Home repair, kitchen renovation and improvement is a process you may not be familiar with until it becomes time to tackle a project on your home. All homeowners at some point will need to have some type of work done. Finding the right contractor to renovate your kitchen can be stressful, challenging and sometimes a very pricey experience.



Always ask the contractor for referrals. This is the number one mistake homeowners make by simply taking the contractor word and not checking him out. Being victimized is an unwanted reality in today's world. Word of mouth is the best way to find a qualified and reliable contractor who's work you can check out. Ask relatives, friends and neighbors who they have used and had good relationships with. Ask questions like what made it a positive experience, how the contractor communicated with you and how he handled problems that arose. The big question is, would you use him again?

The general contractor hires the subcontractors and holds their contracts. Holding the contract means that they are working for him, they are under contract to him and he pays them directly. When you hire a general contractor you only have a contract with him not all the subs. The general contractor marks up the subcontractor's fee a certain percentage of the construction amount.

For this fee the contractor does all the managing and scheduling of the subs. He also pays, provides supervision of the construction, provides dumpsters, port-a-john, insurance and other miscellaneous things involved in the construction project. The contractors make money by charging for labor and by marking up the materials. The general contractor is referred to the generalist and the subs are the specialist.

There is nothing wrong with interviewing candidates so set up times to go over the plans you have and see if you and the contractor are on the same page and he will be willing to work with your ideas and at the same time, offer some helpful ones of his own. Do not go overboard with the quotes because it can get way too confusing when trying to make a decision. Write down questions ahead of time. Being prepared helps you to not forget things that are important to your project.

The contractor should be willing to listen to you and offers the pros and cons of your design for your specific house. It's important to have good communication between you and your contractor eliminating hopefully any friction if the unexpected is to arise which in renovation, the surprises are likely.

Having good chemistry with your contractor is necessary because this is probably going to be someone you will be working with for quite sometime. You have to trust the people you are working with! Always require in the bid price the scope of the work, payment schedule, a site plan, schedule of primary construction tasks, change order clause, list for close out and express limited warranty.

In addition, a clause about dispute resolution and a waiver of lien which would protect you from subcontractors putting a lien on the house in case the contractor did not pay. Hopefully everything will check out and you can move forward with confidence!