CONTRACTOR'S REPUTATION, REFERENCES BEST WAY TO DECIDE.Byline: Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. You'll you'll Contraction of you will. you'll you will or you shall you'll will recall the three rules in buying a house: ``Location, location, location Location, Location, Location is a popular Channel 4 property programme, presented by Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer. The reality show follows two real estate experts as they try to find the perfect home for a different set of buyers each week. It first aired in May 2001. .'' The criteria for hiring a contractor are remarkably similar: ``reputation, reputation, reputation,'' says Jack Beddingfield, a specialist who conducts do-it-yourself do-it-your·self adj. Of, relating to, or designed to be done by an amateur or as a hobby: do-it-yourself home repairs; a do-it-yourself sailboat kit. clinics for Builders Square Builders Square was founded as a big-box home improvement retailer headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. A subsidiary of Kmart, its format was quite similar to Home Depot and Lowe's with floor space of about 100,000 square feet. . ``Don't don't 1. Contraction of do not. 2. Nonstandard Contraction of does not. n. A statement of what should not be done: a list of the dos and don'ts. be afraid to ask for references,'' he said. ``Then check them out. Too many people ask for references, then don't follow through. Go to a job the contractor is currently working on; check it out. ``Then talk to people he has worked for in the past several years. Are they happy? Would they hire him again?'' Beddingfield says past clients should be glad to tell you if he did a good job; they'll also be glad to tell you if he did a bad one. If a contractor hesitates when asked for references, Beddingfield advises leaving him alone. Reputable rep·u·ta·ble adj. Having a good reputation; honorable. rep  u·ta·bil contractors usually are happy to
comply.
The size of the firm has nothing to do with how good it is if it passes the references check. He suggests making sure certain standards be included in a written contract that details the work to be done. How do you find a contractor in the first place? Beddingfield suggests checking bulletin boards that many supply houses keep. Ask your friends who've had work done for them. Ask other contractors who will be doing other types of work; they generally know each other by reputation. Check the Yellow Pages; don't worry about making an off-the-wall judgment because you'll be checking references anyway. The way a contractor agrees to payment also affects his reputation, Beddingfield says. Standard procedures are for the contractor to put money into the project himself before receiving any payment. Expect to pay him on an agreed-upon schedule, especially if you have contracted for a complete home to your specifications. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion