Personal Financial Tips

Article by Handy American

There are several good reasons for wanting to hire a general contractor. If you’re looking at a large remodeling project and you don’t know much about remodeling or specific trades then you can hire a general contractor to deal with all of the individual sub-contractors. Furthermore if you have trouble dealing with people or contractors that aren’t living up to their end of the agreement then a general contractor may be for you. Read the tips below to make sure you hire a good general contractor the first time around.

If you’re hiring a general contractor for a large project it’s probably in your best interest to work diligently at finding out as much as possible about the general contractor you plan on hiring. Always take into consideration the size and magnitude of the project prior to really looking into a general contractor’s history. Generally speaking the bigger the project the more time you should spend on screening general contractors and finding the right match for you.

Since you’ll be working really closely with your general contractor it’s a good idea to hire one that you’ll have a good chance of getting along with. To test out how your personalities will get along it’s a good idea to interview the general contractor when you have him bid on your project. Below are some questions you may want to consider asking a potential general contractor during an interview.

How many similar jobs has he overseen in the last few years? It’s important to hire a general contractor who has worked on your specific kind of project at least within the last few years.

How long have his sub-contractors worked for him? It’s preferable to hire a general contractor who has a history and relationship with the sub-contractors who will be working on your home.

Does he have any references you can speak with? A good general contractor will have several references you can speak with.

Who are his major suppliers? You can find out a lot about a general contractor by speaking with his major suppliers. Does he pay on time?

Is he easy to work with? These are both questions you should consider asking. You can also speak with electricians, plumbers and other tradesman and ask them about a specific general contractor as they work together all the time as well.

During the interview you’ll also want to verify that the contractor has valid and current General Liability and Worker’s Compensation insurance. Always remember that you can be held liable for any accidents that occur at your house if the contractor you hire does not have worker’s compensation insurance.

Following your interview with the general contractor there are a few things that you’ll want to do. First and foremost you’ll want to speak with any references the contractor may have left you. You’ll also want to speak with any other tradesman like plumbers or roofers and the general contractor’s major suppliers to see if you can pry any more information out of them.

Finally and perhaps most important before you begin any work on your remodeling project is to check the license and insurance of the general contractor you have chosen. You can check the license out by calling your states licensing board and for the insurance you’ll need a certificate of insurance from your contractor’s insurance agent.

Hiring a good general contractor can be a bit of a pain there’s no doubt about it but when you consider the amount of money you’ll be spending on the project it should make considerable sense to do your due diligence and go the extra mile to ensure that you find and hire a good general contractor.

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