Home Improvement Contractors Virginia Beachare professional people engaged in all facets of home remodeling projects. This includes general contracting services for all sorts of projects involving building construction, plumbing, HVAC, painting, roofing, and all others. But the term ‘home improvement contractor’ encompasses much more than just general contracting services. It’s important to know what kind of services you should be looking for when hiring a home improvement contractor.
b. The services they provide must be complete and up to your standards. In other words, home improvement contractors need to know what they’re doing and how to get it done right. If they turn up with a substandard job, you can’t expect them to provide quality work that will come out on time and within the budget, you’ve established for the project. Any person, other than an actual employee of the homeowner or owner, who performs or undertakes any home improvement work, whether or not that person is properly licensed or otherwise subject to the corresponding licensing requirements of the state and if such person agrees to perform or agree to undertake work within the jurisdiction of the state, whether such work is performed under a warranty of either cash or workmanship and material; and who pays for such work as agreed upon in writing between the home improvement contractors and the homeowner.
c. Be careful who you let into the home improvement business. Be careful whom you choose to help you with your home improvement contractors. Most especially, when you’ve got a lot of work to do in a short period of time. Make sure the first home improvement contractors you hire to meet all your qualifications, and have a proven track record for getting the work done. You can’t trust random guys who show up the next day and give a price that seems too good to be true, can you?
d. Always work with the best that you can find. Try to work with professional, experienced contractors who have a good reputation for getting the job done right and on time. You might want to check with the state’s consumer affairs department to see if there are any complaints filed against any of your prospective home improvement contractors, and if there are, what those were. Keep in mind that any service work you get should be done according to the terms agreed upon in the contract between you and your contractor.
e. Follow up on your complaints filed with the state’s consumer affairs department. If at anytime you’re having a problem, be sure to call the hotline number posted on the company website. Call in advance and ask them about their services and if they have proof of certifications from the state’s department of inspections. Ask them for copies of complaints filed against any of their home improvement contractors. You might want to also collect the repair estimate from each of your prospective contractors to ensure that the estimate is accurate.
f. Follow up on the complaints filed by your remodeling crew members. This is important especially if you’ve hired a construction crew to remodel your home, as you’ll want to know what exactly is going on at any given moment. It may be helpful if you separate the remodeling crew members who have positive feedback from the ones with negative feedback from the state’s consumer affairs department. You can assign someone to follow up on these complaints filed by your own crew members.
g. Be flexible. Home improvement contractors may not be able to give you the exact price details you need to have your home renovated or modified, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask for them. Remember that the state does not monitor or regulate home improvement contractors; it’s just that the consumers’ hotline numbers and consumer complaint sites may be helpful sources for you to turn to when you run into problems or you simply want to know more about the process.
h. Ask for recommendations from your homeowner’s association, your state Bar Association, your home improvement contractor’s association, and even your local chamber of commerce. When it comes to looking for reliable service providers, the people in these groups are your best bet for recommendations. In some states, there are several consumer affairs offices that can help you find the best contractor for the job. You should definitely consult them regarding any home improvement project you’re planning to get done. This way, you can be assured that your contractor is committed to providing excellent service and that the project will be done professionally and according to schedule.
