Tips for Hiring a General Contractor

 We've all heard the horror stories - unreachable, lack of experience, inaccurate bidding, unfinished projects, blantant waste, and lack of regard for the customer experience.  So here's some tips for hiring a GC from a GC:

• Ask for a referral from people you trust.  Customer focused contractors rely on the relationships they build with clients and through networking to get referrals rather than heavy advertizing.
• Check that the contractor is licensed, insured and bonded.  It’s not difficult or expensive to be so, shows legitimacy of the business, and protects your investment.  Also check their violation history, a sign of competency and experience.  Contact Labor & Industries at 800-647-0982 or use their online search.
• Note how responsive, reachable, sincere, and honest their representatives are and ask if they have a service pledge and/or communication standards. 
• Ask to see a portfolio of their work.  Asset quality, not design. 
• Require a contract for work above $500 (else written estimate) that includes a written warranty and detailed scope of work.  This limits your risk and shows pride in the product and service. 
• Don’t let price be your only criteria for selecting a contractor.  Some companies give bids that are too optimistic out of inexperience or to win the contract (relying on change orders later on).  You need a thorough and accurate bid based on the age of your structure so change orders are limited to your changes or issues the contractor could not reasonably see or deduce.   
• Let the contractor you like know if the price is above your budget.  They can usually make recommendations on how to reduce/change the scope or phase the project to match your cash flow.  
• Remember that green does not have to cost more.  There are many choices your contractor can make to reduce resource use and impact, improve health, increase durability, and support local businesses that does not increase the cost.