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Mary Broz-Vaughan of Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation advises consumers not to focus just on cost when weighing bids but to look for the firm with the best track record and the best references. They’re craftspeople, not businesspeople.
#All things done general contracting how to
While unscrupulous contractors may intentionally underbid projects and hit up homeowners later for more money, says Glenn Tobias of Ravensworth Custom Home Improvements in Occoquan, more often the problem is that inexperienced contractors don’t know how to price jobs. The Tates hadn’t solicited other bids-they went with a contractor they’d already used and didn’t realize that the work couldn’t be done for the price. It’s one reason to beware an especially low bid for a job-and to get at least three quotes. He did not know how to estimate the project.” “He’d call and say, ‘I can’t get a plumber I’ve called ten.’ He was clearly not a businessman. “I think he got substandard subs,” says Dave. One reason the Tates’ renovation took so long and went so awry is that the contractor couldn’t find a crew willing to work for the money he was offering. Plus, you’ll find advice on how to make a remodeling job run as smoothly as possible.ġ. What follows is a look at 12 things that a contractor-generally, a bad contractor-often won’t tell a client and that can lead to problems. The Tates’ story illustrates how horribly wrong renovation can go. Rats came up the line and into the walls. Instead, they’d stuffed a rag into the pipe. When the workmen had cut a pipe connected to an old sewer line, they hadn’t sealed it properly with a cap, a part that can cost less than $15. Finally, a plumber figured out the problem. The contractor was no help-he’d left the country. The Tates caught 21 in all by putting traps behind access panels in the walls. It took months to trace where the rodents were coming in.
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In December 2009, three years after the project ended, the Tates were enjoying their slate-floored family room when they noticed a foul odor and heard scratching behind the walls. “There was black soot on the walls, on the ceiling, on the furniture. “When I opened the door, I thought we’d had a fire,” says Beth. One of the worst days: when the crew cut into the basement’s concrete walls and dust blew through the house. While the Tates had been pleased with the contractor’s earlier work, 2005 was a boom time for renovation, and on this job the subcontractors didn’t seem as competent-when they showed up-and the contractor wasn’t on the site as often.Įndless problems pushed the project past the projected four months-it would take 18 in all. To create the space they wanted, with a bathroom, required infrastructure work such as moving some plumbing. The basement project would be more complicated. When the Tates decided in 2005 to turn their “bare bones” basement into a family room, they hired the same contractor-one recommended by their interior designer-who had already transformed the first floor of their home into an open, light-filled space with gleaming wood floors and larger windows. If you think you’ve had a bad renovation experience, meet a Virginia couple we’ll call Dave and Beth Tate. Other times, renovation is marked by delays, mistakes, and frayed nerves.
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Some renovation projects run like a dream-high-quality work done on time and on budget with minimal friction between homeowner and contractor.