Week 132 - Where did you find your contractor(s)

7 years ago

Did you use Craigslist, Angie's List, referrals, Yelp? How did it work out for you? What kind did you get? General vs. subcontractor? Did the quality change with type of contractor?

I had two distinct experience with general contractors vs subcontractors. Some of my subcontractors were from Yelp with high reviews. Some were from personal referrals from neighbors and friends.

My general contractors were all from personal referrals with glowing recommendations. I checked Yelp reviews for all and they were glowing too.

The general contractors all sucked except one. They were all high priced and incompetent. My neighbors were just too clueless to know that. The one that did not sucked came from a referral from a vendor.

I had called a specialized glass company to price Sapphire glass for the shower and asked him who bought a lot as a contractor and was competent. The contractor he gave was a sub and he refer me to his short personal list. The GC that came from that list was fair priced, knowledgeable and able to answer my questions in details without bogus info.

I went through THREE GCs who worked on the kitchen. Two fired and one quit after getting flustered by the inspector. He couldn't handle one question on structural integrity of my tension slab with the 2" wide trench cut by the plumbing company.

This GC worked as a structural engineer for 11 years at a large city before turning GC for 5 years. He came with glowing recommendations including custom building a house. Obviously, the quality of city employees are in question.

I handled that issue myself since the next GC couldn't manage it either. It took 2 minutes by an independent structural engineer and one email. He was flabbergasted that my GC couldn't handle it with his experience. Southern Cal is the land of tension slabs and they deal with it every day.

It turns out in retrospect that people gave GCs great recommendations for never bothering them, assuring them things are fine and they just write the check. The recommendations from subs are because they get a lot of business from them and they know them.

At the end of the day, I still don't know how to find a great GC consistently except by luck or lowering my standards and expectations.

The story is quite different when it comes to subs. I did the same thing as for GCs. I got personal referrals and checked reviews if they exist. All except one didn't have Yelp or any reviews. I went by the answers to my technical questions to make a decision on hiring.

The work was excellent. They showed up on time. They answered my questions with no problems. The ones that did not answer well, I just passed on. I didn't have problems with a single one.

Here's an example of one sub. My neighbor recommended her repiping person. She was a real estate agent and refers him to all her clients as well as using him on her house. He was a one man guy and quoted $25,000 with three weeks of work. He also couldn't answer my technical questions about pros and cons of Pex vs copper.

I went with another company also referred by a different neighbor. Every question was answered in detailed with case studies provided and photos. They charged $15,000, gave a lifetime warranty and dealt with every issues with the inspector when my GCs choked. The only reason that issues came up was because my city changed policies two weeks before the job. The work was done in three days with crews of 5-8 people each day.

So how was your saga with your own contractors?

Featured Answer

friedajune

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

For whatever reason, whenever I've used contractors recommended by friends and neighbors, they've been pretty bad. I stopped asking friends and neighbors. I now use Angie's List and Yelp - both contain some fake reviews (Yelp more), but you can kind of get a feel for those after reading a bunch of reviews.

Then I cull to 2 or 3 contractors to get an estimate. Most of all when I meet them face to face, I get a good sense of whether things will work out well. I am usually prepared with questions about things I learned on the Houzz/Gardenweb forums, and see how the contractors respond.

Any "little lady" stuff or "will your husband be home soon" stuff is an immediate rejection. I am amazed that still goes on, but it does. And more surprising, it's usually the younger guys who do that. Scratching my head over that, but no matter, as they'll never be hired by me.

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Comments (14)

AnnKH
7 years ago
Great topic!

We live in a small city (~50K), so really terrible contractors tend to not stay in business too long. 20 years in business here is a good start.

Most work we've had done has been through recommendations - but you are so right, beachem, not all recommendations are created equal!

We have a friend from our church who is a general contractor, but does a lot of his own work, from small projects to building houses. He doesn't bother to advertise - he gets all the work he needs through word of mouth and repeat business. He is conscientious, talented, and doesn't charge an arm and a leg.

When we needed new shingles, I asked a couple of friends whose opinions I trust in such matters. The guy that came most highly recommended not only did a terrific job, but his bill was less than the bid, because he found a better deal on my shingles.

For my kitchen remodel, I acted as my own GC; the cabinets were built and installed by a local cabinetmaker (with an impeccable reputation, and 20+ years experience). I used the electrician that he recommended and works with a lot. It was a delightful experience all around.

I also know an engineer that works for the city, so when I go in to get a building permit, I ask her opinion of the contractors I'm using.

The only time I got burned was when we had hardwood floors installed. My boss recommended the company that he used - I've seen his floors, and they are beautiful. I expect that if the individual that did my boss's floors had come to my house, mine would be as nice. Instead, I got the owner's 18-yr-old son, who apparently had not learned much from his dad. He probably did a better job than I could have done myself (since I've never done that work), but not by a lot.

Luckily the bad experience was my first major project, and I learned from my mistakes! I ask a lot more questions, and get more referrals.
beachem thanked AnnKH
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aprilneverends
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Angie's list, all glowing recommendations-plus one that came recommended by a pro(his relative)

We met with seven or eight probably

One that came recommended didn't impress at all

Couple wanted several thousands (One wanted seven K I think?) before even starting-for the detailed quote etc. I understood them but I didn't feel special connection or something, to justify going that way.

we liked three builders most of all

the one we really liked was honest in telling us he somewhat hesitates to take on such a big project. He specialized in additions, and we needed gut remodel plus addition. DH really pushed for still trying to convince him. but I thought -if the scope of the project makes him uncomfortable from the very beginning, and he's pointing it out to us-we should listen to the guy, and not get him into something that will bring eventually grief both to him and to us.

the other one was a huge firm..bonus-they had a designer on the roll. A girl! Later on, oh how I wished I had another woman on my side. Alone with men for two years..that was a really trying experience.Unfortunately the day they came to see the place I was in the worst mood ever, and it showed lol. Usually I'm very mild mannered, warm smile and all. (I also blubber much less IRL than when I write). I didn't come across as somebody who'd be fun to work with that day though. So they told us they'd send us a bid but never did. Fair enough.

so we went with the third one. The quote was one of the highest..but our house was a bit different, in terms of style, he was interested in tackling something different, so he re-did the quote from "all-inclusive" to something that left us a lot of choice, and something we could stomach better.

Was it all rosy? No. It was quite an experience, and lots of things happened-some went wrong because of him/team, some-because of us, some-due to unforeseen circumstances. Two years is a long time..plenty of chance for unforeseen circumstances to happen, and hell so they did.

It was a trying time for both us and him. Huge learning curve too.

Am I pleased with everything? No. There are things around the house that bug me. They screwed up the fireplace, and bought a lower grade paint-awfulness. I suspect though this lower grade paint trick is on the painting sub's conscience..the GC was very honest and transparent guy-huge plus in my eyes..that wasn't his MO..he'd at least present us with a choice.

Some subs were great some were ok some were bad. Actually he had to fire one of the teams.

The project manager was great and very knowledgeable, we loved him.

So, what I loved about our GC, despite all the traumas of the remodel-he was very honest guy as I've said already..he was passionate about what he did..he was a very proud man. Pride is a great thing to have sometimes. It won't let you do many bad things. And it will lead you to take care of them if they happen.

So. I know every inch of the house so I see all the small things that went wrong. (an I know big things that went wrong but were taken care of)

Other people-not that much, lol. They just really like the house. They don't notice the small things.

In the end of the day, we love the house dearly. It's not only our GC's accomplishment since all the design decisions were made by us, and materials sourced by us, and we put a lot of work and effort and time and sweat into it. It was hard. I'm still not myself. Deadly tired.

But it's not only our accomplishment either-the man built the place after all:) He did look out for us, took safety things very seriously, and did try to accommodate us to the best of his abilities. He did want us to be happy with the house.

and we are.
beachem thanked aprilneverends
raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
7 years ago
When I was starting to price out cabinets, and to get an idea of what I could afford and what my wish list would cost, I went to the big box stores, a large kitchen remodel firm, a neighbor's recommendation, a small remodel company that advertised in the local paper, and a contractor that I had used before for a small job. None quite met either my budget, or my ideas of what to do, or left me with that "feeling" of being right.

Lastly I went to a local store that billed itself as a "general store" -- they sold food, household supplies, ag supplies and building materials - a little bit of everything, and carried cabinets, flooring and counters. The designer there worked up a quote for cabinets and got a quote from one of their installers for the work. I decided against buying the cabinets from them (because I wanted frameless, which they didn't carry) but once I sourced my cabinets, I contacted the installer they used -- an independent "home services"/handyman concern --for a separate quote. Bingo! He was in my price range, had good references, and would be available in a few months.

He wasn't perfect -- initially he had indicated that he would be doing the work, but actually he sent a 2 man crew of "old school" handyman types who didn't get everything just exactly as I wanted but also didn't make any unforgivable errors - they were competent, just not inspired, and probably what I should have expected for the lower cost. The biggest drawback was they weren't aware of design trends and weren't always --how can I say -- sure about I was doing (like the offset drain, undersink pull-outs, placement of the undercabinet lights, the construction of the cabinets with attached filler meant to be scribed to the wall before install). But, they did what I asked with only 1 exception ( the placement of the receptacles above the counter which I wanted to be placed horizontally but were place the traditional way. That wasn't a deal breaker for me, so I just let it go).

In the end I am quite satisfied with the work, and the only cost overruns came from my own purchasing decisions.
beachem thanked raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio
caligirl5
7 years ago
Great topic! I found my GC on yelp and have mixed feelings

I agree on recommendations, that many people don't know what to look for and don't know if their GC sucked or not.

The big mistake on my GC was he gave me a timeline for my bathroom project (involving me and big dog moving in with friend), then 2 weeks in revised it to double! I think he just hadn't actually written out a schedule until they started?!? I don't actually think the real timeline is that bad, just it wasn't what I planned on, or my friend who was hosting me. With that, I don't know how I could write a good review for him.

That said, his team is good at listening to me (compared to some of the mansplainers I interviewed, who knew what I wanted better than I did), and quality seems really good.

And price-wise, they were pretty reasonable (not the cheapest but not the most expensive). My friend keeps bringing up her GC, who finished on time (but quoted $20K more than the one I hired and refused to do proper lead paint abatement. He was one of the mansplainers). Mine isn't perfect, but I don't wish I hired someone different.
beachem thanked caligirl5
blfenton
7 years ago
We were gutting our house and expanding it a bit and with our total lack of knowledge and DIY skills we needed a General Contractor. The one that we wound up using we found at our spring Home Show. He, the project manager, the designer and the subs were all beyond reproach and highly skilled. Did we pay a bit of a premium for the level of service that we received, probably but he was well worth it.

In the 6 month renovation (we had moved out of the house) we only had one oops that was easily solved. The job was on time and on budget.
beachem thanked blfenton
aprilneverends
7 years ago
" that many people don't know what to look for and don't know if their GC sucked or not."-haha!! I say these are happy people:)
mushcreek
7 years ago
Ours was a word-of-mouth progression. A friend nearby recommended a guy to do some clearing and cut in the driveway. His uncle is a GC, so I met up with him, and went from there. I did most of the work myself, but did use a few subs for concrete, drywall, and insulation. Although not the actual GC, my guy knows everyone in the business, and made recommendations that proved invaluable. He also made great recommendations for the best places to buy various building materials. In short, i got very, very lucky!
eam44
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Why is it that in many cases friend recommendations are horrible?

I'm glad mush had a good experience, but most of us don't have the same story. My first contract was the straight forward installation of a new front and rear door. The gentleman worked for my sister-in-law and her parents on several occasions. He could not have done a worse job.

The second was major - my sister's contractor removed a beam, then said, yeah, that was carrying a load. Then left and never returned. I waited months for him to say he'd show up then not do it. It took me forever to find someone to support the back of the house.
Bunny
7 years ago
I've had two remodels where I've used a GC. Both of them were recommended by my KD/BD as people who'd done a lot of good work for her clients.

The one for my kitchen gave me lots of former clients to call. They were a varied bunch and all gave glowing reviews. He was not the worst (I did survive) but there were enough issues that I would have never hired him again. My KD was upset and mortified that she'd recommended him and vowed to strike him from her list. She actually went to great lengths to have some things fixed by others, instead of him.

A few years later she recommended someone for my bathroom remodel. I interviewed others and the guy she recommended got the job. He was a prince. He's since retired and I'm glad for him, but sad for me.
aprilneverends
7 years ago
Linelle:) That reminded me hearing or reading somewhere a lady saying she used to have an amazing handyman but then he won a lottery...:)
Elizabeth Nothanks
7 years ago
We got our guy off Craigslist. We're five months overdue, 100% over budget, and he's on his third team of laborers because he can't seem to find/keep quality help. So, you know, it's going pretty well.
townlakecakes
7 years ago
Our only experience is with plumbers. The first was a friend recommendation. We actually had them come out twice. First for a water leak where our primary wate pipe had siding nailed into it. They fixed the 3" pipe that had. Racked all the way down into the slab. Then told us our 1 1/2" pipe from the kitchen sink wasn't to code and put in 2" pipe outside the wall, inside the cabinet.

Called them again when we had a gas leak where the PO had copper run under the patio slab then into the house. Settling happened and the joint completely separated. They came out and ran new copper pipe strapped to the foundation.

Fast forward to our kitchen remodel. Called one that was recommended on the Next Door app. They were stunned at the length of copper run outside and said there's no way that will pass inspection. The sink drain pipe that was supposedly not to code would have been fine.

The new plumbers did a reasonable job with running the new gas line in the ceiling. I'm not happy with where they drilled the holes through the ceiling joists, but that seems to be fairly common with plumbers.
HM 2022
2 years ago
I know this is an old post but hopefully youre still reading... seeing that youre in socal... who was the GC that you did like?

Week 132 - Where did you find your contractor(s)

friedajune

Comments (14)

AnnKH

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raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio

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townlakecakes

HM 2022

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