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Evaluating General Contractors
Do your Homework before Hiring a General
Contractor
By Mark J. Donovan
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Question: Mark, I’m planning
to have a home built and am in need of hiring a general contractor. In
evaluating general contractors in building a home, I know you state you need to
check references but what other qualifications do you look for or other
resources do you use to evaluate a general contractor. For example, does the
contractor need to be certified in any areas, belong to BBB or professional
organizations. Also, do you research them to see if they’ve had any lawsuits
filed against them?
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What do you suggest? I know
references are a good source but contractors only provide the ones that are
going to give glowing reviews. Let me know your thoughts.
Answer: E.L., First, I still believe that checking contractor references is
the best bet when evaluating general contractors. When the contractors give you
references make sure they provide you with about a half dozen or so, and at
least a couple of them should be from older projects (e.g. a couple of years
ago).
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Second, yes check with the Better
Business Bureau (BBB). You can do this on line and they’ll give you a rating for
the company.
Third, check with Angie's list or
Yelp for general contractor reviews. See my
YELP Contractor Review Page and type in
the contractor/business name along with the city/state. If there are reviews on
the general contractor you’re considering to hire they'll be reported in this
list.
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Forth, check with your local building
inspector. They may say little, but on the other hand they might give you some
sign that you may want to hire or not hire the contractor.
Lastly, see if the general contractor is registered in the state as a contractor
and is a member of a home building or contractor association. If he is a good
general contractor he should be active in a home builders association.
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It is through this type of association that he keeps up with the latest home
construction regulations and stays abreast of the latest in home construction
technology and materials.
For more help on either hiring a general
contractor or acting as your own general contractor see my
home
addition and home remodeling bid sheets. They can save you a
fortune by helping you to properly plan your home construction project and hire
the right general contractor and/or subcontractors.
How to Finance your Home Remodeling Project -
can help provide funds for your new home improvement project if financing is
required.
Related Articles on Home Construction and Hiring the Right Home Building
Contractor
Additional Resources from Amazon.com on Home
Building
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