Tips & tricks to get the remodel of your dreams.
Ready to remodel your home to be exactly as you imagined it? Tired of the outdated look, and need a fresh start? Remodeling your home can be rewarding, but stressful as well. You never really know what the remodeling process will entail, until you’re in it. So, it’s important to choose someone you can trust to take care of your frustrations and stress.
At Cyclone Contracting, we have put together some tips to help you choose the perfect remodeling contractor.
Prioritize Your Remodel Wishes
Having a goal in mind is the best way to start a new project. Before you begin contacting a contractor, determine exactly which areas of your home are most important to refresh. This may be something as small as remodeling a bathroom, or as large as doing a complete remodel of your lower level. Are you wanting to start from scratch, or give your space more of an update? Contractors may be limited to certain specialties. Once you’ve decided on your remodel project goals, it will help you in narrowing down a contractor down the road.
Create Your List
We believe in building strong relationships, and that’s why we recommend speaking to family and friends for recommendations on contractors. Chances are that if they had a good experience, you will too. In addition to reading reviews online, let the people you trust give you a few options of contractors to use.
When it comes to looking at online reviews, Google is your best friend. Start by searching local contracting companies. Then, you can begin creating your list of potential contractors.
Do Your Research
Once you have a small list of contractors, start doing some in-depth research into their organizations. Search Google, Yelp, Home Advisor, Facebook and more for customer testimonials. It’s vital that you do as much research as you can, reading both good and bad reviews. As you do this, keep notes for each contractor, such as; average rating, average reviews, pricing, location and overall presence.
Conduct a Phone Interview
Narrow down your list to the top three candidates. Then, begin calling them with questions and important information to make your final decision. Conducting phone interviews is a great way to see how well a contractor can communicate. During the project, you will need to keep constant communication with your contractor and it may not always be face-to-face. A phone interview is an opportunity to evaluate how well they can communicate when you cannot be right in front of them.
Not sure what questions to ask? Here are a few that may be helpful:
- Do you carry worker’s compensation and liability insurance?
- Will you take care of any specific permits?
- How do you conduct payments?
- What happens if my project runs over budget?
- On average, how long will a job like this take?
- What does an average work day look like?
Meet In-Person
From your phone interviews, decide who is worth meeting face-to-face. Finding someone you can connect with is important in the remodeling process. Your contractor should be able to answer any and all additional questions you may have for them with confidence. Remember, this person and/or their team will be in your home hours at a time. Decide if this person is someone you can trust.
Choose Your Contractor
Now comes the moment where you must pick a contractor. If you have taken all of the previous steps, this decision should come relatively easy to you. However, don’t worry if it doesn’t! Many people need to take some time and extra thought in choosing a contractor—it’s a big deal! If none of your top choices seem like they’ll be a good fit for you and your project, then there’s no harm in going back to do a bit more research.
Once you’ve decided on a remodel contractor, let them know! Give them a call and you can begin working together to create a project plan based on your needs and budget.
Interested in a Remodeling Contractor? Check out Cyclone Contracting! We’ve helped many households create the rooms of their dreams. From bathrooms to kitchens, basements to living rooms— we’ve done it all! Check out our customer reviews and contact us today or call us at (515)-292-4629 for more information on how we can help you with your next remodeling project.