Find A Building Contractor To Remember
By Meredith Merchan, Fri Dec 9th
My husband and I have an acre and a half behind our home andreally wanted to do something special on part of it. We alsojust recently decided to renew our wedding vows and thought whatbetter place to do it, than our very own home. Our dilemma beganhere because we did not have any ideas about what exactly wewanted. So over dinner one night we decided to talk about whatwe both envisioned for our wedding day, and what our budgetwould look like. Since we had been saving for this big event wewere pleased with the amount we thought we could spend. So thenext step was to look through some magazines, and watch a fewremodeling shows on television for ideas.
It took us about a week and a half to get our ideas on paper andmap out what we thought would function affectively for ourfamily and still look appealing for future gatherings andevents. We decided on a nice decorative gazebo with abeautifully lit pathway to its entrance. We also thought that wewould put in decking section off to the side to provide for adance floor, or future bar-be-que events at our home. Thelandscaping and gardens we decided we could handle ourselveswith some hard work and planning, but the construction projectswe knew better than to think we could tackle it. So we decidedto look for a local general contractorthat could meet our budget, and who shared our vision.
We wanted to be sure that we found the right contractor for thejob, so we asked around to other people who had used him. Wewere glad we did, because we were able to even visit some siteswhere he had personally constructed other yard structures andother gazebos. This helped in the process to put our minds atease using this particular contractor and his company.
We were also able to get a good idea of the material costs bycalling around to local retail stores and asking a fewquestions. Then we spoke with this contractor and compared hisquote with theirs. So far he seemed to be giving a fair pricequote. One thing we really liked about this particularcontractor was that he provided us a written quote and a list ofthe local retail stores that he tends to use or had used in thepast. Not only was this helpful to compare costs, but also gaveus a chance to ask others their opinion of this contractor.
Another aspect we appreciated about this contractor was that heprovided a copy of his license and expiration dates. Over all,we were so pleased with this contractor because he provided awritten contract that was easy to read, provided his name,address, phone number, license number, project description indetail, starting and completion dates, materials list, and astatement that said he was responsible for permits andinspections. He also provided us a warranty of workmanship andhis guarantee. At the end of the project the contractor alsoprovided a team that came out and cleaned-up all the mess andswept up any extra debris.
In the end, the total price was very accurate and the paymentschedule ran smoothly. We were more than pleased with theworking conditions during the building of the project and theyalways kept the site safe and as clean as possible. What morecould a family ask for? Everything was completed on schedule andthe wedding was on time too! Our guests had a wonderful time andthey were so impressed with the gazebo and deck that many of ourfriends and family are considering using the same contractor todo some work in their yards too!
About the author:Meredith Merchan is a freelance writer and consumer advocate forthe general contractor and building contractorsector, and answers visitor questions and concerns athttp://www.findacontractor.org
