A remodeling project gone wrong is a nightmare situation for any designer or homeowner… and it happens way more often than it should! You know the story: Work goes on longer than expected. Jobs aren’t done properly. Shortcuts are taken. Costs are higher than they should be. We live our lives in our homes, but too frequently, less research goes into hiring a contractor than buying a new car or choosing a hairdresser. Luckily, today on the blog we are discussing the best way to find a renovator or general contractor. Here’s what to expect when hiring a contractor.
All images courtesy of Sweeten and the Sweeten blog
“What are a contractor’s key responsibilities?”
What it boils down to is superior project management and communication skills. Contractors should be getting things done and making your life easy—not a headache. Here’s the checklist of responsibilities any good contractor will be able to fulfill:
- Obtain proper licensing, insurance and additional documents required by city, state and specific to building needs.
- Review site conditions and all relevant documents and drawings in order to fully understand the project and generate a bid or proposal.
- Specify the final scope of work, schedule and eventually a contract.
- Define the payment and deliverables schedule.
- Request and follow advice from the architects, engineers or design team.
- Manage and coordinate general aspects of a project, like site requirements.
- Provide skilled labor, tools, equipment and various services.
- Coordinate subcontractors and other trades required by the scope of work and oversee the quality of their work.
- Maintain schedule and communication with clients to track deliverables and payment.
- Review project completion with client and final payment.
“What should your expectations be when working with a contractor?”
When you first meet with a potential contractor, you should partner together to make decisions about the scope of the work, materials, timeline, and how you two will be communicating. Contractors have lots of skills, but mind-reading is not one of them. How often do you expect them to check in with you? What is the payment schedule going to look like? Be clear, be direct, and be decisive. Don’t be afraid to speak up about what you want. At the same time, it’s important to be open to a contractor’s ideas and suggestions; they’re the professional with a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding construction. And perhaps most importantly, make sure you have everything in writing.
It’s very important to trust your contractor and trust the process. So do your due diligence and ask for references and actually call them to make sure they are happy with the contractor’s work. Ask your contractor to see similar completed work. And make sure some of the previous work and references aren’t too new. It’s easy for new projects to look great. Research how an older project has held up over time.
“How do you know when you need to hire a contractor?”
When considering your scope for a renovation and whether you need a general contractor versus a handyman or DIY, a good place to start is by weighing the level of labor your project will require: are you hanging things on walls or actually breaking into them? Are you re-grouting tiles or replacing them? Smaller projects to make repairs or patch over errors are handyman ready, whereas larger-scale projects that may implicate your electric or plumbing will naturally require a permit or inspection, in which case a contractor with a state Home Improvement License will be obligatory.
For first-time renovators, labor intensity may be hard to navigate. If you live in a building with a co-op or condo board, your alteration agreement may have parameters that will give you guidelines for whom to hire. In other situations, checking out your state’s Department of Building will give you a sense of what types of projects will require a permit. The most important thing to remember is that cutting corners with unlicensed workers may not be worth the risk.
“How much should you be paying? What are the real cost expectations?”
In the NYC Metro area, you can expect a kitchen renovation to start at 20K, a bathroom renovation to start at 15K, and a gut of a total apartment to start at a minimum of $100/per square foot. The details around your particular project and space will increase or reduce cost. Here are a few items that you should prepare to pay extra for:
- If you are looking for an extra layer of design assistance on top of what your contractor can provide in terms of space planning, or would like more hands-on direction with decorating (selecting materials, fixtures and finishes, artwork) by hiring a design professional
- If your project necessitates use of an architect, stamped drawings, and filing and pulling permits
- If your project requires opening up walls and your electrical or plumbing need to be updated to meet current codes
- Changes that affect egress (external entrances or exits, like doors and windows), use (changing a dry space to a wet space, or vice versa), or occupancy (combining apartments, adding or removing number of bedrooms on record), as these need to be on record and approved by the building department, as well as the fire department.
“What are the top three things to look for when hiring a contractor?”
(1) Are they communicative? Make sure that you can trust your contractor to be communicative and responsive throughout the entire renovation process, ensuring that both parties are on the same page—especially in terms of timeline.
(2) Do they fit with your personality and style? First impressions do matter! Not only is it important to make sure your contractor can successfully carry out your vision stylistically, but make sure you hired someone that you like and want to work with.
(3) Does my contractor have recent, reliable references? It is important that you are able to view recent references of similar projects that your contractor has completed. You should be aware of satisfaction levels of their past clients.
“How do you find a contractor to work with?”
When reviewing contractors, start by looking for someone with experience in your neighborhood or with your particular type of project. This can help you narrow down the field from thousands of general contractors to just a handful of experienced professionals. We highly recommend Sweeten, an online platform that matches your clients to a selection of contractors determined by location, budget, scope and style of that type of job.
Once you’ve done that, make sure to look for someone who is able to provide quality references and photos. When we consider GCs who have applied to join the Sweeten network, we ensure that they have completed transformational renovations and happy customers who are willing to rave about the completed work even years later. This indicates that the contractor’s work has held up over the years. Don’t be afraid to ask a contractor to see some of their completed projects in person or to speak to their past clients!
Sweeten is a free renovation matchmaking service that connects New York Metro and Philadelphia homeowners with the best general contractors, providing personal support until project completion. Post your project on the site at sweeten.com or read more real-life renovation stories on the Sweeten blog.
70 thoughts on “How to Find a Reputable Contractor for Your Renovation”
From my own experience, I would like to add that before starting work with a contractor, you need to conclude a contract. Contracts are the most important part of your paper trail to help ensure you get what you want. This will help you not to lose your funds in case of force majeure situations and get the desired result
I appreciated it when you shared that it is best to work with a reliable contractor that has a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding construction. My father just mentioned the other day that he is planning to improve the appearance of our home so it will look more modern and sophisticated. I will suggest to him find a reliable service that is experienced to work on the project.
Renovation is definitely a tough task than building from the ground up, so hiring a professional contractor is important. The tips mentioned here are excellent ways to get started. Just ensure you get the timelines documented and seal, as delays can cost you. Thanks for these amazing tips. Really useful!
You really mentioned some nice tips about How to Find a Reputable Contractor for Your Renovation. Thanks for sharing this…
My mom has been thinking about remodeling her living room to be a little bigger. Getting some help from a professional could be really useful for her. I liked what you said about how she may not know how much labor is needed, and should work within guidelines.
Thank you for giving us a direct and straight to the point answer! It greatly helped in clearing our confusion.
I love the photo of the living room with the balloon styled lights that match the while interior design. My wife and I want to renovate our living room and we are looking for elegant doors to our backyard. We plan on looking for a good company that creates minimal doors.
I like that you mentioned that it is helpful to hire a contractor you want to hire when you are doing a home remodeling project. My wife and I would like to renovate our kitchen and our living room so that there isn’t a wall in the middle of the two rooms anymore. That way we can make our home feel a lot more open and more welcoming. These tips you shared will help us find a contractor that can help us make our vision a reality.
My wife is thinking of renovating our house since she already received her much-awaited money from her retirement. It is said here that a good contractor will include the client in the decision the making about the scope of work, planning, materials and any other things that need to be negotiated. Moreover, it is highly recommended to hire a professional home remodeling contractor for a successful home renovation project.
It hadn’t occurred to me to check a contractor’s references to know how they’ve been doing recently. My wife and I are thinking of remodeling the deck behind our house, and we want to make sure it gets done well. We’ll probably look for someone who has a reputation for doing their job well lately to come in and help us make it look nice.
I really like how you said that a contractor should be able to maintain the schedule they made with you. A good contractor should begin their work on time so you don’t have to worry about when it’ll get done. I’m going to make sure I read reviews online to make sure that I find a good one.
Thanks for the tip to choose a contractor that fits with our personality. My brother needs to hire a contractor to renovate his apartment complex. Your advice should help him evaluate and compare renovation services effectively!
Just a post I was looking for. This is something that could give me information about what I needed to know.
I love the tip that you gave to check the licensing of a contractor before you hire them. We want to remodel our kitchen this November in time for thanksgiving. I will be sure to choose a contractor who is properly licensed.
I liked that you mentioned you need to consider specifying the final scope of work, schedule and eventually a contractor for your remodeling project. My husband and I are thinking about a remodeling project for my mother’s house, and we are looking for advice. I will let him know about your recommendations to find the best contractor for our remodeling project.
Hi Ellie! Would love to help in your mother’s home remodel!!
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It’s a good point to make sure the contractor fits your style. My home needs a lot of renovation because it was built over thirty years ago. I’ll have to find a home renovation contractor.
I found it interesting when you said that you will want to work with one that you will like to work with. Last week I noticed how worn down my kitchen looked and I want to hire a contractor to help with remodeling. I’ll make sure to keep this information in mind as I search for contractors!
My wife wants to get a new railing installed for the stairs leading up to our back door because our old one is getting rusty, and it would be important for us to find someone who is reliable to install it. I appreciate that you said that you should look for a contractor who will provide positive references for you to check. When I look for a contractor to install the rails, I will be sure to look for one who will provide references.
I would like to know what I should look out for if I’m hiring a contractor. I like how you mention a contractor should have references of recent projects that they have completed. Thank you for the information. I’ll make sure to look out for this when looking for a contractor.
Thanks for these tips on how to find a good renovation contractor. I agree that you want to check their licensing and experience first. My husband and I are looking for a renovation contractor, so we’ll have to check their experience first.
I like the tip that you gave to check the license of a contractor before you hire them. My wife and I have been talking about finding a contractor to help us if we decide to remodel our kitchen, and it would be important for us to know that we could find one who we could know will be a good hire. If we decide to remodel, I will be sure to look for a contractor who is properly licensed.
I liked that you mentioned you need to consider the level of labor that your project will require before calling a general contractor. My husband is planning to renovate my mom’s house, and we are looking for advice. I will make sure to consider the amount of work that needs to be done before deciding if we need a general contractor.
I like how you said to hire someone you like and want to work with. It’s very hard to work with someone whose personality clashes yours. Making sure you like your contractor is an important step to getting the home you want.
Thank you for explaining that projects requiring permits or inspections should probably be handled with a contractor. To me, this is true because they will know the ins and outs of that and what will specifically be needed in your home. I’ll have to look more into general contractors.
What a post? It is very informative post. I am searching this information form few day and I found this information on your blog. Your blog is very informative. Thanks for sharing this information with us.
Thanks for these reasons why to hire an interior designer. I agree that they can help you get the right licensing for the job. My husband and I are looking for an interior designer, so we’ll have to check their license first.
Appreciation for really being thoughtful and also for deciding on certain marvelous guides most people really want to be aware of.
Thank you for sharing the advice that you should look for a home remodeling contractor who is great at communicating. I think this is extremely important because I want to make sure that they understand exactly how I want my kitchen remodel to look. Also, in my opinion, it’s important to ask about their previous projects so that I can see their portfolio and the quality of their work.
It has been simply incredibly generous with you to provide openly what exactly many individuals would’ve marketed for an ebook to end up making some cash for their end, primarily given that you could have tried it in the event you wanted.
I like your tip about doing due diligence and asking for references. That makes sense considering you want to get a contractor who offers quality work in the kitchen. I’ll have to consider your tips so that I can get my kitchen remodeled.
Great information. You always bring us up to date information , stated in easy to understand terms and It is not overwhelming. I appreciate that and I look forward to what is next.
As I was reading your article, you write about how it is best to keep communications open with your contractor for your remodel. This is excellent information for me, as my husband and I have been looking into possibly having our bathroom remodeled. Thank you for writing such a great article on finding a reputable remodeling contractor.
I love how I learned so much while reading this. A must share post!
This was really a good article. There are things that I can use for future reference!
Thanks for pointing out that we should discuss how we’ll be communicating when we first meet with potential contractors. My husband and I want to have our home’s kitchen renovated, but we want to be sure we find the right contractor for the job. I wasn’t sure what questions to ask as we decide, so I really appreciate the tip you shared about communication!
It’s great you elaborated on the importance of hiring a renovator that can readily communicate with you since you would be working on building trust with them since they should be responsive throughout the entire renovation process since both parties have to be on the same page especially when it comes to the timeline of getting stuff done! Another thing to consider is that first impressions certainly matter since the contractor should be able to carry out your vision in a way that’s pleasing not just to yourself but to them as well so that you both work together as a team. If I had the chance to remodel an apartment I would definitely look for a contractor that’s easy to get along with as well as sharing a similar taste like me in terms of interior decoration.
You really do need to make sure that the contractor you’ve chosen fits your design style. After all, you will be relying on them to help with rebuilding your home. Since that is the case, you will want to make sure that they can match the style of the rest of your home.
Absolutely! Great point.
It really helped when you said that it’s very important to trust your contractor and trust the process. I am now trying to help my sister in renovating their kitchen. I’ve been gathering ideas about it for I think, almost a month. I would agree that once am that with that, we can already look for someone who can provide the quality work for her.
It’s great that you’ve mentioned that one of the duties of a good contractor is that they should take care of the home improvement scheduling as well as the scheduling of the payment from the client. I believe that while renovation works appear to be independent of one another, some duties need to be done first before others so that repetition of work that is previously done can be avoided or eliminated. Thanks for this information about the importance of home improvement scheduling.
It’s good to know how to find a contractor to help with renovations. We are hoping to remodel our bathroom soon, and I want to make sure it’s done right. I’ll be sure to find someone who is experienced enough to make the project easy, not a headache, like you mentioned.
My husband and I are thinking of remodeling our kitchen and we are looking for a contractor. I had no idea that it is is important to ask your contractor if they have recent references from similar projects. Also, I agree that you should make sure your contractor is upfront and a good communicator about the time line of the project.
It’s nice to know how to find a remodeling company. We are hoping to remodel our kitchen this year, so this is great to know! Like you said, we went over the work we want done, and I don’t dare do it all myself.
I like your tip about researching past projects and seeing how they have stood up over time. This would help you figure out whether or not the company can provide you with quality service. I’ll have to remember your tips so that I can hire a contractor that can give me the highest assurance of quality.
The article makes some great points especially about choosing a contractor with recent, reliable references. After all, when you’re hiring someone to do your home renovation you likely have an idea of what you want it to look like in your mind. A contractor’s references and portfolio will be able to quickly tell you whether or not that contractor has the skill to bring your vision to life.
Thanks for your comment about how you should hire a contractor for when you are considering renovating any part of your house. I like how you said that they can also help make repairs to small-scale things if needed. My husband and I want to have our kitchen renovated, so we are looking into skilled contractors for the job.
I appreciate how you mentioned the need to ask for references when hiring a contractor for your renovation. I would certainly feel a lot more comfortable hiring a contractor after being able to speak with past clients about their experiences. How many references do you suggest contacting for this purpose?
You can ask a contractor for references and they’ll usually provide one or two. They might also have a website with reviews you can check out. It never hurts to do as much research online as you can until you feel comfortable cutting the check.
Yes, this is so true. These are very very effective ways to find a reputable contractor for renovations.
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I do agree that trusting one’s contractor is very important. I’ll try getting a contractor that I can go well with, so that everything can go easier. Thanks for the wonderful tips!
Thats some perfect tips for renovating your bathroom. We should always first set our budget and according to it we should plan further. Keeping the available space in mind should also be an important factor because the space should be utilized fully. Between Thanks for sharing these tips ! This will help a lot of people who is looking for renovating their bathroom.
Hi Laura! We’re so happy this was helpful!
My husband and I are planning on doing some home remodeling and are wondering if we should hire a contractor or not. So thank you for mentioning that if we do anything large-scale that might change up either or plumbing or electric work, we will need to find a contractor to help us. Since we are knocking down an entire wall, my husband and I will be sure to hire a professional to help us with our home remodeling.
Hi Ashley so glad the article was helpful!
My wife and I have been looking into finding a residential building restoration contractor to help us get my parents home back to where it should be. They had some flooding in their basement, and I think it would be a lot easier for us to use a residential building restoration contractor to be able to help us get things taken care of. I think that your tip to be able to define payment schedules is really important, and something I’ll have to remember to sort out when we choose a residential building restoration contractor! Thanks!
Thanks for the tips for finding a good home contractor. We need to remodel and repair our basement, so this is helpful for us. I’ll be sure to ask for advice from anyone we hire, and pay attention to that.
These were all really helpful tips for finding a good contractor. I’m looking at getting part of my home renovated pretty soon. I like how you pointed out the importance of sitting down with the contractor to get an understanding of the timeline of the renovation, and what I can expect.
Thanks for the advice to weight the level of labor your project requires in order to decide if you need a contractor. This would also help you figure out what you want to be done so you can choose a professional that can provide you with the renovation. When you’re looking at the scope, you’d probably want to make a list of things that you plan on changing with your renovation and anything that you don’t want to be touched so you can inform your contractor as soon as you hire them in order to make sure they know what you need.
In the blog you wrote that especially if the renovation requires a lot of labor, you should just leave it to a professional. My bathroom is really old and outdated, and I’ve been thinking about renovating it. I’ll have to find a professional to do it for me, as I could spend that time doing other productive things that I can more easily handle.
Thanks for the tips for finding a renovation contractor! My wife and I are planning a large scale remodel of our home, and we have been trying to find the right contractor to help us. I like that you mentioned to make sure that your contractor gives you quality references from past clients. That way, you can ensure that they do good work and have great service from people who have already worked with them. I will be sure to keep this in mind.
My husband and I have been wanting to remodel our master bathroom. We want to ensure we hire a reputable company to help us with the different aspects of this project. Thanks for sharing the tips on what to look for in a contractor. Like you suggested, we will have to contact recent references from similar projects to make sure they have been happy with the company’s work.
Communication seems really important when you are looking for a renovation contractor. Being able to convey what you want from a remodel and having them respond to that seems like an integral part of your relationship with a contractor. My sister is looking for someone to help remodel her bathroom so she’ll have to find someone who is helpful with renovations.
I want to renovate my bathroom. I agree that you should get a contractor that fits with your personality and style. It would also be smart to get a home renovator you like and get along with. Then you will be more willing to trust them.
I appreciate that you point out that cutting corners with unlicensed workers may not be worth the risk. I can see why this would be so important to know if you are wanting the end result to look really nice and be good quality. My wife and I have been talking about remodeling our kitchen this summer. I’ll have to consult with her and make sure we hire someone that is licensed and experienced.
I like what this article recommends about considering whether the contractor can get along with you. It makes sense that this would be helpful to ensure you don’t have any problems trying to work out problems. This could be helpful both for renovations or building something from the ground up because either situation is bound to experience complications.
I think the article makes a good point that you should check recent, reliable references. I have also heard that you should check references that aren’t recent too. That way you can see how a contractor’s work holds up over a long period of time to give you idea on the quality your should expect from that renovation contractor for years to come.
Definitely! It helps to have an older reference to see how projects last and a newer reference to see if the quality of work is consistent and still up to par. Thanks for your comment.
I like that you mentioned to make sure you are vocal about what you want, but you also listen to a contractor’s ideas. They are experienced and knowledgeable, and sometimes they might have a better way to deal with something. My wife and I are planning a big renovation, and we want to find a contractor that will get it done right, and somebody we can be comfortable with. We will keep these tips in mind.
Communication is a huge thing when choosing a renovator and it is great that was in the article. After all, you usually hire a renovator because you want a certain part of your house redone in a certain way. You want to make sure your renovator is a good communicator in order to make sure they understand what you want.