How do you find a contractor for ... around the home
 

Milt's thread about not getting hired by 30 somethings reminded me that I had intended to post a query.

How do you find a good contractor for work? Privacy fence, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roofing, carpentry, whatever...?

Based on what I know about Milt, I wouldn't hesitate to hire him for anything that he thought he could do if I could afford it.

I don't know how to find someone good. If you accept a really low bid, does that mean that they're going to do a crappy job? If you go for a $$$$ bid does that mean that you're getting a good job or just another crappy job but with the additional wallet reaming?

So, I guess the question is, how do I ferret out the Milts of this world and leave the slackers behind?

My wife watches "Flip This House" occasionally and sees the Flippers play hardball on price. That's another thing that I'm not sure about. I have this scenario in mind.

contractor: "Our job will cost $10k"
me: "I'm only willing to pay $6k"
contractor: "how about $8k"
me: "I'll pay $7k, or not have the work done"
contractor: "ok, I'll do it for $7k"
As the contractor thinks to himself, "I'll use the cheapest piece of crap materials that'll last 2 years and Labor from the local 7-11 parking lot and still make a mint."

I'm all for paying a fair price, but how the hell do you know.

Thanks for any insight/advice.

I've used ServiceMagic with good results. I found my roofer and a place to remove a tree through them.

I get most of my subcontractors by contacting the local supply houses, and seeing who they recommend.

If a sub pays his bills and is professional to their supplier, and has been in the business for a wile, thay are usually ok.

Sounds like you are looking for a Handyman as opposed to a contractor.

In my experience Handymen are Handymen for a reason: they can't hold down a job. I'm pretty sure most of the one's I've dealt with were either drunk or hung over every time I saw them.

No, I wasn't asking about someone who can do all of those things, what I meant was how do I find one person/outfit who can do any one of those things, IE, How do I find a plumber or an electrician or a roofer or a ....

Have tools - - - Will travel !!!!

word of mouth

I agree. Friends and family can give good and bad examples. When I bought my house my real estate agent recomended a contractor to do some drywall and repair the hardwood floors. He wasn't cheap but the work was excellent.

No decent contractor would do this. If I work up a bid on a project, that's the price, period. There's not that much margin in the work and my bids are well done. Anybody that would negotiate like this is a problem waiting to happen.

Keep in mind that most of the DIY shows (including the one mentioned above) are made by idiots and intended for viewing by other idiots. I can't bear to watch these morons, as anybody in the construction business can tell immediately that they've never done anything close to what they are teaching you. I've seen them take 15 licks to drive a 16 penny nail. A framing carpenter can do it in two. All day long.

JR

I recently built a gazebo for a customer who wanted it done bare bones minimum at the least expensive price possible. When I finished, she asked, "Where's the trim to cover the lattice?"
I bought the trim, added it and since then I haven't answered her calls to discuss the other work she mentioned she needed done. Done with that!

Typical. This belongs in my thread. Was she 30 something? :D

Hey mas, the supply house thing is good. Word of mouth is good if you are active like Rob. If you need something every other year, it's not so good. I get passed around like butter when the economy is smokin'. Seeing someone doing a the job you need in your neighborhood is good too, although I have a perfect 100% record of NOT getting any work as the result of a looky loo neighbor.

I didn't grow up around here, and I'm not terribly social. Most of the folks that I do know from work are really young and relatively poor (no referal value there). That means that I don't really have a good base of folks to ask for recommendations.

OK, so how do I find the supply houses to ask? I know you guys aren't talking about HD or Lowes ;), so how in a city the size of Houston, do I find the "supply houses"? Yellow Pages?

Thanks all, this is good info.

Fortunately for me I grew up a military brat, so I got to see the world. I also had a father that was fairly handy (thought automotive was his specialty, not houses) so I learned a some over the years. Unfortunately because we moved around (lots of townhouses) and lived on base over seas (base housing), we never had to hire contractors, so I don't have any experience from growing up. We've gotten a few things done around the house, but my wife lined up the work. I've not been happy with most of it, but then in the past we really couldn't afford much. We're now in the position to be able to afford to get things done right instead of done cheap.

Since most jobs (roof, HVAC, carpet, etc) are one-time jobs and, as a homeowner you will likely never use the guy/company again, both sides have little incentive to do right by the other. The person that does multiple projects has a little more leverage.

If I cannot find somene I know, I prefer to hire a guy/company for a small job and then use their performance to determine whether or not to give them more work.

Angies List. A service provider rating website. You (the customer) pay to join which keeps out the twits. I use it and have been happy. Look for someone rated A with plenty of reviews. Mention you found them via the list, it makes a difference.

I'll check out servicemagic and Angie's List too.

Start by asking the commercial guys at the busiest lumber supply store? They'll likely give you a good source to call.

I think that's hit or missed at a parts house. a chatter box get friendly with a sales guy and slips him some cash, then he's the guy you get. Not always good. Try your neighbors. I really like people that are in their 40 or 50s. Hate the young punks that know it all and tell you how good they are. they never get any work from me period. When you meet your contractor, ask to see if he's busy and how many is in his crew. If he has too many jobs and a small crew, run. ask to see his current work and go and talk to the owners. How far apart are they? Try to get a guy that does work locally or a specific area of the city. this way he's not stress about needing to run across town to finish or to see his son play soccer. read my other post in milt's thread. Mske sure it says guarteen maxium price in there and that plans and spec must be signed and dated spelled out in the contract. after you talk to them, you will know who the good ones are.

jeff

Look - if it is something big, you need to hire an Architect. Not for design - so they will specify how many freakin' nails to be driven, what kind of nail, how far apart & on & on. They work for you. The contractor has to meet their spec. Simple as that.

Neighbor word of mouth is good otherwise.

S'magic seems to use their web site as a way to get info about you....

Angie's List is ok for a big city (Houston) but here, it has little info in it - they also run every low rating past the contractor so I'm not sure what happens after that. Not saying the C. should not be able to deal with an irate & crazy homeowner, of course...

My father in law is a contractor with a crew of three, including himself. He has a nearly two year backlog. He has that two year backlog because he's damn good and totally honest, and people are willing to WAIT two years for him to become available. Not everyone aspires to own an empire. His philosophy - "when people hire me for a job, they expect me to show up".

Steve, ask everyone you know, even the poor young guys. Word of mouth is the absolute best way to identify good and bad contractors. People rarely forget being screwed.

BTW - the guy who just trimmed some big windows for me just met with me - he wanted to cut his charges (time + materials) 'cuz his ORAL bid was way under what the total turned out to be.

I resisted and then let him knock some off. Now, that is a standup guy.

I'll be sure to recommend him and ask him back -- even tho the quality of the work is not A+ (i.e. gaps etc.), more like B+. I can always fill the gaps later myself with putty or something.