Which contractor to hire?

14 years ago

Assuming that all estimates are in the same ballpark, which contractor would you hire to remodel your basement:

1) Friend of co-worker who has done work on the co-worker's house, has licenses and insurances but subs some work out. Co-worker (whom I've known 8 years) swears by him.

2) Contractor who did our roof, siding, windows and some minor internal work 4 years ago. Subs out much of the work.

3) Local contractor that does a lot of work in the neighborhood but that we haven't used before.

4) Contractor that does all types of improvements, employs all specialists (no subs), has done masonry work for us (unrelated to this project), has provided 3 references to call.

The job consists of: 1) tear down existing paneling and ceiling; 2) determine possible seepage points and address minor water problem when we get a lot of rain (sump pump and/or drains and/or waterproofing paint); 3) attempt to locate mouse entry point(s) and repair; 4) install 3-4 new windows; 5) Insulate walls, install and tape sheetrock; 6) install sheetrock ceiling and high-hat lights (wiring is already there but may need upgrading). Install some "doors" in ceiling for adjusting damper in duct or setting mouse traps if necessary; 7) prime walls for painting; 8) install electric baseboard.

Which would you hire?

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Comments (10)

homebound
14 years ago
I would choose door #4.

Especially make sure you have qualified folks to deal with the water seepage (and maybe even the pest entry). You could do that yourself to a certain extent by inspecting all around the perimeter of the house, especially above the foundation wall, then sealing all gaps.
Kelly
14 years ago
Get 3 references for all of them and then decide. One thing that came out when I checked references was that they loved John's work, but none of them lived in their homes during the remodel so mess and time wasn't an issue. I'm living in my home so that is an issue for me. Another thing that came out was that some references loved all of Jane's subs except for one. At least I knew that if I went with Jane I should consider excluding that portion of the job.
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I’ve acted as GC on my last few renovation projects, one which involved three bathroom gut remodels and a brand new kitchen with all new appliances and cabinets, new hardwood floors, doors, and moving walls. Subs I had: (1) paint/general construction/drywall, (2) plumber, (3) tile, (4) floor guy. I did the bulk of this in about a month and a half, with just little aesthetic touch ups later. I saved both money and time. Time, because I found that GCs will schedule one thing after another, not wanting people to work around each other, but because I was on a really tight timeframe that my son and I wouldn’t have a place to live, I scheduled a lot of folks to work at the same time around each other. They grumbled a bit more, but I was there every day to smooth things over, help, and just be a charming friendly person who brought cookies and snacks :). That said, to echo a lot of what folks said, it’s important to (1) be there on site every day to catch things early that are not aesthetically what you’d like, before it becomes more difficult to fix later, (2) have great people skills to motivate folks and work through issues, (3) have great organizational and project management skills (4) make decisions quickly and easily (being willing to do your own research) (5) be efficient about ordering supplies and materials on your own, which really saves time and money. And maybe most importantly (6) have the energy to deal with this all — it takes a lot of energy. I was exhausted. The reason I undertook it is that some GCs I talked to gave me a 4 month estimate on the work, and I just didn’t have that kind of time. All the sub folks were referred by my broker, so they were really responsive and professional and above par. I’ve continued to use them on other renovation projects, and they’ve always been really responsive and great. I may be lucky, because I’ve heard of nightmare stories as well, but it’s just to say that if you get good referrals, I‘ve found it’s not always the case that you can’t get subs to show up or have leverage compared to a GC. In fact, on a current project I have, all my same subs agreed to take on the work for me, right away, when my GC couldn’t get his subs for weeks out. I respectfully don’t agree with the comment that if you can’t tell about running an electrical line you can’t be a GC. If you trust your subs to be good at what they do, they’ll guide you through everything and help you make the best decisions. That’s what they’re there for. I‘ve done several remodels now, and haven’t had any issues later on (I lived in that particular house for 5 years). Anyway, I know it’s been 6 years since this post, but since I always get value from older comments and advice, I thought I’d still share my own experiences for others with this same question.
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bill_vincent
14 years ago
Either 4 or 2. I say 2 because you have a history with him, and so long as you liked his work and trust him, it doesn't matter if he uses subs or not-- he'll stand behind the work if there's a problem.
remodelzombie
14 years ago
Good luck. All I can say it's like choosing straws and if you're lucky.....

I'm in the middle of a major renovation. I checked general contractors out, had references, knew people who used them, etc.. etc. I've just hired my third general contractor...and the second was a friend. That wasn't really a good idea, but I knew that beforehand.

One thing I've found. They want to use their own subs. After that, it's the "good 'ol boys club". I got some outside subs to give me bids on nearly everything...and I walk through the job with them, sometimes with and sometimes without my contractor. Contractor may not like that, but too bad. Along with new ideas and advice that the other subs didn't give, you find out if the bid is in the ballpark. It's amazing how much you learn from that!
jef1
14 years ago
My first suggestion would be the same as homebound's: #4. Having said that, I'd still get two or three references from that person and check them out. OR as was already mentioned above, if you still can't decide, then get references from all and check them all out. Maybe more time consuming. But either way, checking out references is the way to go.

Unfortunately, even doing that is no assurance YOUR job will be up to your standards or at least as good as those references you checked. Been there/had that done. :(

Oh, and don't be fooled by anyone who tells you "I've been in the business XX number of years". Mean's Zero! Big deal. So they've been in the business for XX years could also mean they've been doing it wrong for XX years, too.
booger3914
14 years ago
I would go with #4 also. I'm finishing up a garage project where the contract is a father & son team. I have never had a project go so smoothly because they do all of the work. Excavating, concrete work, electrical, framing, roofing, siding, etc. The only thing they don't do is paving and that has been the only snag so far is getting the paving contractor to come out and do the job.
lovingstuff
14 years ago
I like the looks of #4 too. After two really bad contractors, we found an awesome framer and are finishing the project on our own. Lucky for us that we demanded that the second contractor use some of our subs (who are insured, bonded and licensed) and that we pay them directly. This saved us when the second contractor spent all the money we paid him, with not a lot to show for it. Watching our subs (true professionals) at work, made us realize how many ways a project can be messed up, if you use people who don't know what they are doing. The other thing that we noticed is that while our subs rarely asked for money upfront, our contractor made us pay on a weekly schedule (our mistake) and would cash the check before the ink dried! Good luck with your project.
hackwriter
Original Author
14 years ago
Just wanted to post a follow-up....

We chose #3, for the following reasons:

1) Showed up to do the estimate armed with 8 pages of local references, WITH addresses, names, and phone numbers. 3 local references checked out fine.

2) Estimate was in the ballpark of the others

3) He was the only one who said that he wouldn't have to ruin the carpet to do the job.

4) He was the only one willing to do a sump pump.

5) His estimate included R-13 not just R-9 insulation.

The result: Very, very happy. Yes, there has been a bit of nickel-and diming on the contracting company's part, but nothing terrible and the one small item on which we quibbled, there was a good reason why it became an extra charge. They did all the demo and cleaned up, they covered the carpet with plastic, they used the existing framing from the paneling, the sheetrock, taping and spackling and sanding is spectacular. They did 8 high hats, they installed 2 4' baseboard oil-filled electric heaters, they redirected the ONE heat vent into the room, they put in a new laundry room door, 2 new storm doors, new slider windows, and the pump.

2 other things that set this company apart: 1) GREAT communication. They give you a user ID and password to a job tracking web site where you can print your permits, receipts for materials, and get time projections for the job. 2) LOCKBOX. They put a realtor-type lockbox on the door so only those with the combination can get in.

We're very happy with this company and plan to bring them out again to do the rest of the remodeling we need as money suffices.
lovingstuff
14 years ago
Wow! I am really liking the lock box idea and the website! Your contractor sounds very organized. Congrats.
zoomer316
14 years ago
I'm about to enter a similar adventure. I like that high tech contractor...he wouldn't be in the Northern VA area by chance?

Which contractor to hire?

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homebound

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