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Making any home improvements or renovations can be quite costly, but we don’t mean this just in the terms of money. Time and your mental sanity and patience are also tested. Cutting corners only lead to more costly repair and do-overs along the way. As the saying goes “No one is rich enough to buy cheap things”. As with any approach, level headed reasoning coupled with common sense can save you from a lot of sleepless nights and very unpleasant situations.
1. Do Your Research
In this day and age, at least information is easy to find. There is no need to accept the first proposal from would be, an unlicensed handyman from the street that just comes knocking on your door. Google can immensely help out in your quest for the right man for the job. Always search for online reviews of licensed repairmen.
Any serious company will also have their website as well with all of the needed info and contact information. If you notice that there is not enough info on someone, that the reviews are shady and, not everything is transparent, then rest assured that their quality of work is the same.
2. Looks Matter
By this, we mean to look out for some obvious signs. For example, if the repairmen arrive in an unmarked, generic white van with no company logo, that should be your first warning sign. Their equipment should be well maintained and relatively clean. Working clothes have passed beyond the simple jeans and jackets, as they have working clothes with company logos clearly shown. Also, you can easily observe how they tackle the job.
Professional and reliable gutter replacement jobs, that many consider menial, are done with scaffolding. Many shady contractors will try to sell you in and lure you into avoiding setting them up because they raise costs. But in reality, any professional worth their salt always implements them as they are a valuable necessity when it comes to workplace safety standards.
3. Don’t Cut Corners
As mentioned above, but it’s worth pointing it out again, cutting costs is one of the telltale signs of a shady contractor. Under the guise of a cheaper job, many important job aspects will be ignored. From inspections to a construction plan, quality materials, time etc., shady contractors will do the best to obscure info about these to you. These are just some of the areas that shady contractor’s slack on. One more important thing to note here is the method of payment.
If your contractor insists on cash payments with zero to no paper trail, that’s a dead giveaway that something shady is happening. Without a contract or a paper trail that proves that any job has been done, you cannot prove, sue or request follow-ups and maintenance on any construction work. Your word against theirs doesn’t work in the courtroom. Luckily, professional and licensed contractors will always gladly issue any invoices and papers you require.
4. Word of Mouth is Golden
In modern business, a good word of mouth reference is priceless. Is as simple as asking yourself the following. Would you rather hire an anonymous constructor or someone that your close friend or relative recommended? In the construction business, word of mouth builds reputation and chances are that if many people have heard of some constructor, there is an excellent reason behind that. And that reason is quality craftsmanship.
With a bit of time and levelheaded reasoning you can achieve anything. From getting any work done to renovations and important decisions. Information is key and once you arm yourself with it, the rest will be a breeze. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
Patrick Adams is a freelance writer and rock-blues fan. When he is not writing about home improvement, he loves to play chess, watch basketball, and play his guitar. More than anything, he loves to spend his time in his garage, repairing appliances and creating stuff from wood.