As we all know, there has been a recent rash of unreputable contractors responsible for bilking customers out of deposits, performing shoddy workmanship, and leaving homes torn apart, and disappearing  with customer monies!  We have all seen these stories in the news, and on the internet. I for one get very upset with these people.  As a licensed contractor for over 30 years, I have seen this happen many times.  Many customers, especially elderly people don’t always know who they can trust and become easy prey.  Also many of these “contractors” will come in with a bid that is well below others.  I once bid a kitchen remodel for a couple, and when I called them back they said they accepted a lower bid.  About a year later they came back to me for a bathroom remodel, and said that they had gotten a terrible job on their kitchen.  They wanted me to bid their bathroom. I did not want to bid it, but they told my secretary and my interior designer that they had “learned their lesson.”  I bid the job, called them back and got the same “lower bid” response, and they got the same “bad job” results.

No one likes being deceived by someone, and I know that my clients feel the same way. That is why they should have some kind of guidelines and as much information as possible when hiring a remodeling contractor, or any other contractor. I would like to try to pass on a little of that information.

During these economic times, everyone with a truck and a hammer seems to be a “contractor.” They may be in need of work, and give a low price on a project that is “out of their league.” Now that remodeling is picking up, more and more inexperienced or just plain dishonest builders appear on the scene.

The following is from an article in Home and Garden magazine, by James Barron, in 1991!
“IF there is a silver lining in the recession and the sluggishness of the real-estate market in the Northeast, it may be that this is the moment to do long-postponed renovations. A buyer's market for houses is also a buyer's market for contractors who do remodeling jobs.  "It's the time to do something," said Linda Case, who heads Remodeling Consulting Services of Silver Spring, Md.”
“How different the remodeling business is from a couple of years ago, when people moving into new quarters were happy to pay the going rate and their only hope was that they could find a contractor who would complete the job and do it well. Now homeowners are no longer swapping stories of jobs abandoned in a shower of plaster dust by a contractor who left for more lucrative work. Instead, the talk is of contractors fighting to give the lowest bid and the earliest completion date.”
“But there are concerns that some homeowners are hiring unlicensed or unreputable contractors whose work will not measure up to building codes or fire laws. Customers should hire only licensed contractors and should not pay too much of their projected remodeling bills in advance, said a spokeswoman for the New York City Consumer Affairs Department, Linda Sachs.”  This was in 1991, but doesn’t it sound like it was written yesterday??

An excellent source for information can be found at www.ContractorFraud.net. You can also order a booklet at that site.  On the website it gives information on licensed contractors, and what documentation you should obtain. 
On the “Remodeling” page of this website, I have listed some steps to follow, including; 
•  Seeing a copy of the contractor’s Builders License, and having the license number on the contract.
•   Receiving certificates of insurance for Workers Comp and Liability.

It is very sad that it has come to this, as it makes potential customers very wary of ALL contractors.  I know many contractors personally, and can assure you that the vast majority of them are legitimate and very concerned with their customers, and value their reputations.

Sincerely
Rodger Houck


SELECTING A REMODELING CONTRACTOR
Home Improvement and Remodeling Contractors - Raleigh

Rodger Houck
Remodeling Contractor
919-341-7791
810-614-1046