Let’s discuss the elephant in the room, shall we? We know not all contractors have a glowing reputation. Just like you, we’ve heard the horror stories and it doesn’t make us too happy. Maybe a bad contractor has already burned you and you need someone else to pick up the pieces they left you with. Maybe you’re looking to do a project for the first time and you’re hoping to avoid the bad contractors.
We want to help you avoid the bad contractors, and here’s how you do it.
Steps to Finding a Credible Contractor
- Research. Do you have a phone? Do you have the Internet? Do you have friends or family who may have gone through a renovation or custom home build? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, you can do your research. Our biggest piece of advice for you is to ask around. If you’ve narrowed your contractor shortlist down to a few people/companies, look up their reviews online (Houzz, Facebook reviews, Google reviews, etc.)
- Ask the contractor for recent references. If they can only give you one reference from 25 years ago, you may want to continue your research. And definitely call these references and ask them all the questions you may have about what you can expect from working with this contractor.
- Ask to see some projects in progress. The Alair Homes Edmonton team has a number of diverse projects on the go at any given time. From concept to completion, we welcome you to join us to walk through current projects so you get a sense of who we are and what we do.
- Ask about their process. It sounds straight forward, but some contractors just don’t have this mapped out to a place that their clients can follow or understand. We live, breathe, eat, sleep and dream process so that our customers know exactly what’s going on and when, and they know real-time budget status.
- Check out their track record. There are a lot of industry qualifiers that recognize excellence in the renovation and construction industry. Have they won any awards for their work? Have then been recognized by the Better Business Bureau? What’s their status on RenoMark?
- Will they have a dedicated site manager for your project? No matter the size of your project, someone needs to be there to ensure it’s going well. Make sure you know who is going to be onsite during your project and when. Alair Homes Edmonton has a DAILY touch point with your project to ensure things are going as smoothly as possible.
- Evaluate if the contractor is the right fit for your project. A contractor is there to help make your vision a reality. If the contractor doesn’t understand your vision or tries to steer you away from your vision—get rid of him/her. You will likely be spending a great deal of time with this person planning your project as well as opening up your home to this person and his/her team. You need to feel comfortable in your relationship with your contractor from start to finish. The only thing we can tell you on this one is to go with your gut and make sure you’ve completed the first six steps above.
Learn the 3 ways contractors do business:
Our goal is two-fold.
- We want you to have a good experience in your renovation or custom home build.
- We want to challenge the negative perception of the contractor profession. There are many great contractors out there (including us…shameless self promotion), so if you follow these steps, you should be able to find yourself one.
If you’re interested in learning more, or have a project you’d like to discuss with us, please get in touch and we’d be happy to meet with you.
How To Contact Us:
Phone: (780) 809-4501
Email: [email protected]
Meet Our Team: Learn more about the Alair Homes Edmonton Team