12 Questions to ask before signing a remodeling contract

            Are you considering remodeling your home? Have you stopped to think about some questions you should ask before signing on the dotted line? Any remodel is a big investment that you may live with for a long time and it is important that you have all the information before committing. Below are twelve questions I suggest you ask before starting.

 

1. Are you insured? (These people will be in your home, potentially dealing with electrical and plumbing items. Make sure you are protected!)

2. Are you licensed? (The state of Georgia requires that contractors doing certain work be licensed. Check the Secretary of State’s website to see if your contractor is.

 

3. Do you have any professional affiliations or certifications? (This will give you a hint about how serious they are about their business or if they are just in it for fun.)

4. May I have a list of references from past completed projects? (This is a big one! How their past clients speak of them says volumes!)

5. Ask yourself if you are comfortable with this person being in your home? (If you feel unease in your gut, maybe you need to think twice.)

 

6. Do you communicate well with the contractor? (How well the two of you communicate will directly reflect how well and to your specifications the project will be completed.)

 

7. Do they have a concrete grasp of your project and have they shown they can listen to you and your ideas? (This is your home and you need to make sure you are getting what you want.)

8. Is the price you’ve been given firm or subject to escalation? (Someone who will bait and switch you, may not be who you want to work with.)

9. What is your warranty? (If you have an issue in a couple of months, you want to know that they will back up their work.)

 

10. How long have you been in business? (This speaks to their credibility and their ability to satisfy customers over the years.)

 

11.  Do you have longstanding relationships with your sub-contractors? (If they don’t, the project may not move as quickly as it can.)

12. How many projects like this have you completed in the last year? (You may not want to be the first person they build a deck for or remodel a bathroom for…)

Best of luck on your remodeling project!