CONTRACTOR BULLETIN BOARD DISCLAIMER

People looking for a contractor should remember several things:

• Get several bids
• Get and check references
• Check for insurance
• Remember that the lowest bid may not be the best bid
• Know what you want done (specifices, expectations, etc...)
• Have realistic expectations

BIDS:

It is a good idea to get several bids for a job. Bids will give you a more realistic idea of what a project will cost. Probably the optimal amount of bids to seek, depending on the job, would be from 3 to 5. Too few bids and your choices are few and the bids may not be competitive; in contrast, if you ask too many contractors the bidding process can be confusing and time consuming. Some good contractors will not even bother to bid if too many others are bidding the job.

REFERENCES:

It is a good idea to get references from the contractors that you are considering. Good contractors will be eager to show you past projects and probably will have a portfolio of past jobs. They should supply you with references or names of people who they've worked for recently. If you are serious about hiring a certain contractor, it would be a good idea to check some of the references given.

INSURANCE:

Be sure to confirm that a contractor has the appropriate type of insurance needed for adequate coverage on the job. In certain instances you could be liable for injuries or mishaps that happen on your property if the contractor does not have appropriate and adequate coverage for those types of incidents. Insurance is expencive and a contractor that has proper insurance for himself and his employees will probably have to bid higher than a contractor that does not have proper insurance.

LOW BIDS:

No on likes to spend more money than they have to. However, many times the lowest price is not the best price. Make sure everyone is bidding on the same type of work and the same type and quality of materials and workmanship. A good contractor sometimes can also come in with a lower price because he is more efficient. He won't be wasting time or materials. He won't be trying to figure out how to do something. His estimate could be more accurate and not full of "fudge factors". On the other hand, a good contractor could be higher, because he is figuring better materials or more adequate time to do a good job. He or his help could be more skilled and their skill will command a higher price and probably do a better job.

BE SPECIFIC IN WHAT YOU WANT DONE:

The more specific you can be, the more accurate the bids will be. If you have detailed plans and material specifications it is more likely that everyone will be bidding on the same thing. It will also be more likely that you will end up with what you want at the price you are expecting to pay.

BE REALISTIC IN YOUR EXPECTATIONS:

Although in some instances something as complicated as a building project will happen without a hitch, it is more likely that snags and snafus will happen. The project may not start when you expect it to, or end by the time that you need it to end. Materials may not arrive when they are supposed to or they could be different than you were expecting. Weather or other events may delay a project. Unexpected or increased expensese may occur. Most of the time these glitches, althought they may seem huge and insurmountable at the time, will look like little hiccups when you look back on them. All this does not mean that you will have to accept less than you want or have something inferior than you were looking for but just that the road to get to a satisfactory completion can have unexpected bumps, turns, and detours along the way.