Do you really trust your contractor? Really? How well do you know him?

Finding the right contractor for the right job task is sometimes difficult. Let me re-phrase the statement – finding the right contractor, one that you can trust when you are not looking over their shoulder or in areas that you can’t see, is sometimes (or often) difficult. It seems everybody is about price these days, “How cheap can I get the work done for?”… Even though the contractor is not registered, has no insurance, only a few complaints filed against him, “ummm, he’ll never do me wrong”.  NOT TRUE, actually this may be the furthest thing from the truth!  Do you know most complaints filed are those against referral contractors or people you ‘just know’ do the type of work that you need done? Why is it that even when people ask you, you advise against it, they often still go ahead and hire these ill equipped contractors? Human nature I guess? Then who gets the call when it goes bad? You guessed it, the first contractor – the one that had proper insurance, a valid license, no comments or violations filed against him, and not your weekend specialty – but has been doing it for many years “the seasoned professional”.

Sometimes cheap, as we all learn in so many different areas in life, is not the best way to choose for your home? Know your contractor. Check them out prior to hiring them. View the RI Contractor’s Registration Board website http://www.crb.state.ri.us/search.php to really research them – you will be surprised what they do not want you to know, the one’s that “cut the corners” anyway!

As a certified Rhode Island State Building Inspector, though not active, I see what my colleagues deal with first hand and hear the stories on a monthly basis. They are YOUR stories, the one’s that end up costing you a lot of money at the end!  Do your research up front. Have everything in writing. Do not give any money until the day they show up for work with ladders ready! If they claim they need a large amount of money up front, to me, they are not established. I suggest anything paid other than material that you have on your site to be used, is called labor and, personally – I get paid at the end of the week after working all week.

I know, some say “…how bad can it be?” Well, as an example let me tell you about a job that I recently inspected for insulation. Talk about missing some areas or having a few gaps! This is a job that involved electrical, including installation of a new bathroom exhaust fan. When I inspected this attic, there was a loose piece of plywood laid over the exhaust box. Upon removing the plywood, not only were the wires not properly installed, within a junction box with the correct wire nut sizes, but the exhaust vent was never installed! This will contribute to moisture and mold in the attic…

Sometimes you may think you were successful and drilled the price down but at the end, if the contractor is not honest and unless they are caught – will end up beating you on price! Don’t lack quality for a decent price. Get 3 bids for each job from reputable contractors that you checked out completely. Ask for copies of insurance and license and each person on site should have a license as well. Don’t have the corner pub customers with nothing to do filling in as laborers on your job.

Craig DiPetrillo – DiPetrillo Properties – Planning, Investments, Construction

http://www.dipetrilloproperties.com/

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