Tips for Hiring a Contractor

A contractor is a popular choice for homeowners who are looking for rendering or renovating their home. When it comes to house rendering, you can take solace in knowing that the rendering will be carried out by a professional. The following are some tips for homeowners who are hiring a contractor and need help to see through the external house rendering project so that it can be completed on time and improve the appearance of your home.

Take Recommendations

You’d want to get a few recommendations before you hire a contractor for rendering the front of the house. There’s always someone amongst your friends or family who can give you a few recommendations on the rendering services they’ve tried.

If the neighbours had their home rendered recently, ask them about the details to get an idea about what you can expect. Rendering isn’t as straightforward as it sounds and requires the use of tools, materials and skill.

Asking somebody who has previously had their home rendered is a great way to find out what could be needed for the rendering of your house. Asking around for suggestions will also get you information on the costs of rendering processes of various rendering providers, so you can make a more informed decision, rather than just going with the first name that comes in front of you.

Interview the Contractor(s) on the Phone

Once you’ve got yourself a list of potential candidates, it’s time to make a quick call to each of them to find out more about themselves and their experience in home renovation and rendering projects. To get a better idea of who you’ll be hiring ask them the following questions:

• How many projects involving renovations and rendering have you worked on?
• Can you provide me with a list of previous clients?
• Do you offer financing?
• How long have you worked with your subcontractors?

The answers that each prospect provides will reveal the reliability of their company, and the level of detail they will able to present during the project so that the rendering is completed within time and does not exceed the budget.

Prospective contractors should have no qualms sharing a list of their previous clients so that you can call them to ask about their satisfaction with the level of quality that the contractor provided.

Make Your Own Inquiry

Interviewing each prospect on the phone should give you a good idea of who your top picks are for the job. If the contractors agreed to give you a list of their previous clients, do your own research and contact those former clients, and ask them of what they thought of the rendering once it was completed.

Better still, contact past clients of that contractor will give you the chance to visit past job sites of the potential contractor you’re thinking of hiring. Visiting previous job sites will give you a good idea of who well the contractor is able to carry out their job.

Meet Face to Face

Once you have spoken to all the prospects over the phone you might have a good idea of the person you are going to choose. Before you make a decision though, you will need to meet with the contractor face to face.

Pick three of four of the top contenders based on your interviews over the phone. Fix a time and meet with them to further discuss the rendering work you have in mind. During this face to face meeting, the contractor should be able to answer any of your questions regarding the project and the estimated cost of the rendering.

Meeting with the contractor will give them a chance to see the condition of the exterior of your home so that they can provide you with estimates and the amount of time it will take to complete the project.

During this process, it is important not to be fooled by their personality. Before you choose a contractor, make sure you two communicate well because this person is not only going to be in charge of helping you get a new look for your home but will also be spending hours on end in your home during the external house rendering.

Get Bids

Now that you finally have a shortlist of the contractors who seem to have clean records and a good work ethic, it’s time to focus on the project. Contractors for renovation or rendering will need to know how much a homeowner plans to spend on the house rendering.

To get a better idea of the cost of the render and to get the best deal, first, you will need to break down each process, including, materials, labour costs and any miscellaneous costs etc.

Ask the short-listed contractors to provide you with a bid for the rendering project and then go with the one that’s the most reasonable.

Scheduling Payment

You will need to agree on the total cost of the rendering project and then workout a payment schedule.

Contractors who want half the bid upfront before work begins might be because they are in a financial situation, or maybe they are worried that you won’t pay them once the work is complete.

Draw Up the Contract

Once you and the contractor have reached an agreement on the projects’ goal and the external house rendering cost, it’s time to put it all down in writing.

Draw up a contract and include all of the details of the project, including the total cost, a start and completion date and any other specifics. Many homeowners think that writing down a clear contract signifies distrust, but the agreement will ensure the timely completion of the house rendering.

Ending Note

When choosing a contractor for a house rendering, it’s essential to thoroughly research the prospective contractor to make sure who you’re dealing with before signing on the dotted line. Book your Free Quote Here!