If a person offers a really low price, you should ask yourself “why?”
o Decide exactly what you want to do to remodel your bathroom. At the very least, you should have some general ideas before calling in a contractor. They can help him make some final decisions, but he must be able to explain his basic needs before letting them talk him out of it.
o Try to decide if your job can be done by a handyman, or if it is more complicated. If you are simply laying some tiles, painting and changing some accessories, you should be sure that a quality handyman could handle this job. If you’re talking about breaking things down and changing your entire bathroom, then your best chance for success is to hire an experienced general contractor.
o Make sure the company has insurance. There is the potential for injury and destruction of your home when remodeling a bathroom. As mentioned above, there are many impromptu contractors that may not be insured. Ask them for their insurance company’s phone number and call them to prove they are insured. If you skip this part, you could be liable for the injuries of an uninsured worker while working on your home. You could also be left with the bill for tons of repairs if an uninsured contractor leaves you with a destroyed bathroom or house!
o Ask if the bathroom remodeling contractor will be able to handle all the work you need, or if you will have to subcontract some of the work to other companies (such as a plumber). If they are replacing jobs, make sure their contract states that they are still directly responsible for all the work. In other words, you won’t have a situation where a plumber installed your new toilet incorrectly and the contractor tells you it’s not their problem. What if you can’t get in touch with the plumber they hired after the job is complete? You want a person to be responsible.
o If your bathroom remodel requires a general contractor, or you just decide to hire a company that says they are general contractors, make sure they have a valid General Contractors License
o Always get a statement of the work done in writing. Keep this on file. Make sure the declarations clearly state what work is to be performed.
o Ask if the bathroom remodel comes with warranties. These are factors to consider when looking at total cost estimates left behind by different contractors.
o Some contractors require an advance payment. Agree on a payment schedule (which is a written document that clearly states how much and when payments are due). Make sure your payment schedule is discussed and documented in your contract before you start work. Stick to this schedule even if the contractor requests advance payment. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you’ve paid for most of your bathroom remodel work, but most of your bathroom remodel isn’t completed!…these situations often end in unfinished jobs or poorly finished
o Periodically monitor the progress of your bathroom remodel; try to detect possible problems or misunderstandings before it is too late.
Good luck with your bathroom and remodeling needs!
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