How to Find A Professional Remodelor
If you own a home, no matter what its age, sooner or later you may join the millions of people who remodel their homes each year. The reasons for remodeling are as varied as the projects themselves. Remodeling adds comfort, convenience, space, and value to what is for most homeowners their most valuable asset.
If you are considering a remodeling project, this brochure will help you find a professional remodelor among the many people who seek your business. Your home is too important to entrust to anyone but a professional remodelor who can:
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Save you money by doing your job right the first time.
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Ensure that your dreams are accurately translated into reality by offering design services in-house or through an arrangement with a professional architect or designer.
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Understand that your comfort during the project and its successful completion depend on effective communication and follow-through.
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Maintain a safe and neat jobsite to prevent damage to your home or injury to household members and pets.
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Provide the best possible materials within your budget and assist you in making selections through the vendors they work with.
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Ensure that your job meets or exceeds applicable building codes and regulations.
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Guarantee the quality of their work with a warranty.
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Respond promptly to service calls and inquiries.
Seek Referrals From:
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Local trade associations, such as CBIA and local Remodelors Council.
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Friends, family, neighbors, coworkers and others who have had remodeling work done.
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Independent trade contractors, building materials suppliers, architects, engineers, home inspectors, local lenders and insurance professionals.
Once you have Developed a List of Potential Contractors:
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Check with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) (239) 338-2373 and ask if any have had complaints filed. If so, were they resolved satisfactorily?
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Check with your state's licensing agency and the state and local building inspectors to see if they have received complaints about the remodelor and to verify that the remodelor has the appropriate licenses and registrations.
Before You Sign A Contract:
Ask the Remodelor's Customers:
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Would you hire this company again?
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Did the remodelor maintain a neat jobsite, provide regular clean-up and haul away debris including personal trash?
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Did the remodelor keep labor and materials delays to a minimum so that your job could be started and completed on time and within budget?
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Did you find the remodelor easy to work with? Did the remodelor keep you informed as the job progressed?
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Did the remodelor supply you with paperwork in a timely fashion?
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How well did the remodelor deal with the problems that arose?
What to Look for & What to Ask
Does the Remodelor:
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Maintain a permanent mailing address, e-mail address, published personal phone number, fax number, cell phone number?
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Carry insurance that protects you from claims arising from property damage or jobsite injuries? (Ask for a copy of the insurance certificates.)
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Have an established presence in the community?
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Possess a trustworthy reputation among customers, peers, local officials and people involved in all aspects of the industry?
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Actively participate in a trade organization, such as CBIA and the Remodelors Council? Belonging to such an organization helps them to stay current about new products, techniques, business practices, etc.
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Has the remodelor earned any professional designations? For example, CGR (Certified Graduate Remodelor), CAPS (Certified Aging in Place Secialist), GMB (Graduate Master Builder), CBD (Certified Bath Designer), CKD (Certified Kitchen Designer).
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