Should I trust this contractor?

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

Im trying to find someone to install patio pavers, and it's been an ongoing saga.

The guys with the best reputation that are the most highly recommended are booked solid till early fall.

For most others I am outside the area that they service.

I found one guy local who will do it. I met him, and while he seems nice and sounds like he knows what he's talking about, I have the following reservations..

1) His website is through Homeadvisors.com. 28 reviews there over 3 years all of which are 5 star. A half dozen of the reviews were posted the same day (presumably the day he opened his account).

2) His Facebook is largely inactive, has no reviews. He has some pictures up, but it's not clear to me if they are photos of his hardscaping jobs or his landscaping jobs. The one photo of a walkway he has up, looks a little off to me, though I guess maybe the camera is crooked and it's not really leaning to the right:

14183770_248953708832022_1862009244909651636_n.jpg

3) he's only able to give me one reference...a guy "he's done work for for years" who is "expecting my call"

Now, in fairness...

1) I did call the local paver supply place where he does business, and they said he buys from them a lot, and they have had no complaints.

2) Terms are half up front, half upon completion, so if Im not happy I have insurance.

3) how bad can someone (who isn't me) screw up a paver install??

Featured Answer

PRO

Schafer Construction, Inc.

6 years ago

3) how bad can someone (who isn't me) screw up a paver install?? You'd be surprised. That photo is a little off. I would suggest looking up the contractor to make sure he is licensed in your state. I would be cautious of anyone I found through homeadvisor that website is something we stay far away from and our Marketing Manager did extensive research on it as a "lead generation" website, might also be in the news for some scams. Regardless, sounds like you are working through trusting your gut on this one. Have you spoke with him on the phone or met him in person? Does he have a google presence? It's a little unusual that he doesn't have a website. And the paver supply store wouldn't have issues, you wanna vet his past clients, see what he was like to work with.

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Comments (6)

millworkman
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
"3) how bad can someone (who isn't me) screw up a paver install??"

Hire him and you will soon find out. Were it me I would wait. Too many red flags............
PRO
Cinar Interiors, Inc.
6 years ago
I have very few online reviews and don't depend upon them for work. He's bound to have more than 1 reference. Tell him you need more. Ask if any of the jobs were completed in your area and that you would like to see them first hand if the other customer will allow it.
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southeasthouse
6 years ago
I assume this is a regional issue. I live in a medium sized city, and I find that the majority of contractors in pretty much every field do not have or maintain any kind of online presence. They do typically have EITHER a website or a facebook page, but they were clearly set up for them by some random IT person 5 years ago, when someone told them they needed to have this kind of thing. And they have barely touched it since then. Even the very few contractors who do maintain a somewhat active online presence rarely update with their recent work. This is so bizarre to me, as this is exactly what I am looking for when I am searching for contractors.

That being said, the reason most of these contractors don't bother with an online presence is that they stay busy through word of mouth recommendations. NextDoor has been the BEST for getting recommendations from people in my area. But it really depends on how active your NextDoor community is.

I don't really know how Homeadvisor works, or if the reviews there are trustworthy. I will say, in defense of the multiple reviews in one day, that when my petsitter put her business on yelp, she emailed her client roster and asked that we all leave a review to help bolster her online profile. So most of her reviews were posted right around the time of that email. Obviously, she had no control over what people posted. If a client hated her work, they could have left a negative review. She was just asking that we leave a review, rightfully guessing that they would all be positive (she is an awesome petsitter!).
FeatherBee
6 years ago
Is this guy cheaper than the guy who is booked until the fall? If so, may be worth a try. I wouldn't be too scared if the local paver place says he picks up a lot of product.

I've hired the cheapest guy off CL before and everything turned out fine.

If you can't stop worrying then wait until the Fall. I know... the waiting game sucks.
bossyvossy
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
But if he's bought so much product, how come he's only offering one reference???

get more references

see 1-2 jobs

Or put yourself on the wait list for sought after contractors

the more $$ involved the more important to have various references and VISIT jobs. I was considering a contractor Who had good references. However, when I saw one of his jobs (btw, owner was very happy with final product) I was horrified. Not to my standards at all. And if contractor says he doesn't want to invade clients' privacy run as fast as you can away from that guy. That excuse is pure baloney.

Should I trust this contractor?

Schafer Construction, Inc.

Comments (6)

millworkman

Cinar Interiors, Inc.

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FeatherBee

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