Home improvement expert Jon Eakes offers the following tips on choosing the right renovator:
1) Do your Homework
The most important question you want to ask is this, said Eakes: Have you done the kind of work before that I want you to do?
"You may find a good contractor but he's never done a deck before, or he's never done a basement, or he's never done a kitchen. We don't want to be his first learning case," he advised.
2) The Contract
"Don't get into a big renovation without a written contract, because then you've got nothing to protect you -- there's no promise of anything.
- What should you include in that contract?
"You include everything that's dear to your heart, so contracts are wide open. There's a standard contract but if you really want it specific, you can include who's going to work on the house," said Eakes.
3) Be Specific
"If you're buying faucets, don't get a picture out of a magazine and say, ‘That's the faucet I want.' He'll find the cheapest thing that looks like it, because you're cutting his price, so he's got to. But if you say, ‘I've studied the market, I want a Pfeiffer #5467,' you put that into the contract. The same thing for tiles, rugs, countertops – everything. Get as specific as you can," said Eakes.
4) Changes along the way
‘While you're at it' it can break you, said Eakes.
"(If you say,) ‘while you're at it, let's do this and that and that,' it can get carried away - but the real important thing is changing orders," said Eakes, who stressed it's important to put all changes in writing.
"Later on, you get a great big bill and you say, ‘Oh - I didn't know he was going to charge me to do that,' or, ‘You never told me to do that,' there's nothing written there's no past that you can check," he explained.
"Put in writing, whether it's just an e-mail that you send to him, you keep a copy, that says as of our agreement today, we are going to move the window six inches over and you assured me it's not going to cause a problem with the kitchen cupboards."
5) Payment plan
"What is legitimate to pay upfront is any material that he has to special order for your job that he can't sell. That becomes part of your house. That's legitimate to pay up front for that kind of stuff," said Eakes.
All other progress payments should not be based on a calendar, it's based on work accomplished, said Eakes.
"Put in (the contract) when the dry walls are all finished and taped, (you'll) pay you this much money, and if (you're) not satisfied with the quality of work done, at that point (you) can hold back some money.
A percentage can be provided and, for instance, 10 per cent held back until a job is properly completed, saud Eakes.
For more tips from Jon Eakes, please click on the video on the right.