It is no news to most that there are a lot of people laid off as the result of the bad economy.  This is very unfortunate on a number of levels, but the one that effects most homeowners are the many unemployed people who resort to attempting to do remodeling for people when they have little or no background in the field.

Yes, when the resumes do not produce a job most job hunters will attempt to go into some type of business until they hook the job they REALLY want.  This makes those who choose to becoming a remodeling general contracting, until they find that job they are looking for, a HUGE risk for homeowners who hire them.

This is not to say that some or even most of the people laid off from one industry and choose to become a remodeling contractor do not do a good job.  However, on the most part, homeowners run a 65% chance that those who have no idea what they are doing will come calling to bid on their job and usually offer a real low bid in hopes to getting the job.  These are the general contractors that create Hell on Earth for the Homeowner who hires them.

How To Sort Out the BEST

Again, some of the newbies to the remodeling general contractor field are real good craftsmen and business people.  They bring in new ideas, new attitudes and those coming out of corporate America bring to the industry skills that are well over due like…Time Management skills, which is what a large number of the old salty remodeling contractors lack.  Still, not all is rosy when it comes to the newbies and they Cut the Mustard.

When my clients ask me how to sort through all the contractors to find the best and the most affordable they usually ask an indirect questions like..

Is it best to check all the contractors references?

In most cases it is a good idea to check the GC’s references, but if you have ten bids and each give you ten references this process could take months to do.  What I suggest the homeowners do is during the first visit with the bidding general contractor that they ..get to know the real person while getting know the business person.  The information gained on the personal side of he GC can be used as a sort.

Generally, when a bidding general contractor arrives to review the project for processing a quote they jump right into selling the homeowner on their work or some other form of frivolous chit-chat related to how good they are at what they do.  This is a natural instinct for most people and there is nothing wrong with it if it is done correctly.  But, most contractors us it as ‘filler’ since they usually have been told that ‘dead-air’ is not good during a sales pitch.  I beg to differ..but that is for another blog.

What the homeowner is out to determine is who is the best to doing the work they need done.  To determine this I advise that they do not just look at the GC’s business side, look at their personal side as well.  It is in the personal side of the GC the homeowner may find that could effect how the GC will deal with problems that are inherent to every remodeling project.  This is where the homeowner can also find out (or get a hint of) if the GC is just a DMW (Dead Man Walking-referring to them just doing the GC until they find something else to do), or if they have a true passion for what they do.

Look Behind the Scenes

I suggest the homeowner make a purposeful change of subject or redirect of the conversation with the GC during the initial visit to finding out more about the person before the business.  This does not mean to be pushy or to go as far as wanting to know the GC’s family tree, but asking questions which reveal a little of the GC’s personal life helps relax the conversation.

Something to find out about..

Here are a few questions I suggest my clients ask..Is the GC married?  Does he have kids?  Does he play Golf?  This could tell you from their reaction or their remark if there is a problem.  Most of the time a personal question will result in a personal reaction and answer. A happy person will give you a happy reaction and open up to offer a little of their personal background.  Sometimes, there is information offered that is noteworthy or the homeowner may want to use later on.

If the personal questions results in a negative reaction or a remark that they don’t talk about their personal life..this could indicate something is wrong..I stress..IT COULD INDICATE but not confirm that there is something wrong.  If this happens, just make a note, but keep taking opportunities to find out more about the person while finding out what they do.

Generally, the best remodeling general contractors are those who give off a consistent positive attitude and happy demeanor to life as a whole.  These GC’s generally take pride in what they do and produce the best work. 

There is a lot more to the sorting through GC to find the best, but finding out who the contractor is first will help with the first culling of potential bids.

Hope this helps get you started on the road to a successful remodel.