You have made up your mind that you want to fix a new garage door and because you don’t want to do it on your own, you are wondering how to identify a good contractor to do the assignment for you. While this is not a very difficult thing to do, you want to make sure that you get a contractor who knows the job well and who will not leave you disappointed. The following simple tips will help you identify a competent garage door contractor:
Referrals: The first thing to do is to ask for referrals from your neighbors, colleagues and friends who may have done such an assignment before. You can always be sure that apart from advertising, repeat customers and word of mouth referrals can be one of the best ways to identify a good contractor. Once you have received referrals, make it a point to call those who will have interested you well in advance because a good contractor will most likely be busy. While they may be busy, make a point of those who will return your call in less than two days and eliminate those who don’t because you don’t want to deal with a contractor who is not accessible.
Interview: Sit down with the prospective contractors and do an interview with all of them. You need to find out how long they have done this business and the kind of projects they specialize in apart from knowing whether they can be available for you. You need to be keen on the type of questions they will ask you and whether they really want to assist you to realize your vision. You may want to look at before and after photos of any similar project they could have done for someone else apart from making sure they have insurance for worker’s compensation and damage liability. Don’t forget to get a list of a few of their most recent clients you could talk to.
Reference check: Once you have spoken to the contractor, spend a little time talking to some of the references you were given to find out if the contractor kept to their schedule and budget. Ask the homeowners if they loved the finished job and whether they would hire the same contractor again. You may want to go a step further to check the local Better Business Bureau or its equivalent for any complaints file against the contractor together with if and how they were ever resolved.
Ask for bids: Pick three of or four of the contractors who have interested you and ask them for estimates or bids on your project. Make sure the bids include estimates in regards material and labor costs, other related fees and an estimated schedule of works. A good bid will also include other aspects such as penalties for delayed completion or how they will handle changes in the order. However, you must be very careful of a contractor whose bid amount will go much lower than the others since there could be something hidden you may need to know. Finally, remember to do your part honestly because the contractor aloes deserves respect from you so as to have a mutual relationship.
