Blog : Contractor Directory | Flooring Supply Shop Blog - Part 2Flooring Supplies

Dealing with a flooring contractor

Installing new flooring or modifying an existing one is a crucial step for every homeowner. This is so, since different rooms are exposed to different environment and foot traffic, and therefore require customized flooring solutions. It is in order to ensure that the right flooring option is selected, and that it is installed in a proper manner that a number of households opt for the services of a professional contractor. However, not everyone has an idea of how to deal with contractors in order to get maximum benefit out of them.

Flooring contractors, although expensive, can ensure to select the right flooring option for your house and install it properly. In order to avail these benefits it is however, important to assist your flooring contractor. Following are a few ways in which you & your flooring contractor can mutually benefit each other.

Most of the problems faced by people while dealing with flooring contractors are due to a communication gap. In order to ensure that the flooring work continues smoothly, you should communicate your exact expectations and requirements to the contractor as early as possible. For example, you should clearly convey your maximum budget, type of flooring you require and the reasons for selecting a particular flooring option. Since these contractors are professionals they might be able to come up with a better solution after getting to know about your exact requirements. Lack of communication generally leads to misunderstandings during the latter stages of the flooring process.

Although, flooring contractors would have all the tools required for the job; they would still have some basic requirements that you need to fulfill. An electric point, source of running water, place to store the tools and a washroom are some of the resources that you need to provide them. Anticipating such needs and making arrangements prior to the initiation of the flooring job would make the job of your contractor much easier. Furthermore, early arrangements will also enable you to create a working space for your contractors and make other areas of your house off limits for them.

Flooring contractors generally do not appreciate frequent interference from the homeowners, but they prefer regular inputs from them. It is therefore, important that you survey the work that is being done and convey any discrepancies from what you had planned.

It is advised to mark the area being floored as off limits for the family members until the flooring job is completed. This step would ensure that there is no damage to the floor, if used before it sets in. For example, stone and tile can crack easily if walked upon before setting. Similarly, wood flooring can scratch, if it is used before the final coating has been applied.

In order to get the best results it is important to trust your contractor and to let them work without frequent intervention. Frequent disturbances and interventions from the homeowner’s side can lead to unfavorable outcomes in the flooring process.

Build the right rapport with your contractor

A number of people are enthusiastic to undertake ‘Do-It-Yourself’ projects to complete a home renovation job. Although DIY can cut down your expenses significantly, there are few projects that cannot be completed without the services of a professional. It is, therefore, important for you to identify the job that requires the services of a contractor to ensure maximum effectiveness.

Simply deciding that you require the services of a contractor is not enough, since finding the right one is important for the proper completion of your project. A number of people who hire contractors face problems such as delays, hidden costs and inferior quality of work. In order to ensure that you avoid such problems you should select the right contractor and build a rapport with them.

The key to selecting a professional and proficient contractor is having knowledge about this domain yourself. Your initial communication with the contractor should convey to them that you have done your homework. This will ensure that you are able to negotiate the right quote for the job at hand. Furthermore, before meeting with the contractor you can lay out a detailed scope of work for the contractor. This scope of work should lay out the different aspects of the job, plus your estimated budget and the time frame within which you require the project to be completed.

Before signing a contract with your contractor you should check their background to determine their professionalism and their quality of work. This step will ensure that you do not face any problems in the future due to the unprofessional nature of your contractor.

Once you have hired a contractor and signed the final contract with them, it is important to maintain a healthy rapport with them. You should properly convey to the contractor your quality expectations from the job at hand, and should draw a payment schedule. A proper payment schedule will convince the contractor that they will be paid on time, and will help you in keeping a tab on your payments.

It is also important to regularly inspect the renovation site to ensure compliance with your quality expectations. Ideally, you should visit the renovation site daily and convey any disparities that you might find over there. This will ensure that you are aware of the progress on your home renovation project, and that the quality of work is as per your expectations.

Finally, you should remember that not all contractors are going to overcharge you or deliberately use inferior quality material to maximize their profits. You can easily find a number of contractors who take pride in their work and strive to exceed the expectations of their clients. All that you need to do to find one such contractor is some research on your part and a little effort in selecting the right one. Once you find a dedicated and professional contractor it is important to build and maintain a good rapport with them so that you can utilize their services in future projects as well.

Choosing the right home improvement contractor

Home improvement is a task that involves many technicalities. You need to analyze, decide and cross check a number of factors. So, it is very important that the person who is entrusted with these responsibilities must be capable enough to handle them. You should always keep few things in mind before you decide to choose your home improvement contractor. Let’s have a look at them in detail.

Idea Organization: This is something very important. Home improvement is a vast area of knowledge. As a house owner you should keep a track on the areas at which your home needs a makeover. Make a crystal clear vision on your ideas. This will help you zero in on the most relevant areas of improvement. Once you have an idea of the requirement, it becomes a touch easier in choosing the contractor.

Meet Contractors: Exercising the options is very important. Once you have a brief overview of the task, you can always meet a few contractors. Meeting and sharing your thoughts and getting their reviews helps in judging the experience level of the contractor. It also helps you get an idea on the current market trends and pricing of a particular project. You can always take the corporate brochures and handouts of the contractor to study the credentials of the contractor.

Decide on the Budget: Once you have met a few contractors, you get a brief idea of the market bids and pricing of home improvement projects. So, you can decide on your budget. You must review each quote and bid given by the contractor very thoroughly. Try and analyze the strengths and weak links of each quote with the price and your budget. You should make sure that the proposed quote justifies the services offered by the contractor.

Take References: Experience, exposure and performance plays a vital role in home improvement projects. When you make up your mind on a particular contractor take some client references from him. This will help you get an idea of his previous projects and client satisfactory levels of the contractor.

Execute a written contract: Most often, the Contractor will provide their own Contract for you to sign. Be sure to read it carefully and do not hesitate to ask any questions for language that may need explanation or clarification. Ask the Contractor how the payment schedule will be put together. Never give a Contractor more than 50% of the contract amount up front. If the Contractor has to purchase a large amount of materials prior to starting work, a payment or draw for the materials is understandable. You should always check out for certain things that must be mentioned in the contract. Clauses like scope of work, Design selection, net and gross fees, construction schedule, detailed Explanation of the Contractor’s Warranty should be clearly stated in the contract.

Level of automation: This is again a very important point. The level of automation is a great indicator of the experience of the home improvement expert. You should always check the amount of automation a contractor can bring to your home. A good automation system may include Pro melt snow mats, floor heating systems etc. These automation systems help you lead a comfortable life by bringing down manual labor to some extent.

Quality of Material: Last but not the least is the quality a contractor brings to your home, and as they say “Quality speaks volumes without saying a word”. You should always keep a track on the quality that your contractor will offer. In order to check the details of material, it is important you do a bit of research. Browsing the internet is a good idea. You can always read some books and study materials on home improvement. This will help you keep up to date with the modern trends in home improvement.

I hope if you keep the above mentioned points in mind you will be able to strike a perfect deal.

Rise of DIY due to economic slump

One of the most exciting, yet challenging aspects of owning a house is taking care of the related home renovation and repair jobs. Some homeowners hire professional contractors for their home renovation job, while there are others who prefer to complete the job themselves. The latter, known as Do-It-Yourself (DIY) enthusiasts, usually take up DIY projects as a challenge and try to complete them in the most effective way possible. However, a number of individuals refrain from undertaking DIY home renovation projects due to the concern that they would not be able to complete the job effectively.

Now, with the economic slowdown and the credit crunch in the markets people are on the lookout for ways to curb their extra expenditure. It is for this particular reason that the current economic slowdown has fueled the growth of DIY projects across the globe. One of the main benefits of completing a home renovation project yourself is that it will let you save on the cost that you would have been incurred in hiring a professional. Another benefit of completing a DIY project is that it gives you a sense of accomplishment.

There are a number of projects, such as building a patio, repainting the walls and re-grouting, which can be easily completed without professional help. All that is required to complete a DIY project is basic knowledge about the job at hand and the proper tools. Considering the current economic slowdown and the increasing popularity of DIY projects a number of DIY tools have been introduced in the market. These tools, along with a basic knowledge can ensure that you complete the job at hand in the most effective way possible.

Although this trend of DIY projects is extremely popular during the current economic slump, there are indications that this trend will continue even after the economic scenario improves. It is during the current scenario that a number of people have learns the basics of various home renovation jobs such as tiling, grouting, carpentering and flooring. Now that people have experienced the benefits that a DIY project offers there is a good possibility that even when the economic scenario improves they will continue with this trend. Further, the tools and resources purchased by people can be used by them in the future as well, thereby providing added incentive to complete a home renovation job themselves as competed to hiring a professional contractor for it.

It is quite evident that the current outlook is that of uncertainty and financial instability; therefore every opportunity to save on extra expenditure will be appreciated by people. Since home improvement and home renovation jobs can involve significant expenditure, DIY projects are a logical step ahead for a number of people. However, there are still a number of jobs that should be handled by an expert only due to the dangers involved. For example, a home renovation job involving changing the electrical wiring should be completed by a professional electrician only. For other simpler projects, such as tiling and grouting, you are free to trust your skills and complete the job at hand yourself.

DIY only if you have the skill and patience

It is always advisable to think about the pros & cons before taking up responsibility. Performing a task may not be as easy as it may appear to be. One should take up a job only if capable enough of finishing it with perfection.

It is never advised to undertake a job unless you are not sure of completing it. When it comes to individually finishing a task to perfection, patience is the most important virtue required to do it. If you do not possess the necessary skills required to execute the job you are bound to make severe mistakes. It is therefore advisable to get professional help if you are not sure of accomplishing the task on your own.

Your home is your most important asset. When it comes to renovating your house or performing repairs you must do it yourself only if you know how to do it. People of late are becoming conscious about the kind of flooring they have in their houses. A lot of people are resorting to changing their flooring and go for more eco-friendly options. However, when it comes to changing or renovating the floors it is highly essential that unless you possess the necessary expertise, you should hire professional help.

Though DIY is a better option since it is the cheapest option as you do not have to pay anyone for getting the job done. However, make sure that you can skillfully complete the job because a single mistake on your part can incur more expenses to fix the problem. Moreover, insurance policies generally do not cover accidents caused while performing a DIY job. Hence, before you plan to start a DIY construction or renovation work at your place, contact your insurance company and make sure that you and associated perils are covered by your insurance plan.

In case you are planning to renovate your home on your own, you must understand that it will take time, skill and patience. Moreover, before you start any job, make your plan of action, and according to the layout, ascertain that you have all the requisite tools. Apart from this you must also know about the legal restrictions and get a building consent from your local council, if the law requires. You must carry your work in a systematic manner so that the job is manageable and can be completed on time. Further, it is advisable that you start with simpler task and then move on to difficult jobs.

For instance, if you are planning to tile your bathroom floor you must ensure, that you have a proper layout and accordingly priorities your time. In case you can only work on weekends, then you must be prepared to bear with half-done bathroom for at least a couple of weeks. Apart from this, the drying time will take a couple of more days. Before starting the job, make sure you have all the tools and a plan of action in place. The biggest consideration is that you must have patience, skill and will to complete the task. Moreover, if someone among your friends or family has completed similar work, take their help as they will be able to guide you better and give tips to successfully complete the work. Once you successfully completed simpler tasks, you can move on to tedious job as you would have acquired the necessary skill by then.

Hence, judge yourself and decide whether you have the skill and patience to undertake a DIY work. If not, contact a professional contractor.

Tag: Contractor Directory

Dealing with a flooring contractor

Build the right rapport with your contractor

Choosing the right home improvement contractor

Rise of DIY due to economic slump

DIY only if you have the skill and patience

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