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Finding a contractor on Houzz

8 years ago

How do I choose which contractors to consider for my project if 95% of reviewed contractors on Houzz have 5 stars?

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Comments (5)

Emily H
8 years ago
Hi zylstrar,

Thanks for reaching out.

While it's true that most contractor reviews are positive, we do receive negative reviews as well. Professionals on Houzz often invite clients to review them here, so you can imagine that when asking clients for reviews, you are likely to ask those clients you know are very happy with their outcomes first. (If you have worked with pros in the past, I encourage you to review all of them - good or bad - at this link)

The review system on Houzz is just one way to help you select a pro to work with. A full profile with project photos, discussions, ideabooks, and reviews create a pretty robust set of data to look at when you are considering hiring someone. In addition to those things you see online, however, it is always a great idea to do your own due diligence when considering a project of that magnitude.
PRO
Liza Hausman
8 years ago
Whose work do you like? Which photos resonate with you? Typically people use a combination of factors. Reading the reviews and seeing what people actually say can help differentiate when star ratings are similar as not all reviews are created equal. How does the company describe their work approach or philosophy and which feels like a fit? Have you taken a look at how they answer questions on Houzz - are they approachable, knowledgeable? Hopefully this combination will help you create a short list to interview.
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Thanks for the replies everyone- much appreciated. K Sissy- Thanks for the offer, but I'm in south Texas. It'd be a pretty long commute for someone in Ohio :-) Joseph, I'd be happy to give the guy's name as well as show progress pics. Good tip about homeadvisor- I'll definitely check it out. marie1120- I am a member of Angie's List and have used them as a source. In fact the GC I hired has been awarded 17 Super Service Awards from them and is where I initially found his name. He still gets glowing reviews, though I've seen some pop up more recently that sound more like the experience I had. I've also started to wonder about Angie's list. I got an email saying there is a class action suit against them. I didn't read it closely, but something about payments from the businesses that are listed (again, may have the details wrong). My take on using them is the people who get good reviews at least have learned how to communicate and keep on schedule, but may or may not be competent. Might be different in other areas of the country. I've asked at the plumbing supply place I've gotten everything from, but what I was told is they can't vouch for the workmanship of the plumbers/GC's they work with. Maybe they've gotten burned by a referral in the past. Haven't ever used a designer before. Have to think about that. scone911- Wow. I asked for tips on finding a bathroom GC and get relationship advice. Not sure why you'd think someone who does woodworking would be able to do the plumbing, electrical, or tiling for a BR remodel. He has, however, built me gorgeous kitchen cabinetry, beautiful moldings and trim throughout the parts of the house we've completed, and about a dozen pieces of custom furniture. He and I both work. Neither of us have the time to be GC for a bathroom gut remodel. He's building the vanity and storage cabinets- because they're made of wood. Lisa
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Oooo......that's a long story :-)) Back in the early days of Garden Web - before all the recent acquisitions - that forum had an entirely different focus. It was not a "design my garden" or "give me curb appeal" forum. It was a discussion site about landscape design in all its aspects - theory, techniques, business practices, education and career paths, etc. Sure some specific design issues would come up. But they did not make up every single blessed post!! And the regular participants were different. Of course the names have changed over the years but I mean what these people brought to the forum - long before the "Pro" thing and the touting one's business online became acceptable, these members were landscape and design professionals, design and horticulture students, professional gardeners and more than a few very skilled and knowledgeable home gardeners. No house flippers, no kitchen designers, no window suppliers and whole lot fewer amateur gardeners that think they are designers. Long story short, all those folks, except for one or two pop ins, are long gone, the forum has become a free design service site and the advice is often worthless if not bad, coming mainly from people who have no landscape design training or experience. And no apparent innate skill. The landscape Pros do weigh in but the better ones tend to restrict their comments and advice to the more technical aspects of a situation or very general design suggestions. I'm sure that was way more than you wanted to know!! I don't recall the particulars of your request there - I just skim mostly and rarely ever post myself - but sometimes the best advice the forum can give is to seek out a professional. Or it's because they don't know enough to be able to provide you with any meaningful direction :-)) But you will get a whole lot of opinions!!
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Hire the right designer, and they will have contacts. Plan for next year, at double your budget. [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractors-first-meeting-dsvw-vd~5332686?n=90[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/10-tests-for-you-and-your-contractors-first-meeting-dsvw-vd~5332686?n=90)
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Purewal Contractors, Inc
8 years ago
@Liza Hausman and @Emily Hurley how about houzz creates a Houzz Leads Program Homeowners can connect with contractors,designers, anyone who is a professional and when the professional(limit up to 2 pro's) gets the project you houzz can get a percentage of that, for example if a project is $15,000 you guys can have a 4% commission which is 600. The commission is set where it And you only send up the two pro's because they are mostly qualified for the job and can help in the project, but the project has to be verified and the homeowners must know what they want to do and also know work has to be done on a budget.
Ann White
last year
I went with your recommended Infinity Construction in San Francisco. How do I post a "negative" review of this Company?
Emily H
last year
Hi Ann, To submit a review of any rating for a professional on Houzz, just navigate to their profile and click the Review tab on their profile. You will then see a button that says "Write a Review."

Hope that helps!

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