Points to Consider When Hiring a Bathroom Remodeling Contractor
One of the most enjoyable home improvement jobs is remodeling a bathroom. The benefits are immediate and personal: a gleaming new shower or bathtub, a new colour scheme, a bathroom vanity with a stunning surface, and more storage than ever before.
A high-quality bathroom makeover can also pay for itself by increasing the market value of your home. Hiring a bathroom contractor with expertise who can see your project through to completion is one approach to assure the best bathroom renovation.
Interview 3 or More Bathroom Contractors
When you speak with just one or two bathroom contractors, you will only get a restricted range of perspectives. If you go ahead and choose to obtain proposals from these contractors, be prepared for higher-than-expected bids. By interviewing many contractors, you will be able to discover the contractor who is the best match for your project. You’ll also have a wider selection of offers to pick from.
Review Contractors’ Previous Work
Bathroom remodelers generally arrive for the interview with a photo gallery of prior bathroom remodels (either in a picture book or on a screen). You can also look at the contractor’s portfolio on their website, or on contractor-matching websites to which they belong.
Look beyond the eye-catching photographs to see whether this bathroom contractor provides the type of work that is suited for you.
Get Estimates in Writing
For both the homeowner and the bathroom contractor, verbal estimates are worthless. Even when everyone has excellent intentions, numbers are forgotten, misconstrued or misheard. Estimates that are well-written are also useful if you need to take legal action. It is completely acceptable to request a verbal ballpark quote from a bathroom contractor, but just keep in mind that no one is holding you to this amount; you should follow up with a documented cost estimate.
Pin Down the Schedule
Before signing the contract, be sure to discuss the start date of the makeover and the total length of the project. Scheduling is important to both you and the contractor, and when both of you agree, you may go ahead with the contract. “Time is of the essence” is a well-known contract provision that outlines the length of time the contractor has to work on the project, as well as the homeowner’s payment schedule.
Clarify What the Contractor Will Do
Speak with your bathroom contractor about everything that will be completed throughout the project, even before the contract is made up. Bathroom remodeling contractors carry out a certain set of tasks, as well as the necessary resources. The contractor will never just claim that the bathroom “will be redone”. Instead, a bigger bathroom remodeling job is divided into a number of distinct, smaller sub-projects.
Discuss Supplying Your Own or Reusing Items
When upgrading your bathroom with a contractor, you have the option of recycling useful components from your old bathroom, in addition to employing new construction materials. Discuss the materials you want to repurpose with the contractor ahead of time. Also, be sure to heed the contractor’s advice on the feasibility of these materials.