Working with contractors:

Are they a licensed contractor? The first thing I recommend is that you determine if the contractor is licensed or certified. I mean licensed in the particular trade or service being rendered. Each state and municipality is different in this area. Check to see if a license or certification is required. This can be done by calling the state licensing bureau or by calling your local "Building Department" at the city or township offices. These code enforcing agents (building department) will tell you if a license is required. If you are having electrical, plumbing or mechanical work done, even if it's a yearly service or cleaning, make sure these contractors are licensed or certified. Most states do require that these individuals be licensed. Why is it so important that a contractor be licensed or certified? (1.), a license or certification tells you that the individual has met the minimal standards to practice for that trade. (2.), If the person is not licensed or certified you may have no recourse in having the state licensing bureau or local building officials investigate or bring the individual before the licensing bureau or building board. (3.) If the contractor is not licensed or certified you may have to hire an attorney and go to court to get satisfaction if a conflict develops. Have a good understanding of you local and state government guidelines as it pertains to contractor licensing and complaint investigations.

Do they have insurance? Make sure the contractor has some sort of liability insurance. Check with your state and local government for insurance requirements. If the contractor has employees they may be required to carry Workers Disability Insurance. No matter how you pay, be certain you receive waivers of lien. These forms are agreements by the contractors or suppliers that they will not file claims against you because they have already been paid or are in agreement with the contractor on how they will be paid. Check with your state government, city building department or an attorney as to the type of waivers of lien required in your state.

The importance of Bid Specifications! If you are having major home repair or remodeling done make sure you have your specifications in writing before calling a contractor. List what you want to have done and what materials you want to use. Make sure that your plans and specifications are not vague. There's nothing worse than acquiring three bids for a job and having each proposal show different materials, descriptions, and costs than what you had expected. When deciding to choose one of three bids, it's always easier to choose when comparing apples to apples than apples to oranges. You need not always accept the lowest bid. The character of the contractor and how well you think you are going to get along with him or her counts for something.
 

 
Getting It In Writing! Most attorneys will tell you that it's always recommended that you get contracts and proposals in writing. Even have change orders put in writing. You don't want to be over charged for changes you made in design and specifications. When having maintenance or service work done such as furnace servicing and cleaning, minor plumbing, and electrical repairs, a bid is not always possible. However if you are having major repairs or remodeling done I recommend acquiring bids. Acquire one bid for small jobs, lets say repairs of $100 to $500. You will be the one to determine the limit. Acquire two or three bids for larger jobs, lets say jobs over $500. Or you can acquire a Bid Verification by a building professional, home inspector or architect. A Bid Verification is a report showing the specifications needed to do the job. It also includes a proposal showing what this job should cost. You would use this Bid Verification to acquire a bid or bids. Never have the contractor doing the work write the Bid Verification. The Bid Verification should be completed by someone who is not doing the work or bidding for the job. Always remember, if you go the route of getting bids the character and reputation of a contractor is more important than being the lowest bid. Just because they are the low bid does not guarantee that the work they do will be done professionally or on time.

An estimate is just that, an estimate of cost for labor and material to do the work. I do not recommend that you accept a proposal with the word estimate at the top. Such a proposal may not be legally binding and can result in serious disputes. A not-to-exceed proposal states a maximum price for the proposed work. This is recommended for contracts and for work where the materials are hard to itemize. Contingency allowances can be built into a not-to-exceed or fixed price contract. Suggesting a maximum allowance of 5 to 10 percent of the project cost should give leverage when the unknown exists. Also make sure your contract indicates the start date for the project and the approximate completion date. By indicating a start date and ending date in the proposal or contract you will have less problems if you have to take the contractor to court for non-performance. This is especially important if you are giving the contractor a large deposit. Without these dates you are left with an endless project that could start months down the road and end way beyond the date expected.

You and your local hardware store:

Yes, hardware stores and lumberyards can be intimidating, impersonal, male oriented and sexiest. However this is changing! I want you to be part of this change! Men have been known to wander aimlessly from aisle to aisle for hours in hardware stores and lumber yards totally in their glory. You may never want to get to this point. However, with the onset of those new mega-hardware stores like Home Depot and Lowes you’re sure to find yourself wandering the aisles looking at all the neat home improvement stuff.

So, to make this shopping process easier I want to provide you with some simple tips. We may not be able to totally eliminate that periodic "dear" and "Honey" you may hear in some of those older established hardware’s, however I’m going to help you become more hardware intelligent and knowledgeable. To be a true connoisseur of hardware’s we need to first rank and define each type. The family run, old, been-there-forever hardware store. They have every kind of nut and bolt, plumbing fixture, and nails ever made. Some of the older ones even sell animal feed. These were the places that your dad shopped at when you were little. If you are looking for that one plumbing part that hasn’t been made for 20 years and is no longer in stock at other stores, they most likely have it high up on a shelf with a 10 year old price tag and 1/4 inch of dust on it. They may have to rummage through dust covered boxes but most likely they have it. Nuts, bolts, screws and nails are most likely not pre packaged. You may not know this but over the years men have dubbed these hardware’s "men’s hardware’s". Don’t be put off. These can be very friendly and helpful places. Hear is where you are most likely to get that personal ear interested in your project or home maintenance problem.

Then you have those storefront hardware’s that are usually part of a store chain. Some of these hardware stores have been known to also sell about everything else like household cleaning supplies, pop, auto supplies even groceries, heaven forbid. Any nuts, bolts and screws sold here are most likely prepackaged. Some of the old home improvement guys have dubbed these "lady hardware’s". Can you believe It! What’s nice about these hardware’s is that they have sales going on all the time. They are usually located in strip malls near your home and other shopping. This makes it easier to pick up that one item you need when grocery shopping or at the dry cleaners next door.

In the 1990’s the face of hardware’s and lumber yards went through a major change. A concept was developed where under one roof, builders, sub-contractors and home owners could shop and buy every hardware item needed. This new generation of mega-hardware stores can meet the needs to complete just about any and all projects. Here a home builder can buy everything needed to build a complete house. Yet at the same location the first time home owner can purchase anything from lawn fertilizer to light bulbs. A number of these mega-hardware’s will even design kitchen, baths and decks for you. They can determine what type of materials are needed, how much is needed and what the total cost will be. Don’t let these large ominous buildings intimidate you. Sure they have a large warehouse look, but they can serve all your home improvement needs. What is the best way to shop a hardware? I first recommend that you determine what are your needs. Do you know what materials and supplies are needed for that particular repair? Make a list and write down sizes and dimensions. If you are repairing something, let’s say a toilet, take with you the broken part or what you think is the broken part. This may take some dis-assembly. Examples would be, parts of the toilet, a faucet, fuses and etc. You don’t want to drive all the way to the hardware and realize you don’t know the dimensions or type of part. It’s easier to explain your problem when you have the part in hand. Always ask questions. Don’t assume that the hardware expert will always be a man. I’m running into very knowledgeable women in the business of home improvement and maintenance all the time.