How to Choose the Right Contractor for Your Remodel Job

As you all may know, the first step in any remodel job is finding the right contractor. This is a process in itself that can take several months and entails a lot of footwork on both the end of the homeowner and the contractor. The contractor will go physically and lay eyes on the job, pull measurements, assess the scope of the work and draw up a formal bid. If the work is complex, the contractor will also have to estimate the cost of the sub-contracted portions of the work, such as for HVAC or plumbing. This typically entails meeting with each of the sub-contractors and collecting estimates from them as well.

The homeowner has this opportunity to assess the contractor. They may do online research on the company or speak with their community about them. A referral from a friend or family member that has had a good experience with the company is always the best. But there are other ways of assessing the character of a contractor as well. Are they responsive and communicative? Are they attentive in conversations and do they make you feel comfortable in your interactions with them, or are they just talking over you and coming across as arrogant or dismissive?Do they seem confident in their ability, or are you hearing a lot of “no” and “we can’t” or “we don’t”?If so, I would pump them brakes partner and keep on searching!

Last week we went out to look at and bid on a crawlspace conversion, but after just a couple points of contact with the prospect and prior to even putting a formal quote together, they emailed and said they would get back to us in August. It’s a classic blow-off, of course. He may have been laying awake at night and thinking twice about the costs. He may have not liked my face, or my voice, or my gait, or any one of a billion factors. All of that is mostly outside of my control. Some people are able to resonate with me during a meeting and some are not but one thing is for sure, it is personal.

For that reason I try to always show up with a pleasant smile, looking professional, confident in the ability of both myself and the company that I represent, intelligent and attentive to the customer.If I can just do this, then I know that I have done my job and the rest is up to the customer. They will be added to our email marketing campaign and my work there at that point is done. In my humble opinion no one should be pressured to make a decision on the spot.My position is to connect, provide information, discover if there’s a possible match between their need and our service, and schedule another meeting or follow-up. If there is a match and a decision is reached to award Gold’s Concrete the job, I would then follow up with the customer on a start date and remain present to facilitate the job and the relationship with the customer.

Two Minute Video Production

In today’s review we look at the Kapro 24″ and 36″ Heavy-Duty Professional Box Levels. I pulled up on the job and saw these beauties sitting there like they were fresh out of the box. “I needed some levels,” Tim explained as he worked on the rock formations around an artificial pond that we’re resurfacing and repairing. “I went to the store and said give me the cheapest thing you got, and this is what they gave me.”

I picked them both up and gave them a good look. They feel heavy duty in the hands, nice and solid like. Also they have a beautiful design and color that pops out on the jobsite, so they won’t get lost easily. They’re one of the most affordable options yet they appear to be standard in quality, and our Operations Manager actually has owned one of these for a very long time and it continues to perform. BUY ONE NOW!!!

Kapro – 985-41X Apollo Heavy-Duty Professional Box Level – Features Magnified Vials and Dual-View Plumb Site – VPA Tested – 36 Inch

See the corresponding video to this blog below.