Are you planning a home renovation? Do you want to find experienced and responsible specialists who will quickly and efficiently carry out repairs? It’s easy if you know how and where to look for them. Our advice will help you with the points that you need to pay attention to when choosing a contractor or company for repairs in your house / apartment.
About remodeling methods
There are several ways to organize remodeling work in a private house or city apartment, let’s get acquainted with them. For example you can hire remodeling experts from https://hawaiitrustedrealty.com/builder/remodeling. You will conclude an agreement with the company, receive a guarantee and be able to rely on professional repairs.
A good way to reduce the cost of repairs is to do everything yourself, but this is not always possible.
- Do everything with your own hands. It would seem the cheapest option, but keep in mind: you will need to take a vacation from work, spend a lot of time and effort, and it’s not a fact that you will be satisfied with the result. As a rule, beginners make many mistakes when carrying out repairs – they lay parquet or tiles incorrectly, glue wallpaper crookedly, which causes additional costs.
- Private brigade. Often these teams are composed of non-professionals who, nevertheless, have some experience in carrying out repairs. The cost of such services is low, but there are no guarantees.
- Construction firms.
What to look for when renovating an apartment
On a note! If you need a design project, original design of housing or exclusive renovation, then give preference to the company. But how do you choose a really good one? Let’s try to figure this out.
To begin with, you need to look for a company with experienced staff and management who value their own reputation . Moreover, there is always a risk of stumbling upon amateurs or scammers. Can this be avoided? Of course, to do this, check out some practical tips that will minimize this risk.
Tip #1. Experience
A very important point is how many years the company has existed. Firms that have existed for a sufficiently long time can rightfully be considered the most reliable. Your own website is another big plus in favor of the company, but on the condition that customers can leave feedback on the work done on it. If so, be sure to take the time to read all the reviews (preferably on third-party resources – for greater objectivity), paying special attention to the negative ones.
Company experience is very important
It is recommended to give preference to a company that has been operating in its field for more than 3 years.
Be sure to read reviews about the repair company
Tip #2. Feel the ground
The next step is to study the portfolio. Ask the company’s employees to provide it (if it is not on the site), check out the photos of the premises that have already been renovated. It is also advisable to call customers, find out how good the services were, whether there are any claims against the company.
Check out the photos of completed work
Tip #3. Choose the most deserving
To make the choice as objective as possible, call all the companies of interest, leave 3-4 options and say that you want to come to their office. Delete those companies that refuse to accept you from the list (no comment).
After completing all the above activities, leave a couple of firms and call their employees to your house to make estimates. This service is usually free, but sometimes a small fee is required . Evaluate the quality and speed of the preparation of the estimate, and then, when it is ready, re-meet with the representative to discuss any unclear issues.
Tip #4. The price cannot be announced in advance
If the company is serious, then they will not tell you how much the repair will cost over the phone. And if some “master”, without even seeing the apartment, talks about the cost per square meter, then you definitely should not trust him. Everything is explained quite simply: if you do not see the object and do not discuss the details, then it is difficult to even approximately determine how much everything will cost . You can only focus on the approximate range of prices (“from … to”).
However, if the company is really serious, then it will definitely offer to send an employee to you to inspect the apartment, take measurements and, based on the information received, draw up a detailed estimate.
Tip #5. About cheap cheese
Do not trust companies whose services are much cheaper than others. This is how scammers attract inexperienced customers. Although, frankly speaking, many young companies also do the same, wishing to quickly acquire customers and, accordingly, orders. In any case, do not take risks – employees will either disappear after receiving an advance payment, or they will not do everything as well as you would like.
Some companies provide an opportunity to roughly calculate the repair of an apartment
Tip #6. What should be the prepayment
The amount of the advance can say a lot about the company. In general, contractors take an advance payment in order to have a guarantee of subsequent payment for the work. But, as a rule, it is the customer who risks, and not the performer. After paying an advance (and its amount often reaches 50%), the customer becomes a kind of “dependent” on the company. Therefore, even if he is disappointed in the choice, he still will not be able to refuse the services because of the considerable amount paid, which is almost impossible to return.
Tip #7. How to pay for work
The best option is a phased payment. It is necessary to divide the entire volume into several stages and give money only after the completion of each of them. But the conditions in which the customer finds himself are already more favorable: he can refuse the services of the company at any time if the company does not fulfill its own obligations. On the other hand, companies that work without prepayment can also “insure” by dividing the work into stages, due to a lack of confidence in the customer.
Tip #8. Design aspect
It is very good if the company has its own design bureau. At first, when you first get to know a contractor, be sure to talk to the designer. He, in theory, is obliged to control the work to the bitter end. Another designer will help you see your home from the outside, in order to decide what needs to be changed and what should be kept; will help with the optimal use of space, with the arrangement of furniture, with finishing materials (in terms of both practicality and color combinations), etc.
Tip #9. The contract is required!
Having decided on the company, it is mandatory to conclude an agreement with it. Read all the points of this document very carefully – it is they that reflect the points that will help you not lose money in case of dishonesty of the contractor.
The contract for the repair of the apartment is drawn up in the presence of both parties. The transaction does not prohibit the participation of third parties in construction work
In addition to the contract itself, the following documents must also be attached:
- work agreement;
- those. documentation (schemes of plumbing, heating, air conditioning, electrical wiring, etc.);
- estimate (we have already talked about it in more detail);
- work schedule;
- a list of materials that will be used for repairs;
- design project;
- housing plan (before and after redevelopment).
Tip #10. Responsible officer
This person must be assigned by the company to your facility. It is with him that you will resolve all issues, it is he who must control the quality of the work performed.
Tip #11. Warranty
Whether the company gives a guarantee for the work, you need to pay attention even when you first get to know it. Find out if there is a reclamation service that deals with the elimination of hidden defects and defects that were discovered after the delivery of the object during the warranty period. As a rule, the warranty is 12 months.
