Do it yourself

General Contractors: 3 Steps To Hiring a Good One

A lot of homeowners find themselves overwhelmed when trying to hire general contractors. It really isn’t a science, but when you don’t have any experience in a particular industry, it’s easy to get confused. Combine that with the fact that there are so many horror stories out there about construction jobs gone wrong, and you have a recipe for discouragement. To avoid this scenario, here are three steps you can follow in any situation to find a good company that will take care of your construction needs for the price you can afford.

Gather Referrals

It’s easier today than ever before to get referrals for general contractors. This is, of course, thanks to the internet, which has opened the doors wide open for people to post their reviews and opinions of local businesses for all to see. Of course, nothing beats being able to talk to someone you know and trust in person. You can converse with a friend or co-worker and ask questions that might help you make a decision. When you read a review online, it’s difficult to say whether there is an ulterior motive that could be guiding their rant (or rave). Still, if you notice a particular company gets reamed over and over again, it’s probably a sign to steer clear.

Narrow Your Choices

Once you have a few general contractors to choose from, you can begin contacting them directly for references. Any good contractor in the field of residential construction should have homes and projects they can point to as a badge of success. Let them point you to these satisfied customers so you can talk to them yourself. Many homeowners, after having work done they can be proud of, will be glad to take you on a tour of their completed project, raving about the crew the entire time. Of course, if a company has no such references, it could be a sign that they don’t have any happy customers to brag about.

Get Bids

General contractors should be willing to take a look at the work you want done and provide you with a written estimate. This estimate may differ to some extent from the finished price, but it should be within 15%. Get a written estimate from two or three different companies and see how they compare in terms of price and how long they will take to finish the job. At that point, you can take the bids, the pleasure you have had in dealing with the company, and the referrals you’ve seen online and use all three to make your final decision.

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1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. Concrete Work, Special Trade Contractors, Industry 1771 $16.97 Used – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)32770600 Subject: Concrete construction — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …General Statistics for Establishments With Payroll by State: 1992 and 1987 Table 1. [ Thousand dollars. Detail may not add to total because of rounding. For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. Concrete Work, Special Trade Contractors, Industry 1771 $16.97 New - Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)32770600 Subject: Concrete construction — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …General Statistics for Establishments With Payroll by State: 1992 and 1987 Table 1. [ Thousand dollars. Detail may not add to total because of rounding. For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text. F

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. Concrete Work, Special Trade Contractors, Industry 1771 $10.78 New - Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)32770600 Subject: Concrete construction — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …General Statistics for Establishments With Payroll by State: 1992 and 1987 Table 1. [ Thousand dollars. Detail may not add to total because of rounding. For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text. F

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. Concrete Work, Special Trade Contractors, Industry 1771 $10.78 Used - Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)32770600 Subject: Concrete construction — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …General Statistics for Establishments With Payroll by State: 1992 and 1987 Table 1. [ Thousand dollars. Detail may not add to total because of rounding. For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors-- Nonresidential Buildings $16.97 New - Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and inst

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $10.78 New – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and inst

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $16.97 Used – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and ins

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $10.78 New – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and inst

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $10.78 New – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and inst

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $10.78 Used – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and ins

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $16.97 New – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and inst

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $16.97 Used – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and ins

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $10.78 Used – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and ins

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $16.97 Used – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and ins

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $16.97 Used – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and ins

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $10.78 Used – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and ins

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $10.78 Used – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and ins

1992 Census of Construction Industries. Industry Series. General Contractors– Nonresidential Buildings $10.78 New – Original publisher: Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census: For sale by Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., [1995] OCLC Number: (OCoLC)33925439 Subject: Buildings — United States — Statistics. Excerpt: …Figure 1. Value of Construction Work by Type of Construction 1992 1987 ( Percent ) 21.2 Other commercial buildings such as stores, restaurants, and automobile service stations 22.8 20.5 Office buildings 29.4 15.2 Hospitals and inst