tips for choosing a contractor

Rainy day in the late summer slump, so I thought I'd write a bit about something I've been thinking on.

A lot of questions come up here & in general about how to find or choose a good contractor. It's something I personally despise. Usually the negative stereotype is true. The goal is to avoid that guy.

I've noticed a few things over the years, both with crews I've hired for stuff around my house, and sub-contractors I've used in my pool business. It's nothing ground breaking, but might help.

I prefer referrals from friends who have had the work done. Not a friend that says "My cousin can do that", but one who has tangible evidence of the guy's work. If you come up empty there, Angie's List is pretty good. I've had success with it. I place a lot less merit in BBB ratings, since it's easy for a business to "resolve" complaints.

Once done there, take note of communication. When we're busy I try to return new calls no later than 48 hours. Same day is ideal. On the flip side I've misplaced the piece of paper I wrote the message on only to find it a week later. I'll still call, but mostly to apologize. I don't think I've ever gotten a job I did that on, and for good reason.

Someone who has come highly recommended, I'll give them 2 calls and 1 week. That's pushing it. Move on.


A lot of contractors have a bad habit of evaluating a job based on what you tell them on the first call. If they don't want to deal with it, you won't get a call back. This is a real bad practice, but good for the client. This tells you they're looking for the quick buck, which says volumes.

Next HUGE thing is your appointment. Agree on a date & time. It's a shame how surprised people are when I show up when I said I would. If I can't, I call. They're shocked. This is a big seperator of the good versus the common.

Once there, trust your gut. But don't fall for the charming salesman. The more I hear "Oh yeah, we'll take care of that" with no mention of added time or cost, the more leary I get. Make sure they make the time to answer your questions (you have plenty of questions ready, right?), the better. If they start to drill down on what you want, and can offer other solutions, that's even better.

NOW HERE IS THE BIG THING I LOOK AT!
I follow them out to their truck. Take a look at it. Look in the back. How do they care for their tools? Are they thrown in the back with trash & debris? Here's what I'm getting at. If the truck & tools are ill-maintained, I pass. For someone making a living off their tools, if they don't even take care of those, I wouldn't count on a quality job or attention to detail. Debris in the back I have no problem with, these guys work for a living. I'm mostly looking at the tools & equipment. I'm really not even worried about an older beat up vehicle, as long as it isn't too bad.

On the other side, if they pull up in a brand new lifted Super Duty with a full wrap, I'm likely to pass as well. Tells me the company ie either too big to care much about my job, or run so poorly they're capable of crumbling under debt & truck payments and leave my high & dry.


Most all this is common sense, but not something you often think about. I very rarely hire anything out at my house. Only then it's because it needs to be done during pool season. I HATE finding a good contractor. I'm upfront with them and tell them what I do for a living and that I will be a constant pain in their backside if they don't follow through. Without going on a tangent too much - stuff happens. It's how it's dealt with that matters.

Hope that helps a little.