How to Choose a Home Improvement Company
Have you decided to transform your home, make it more comfortable and cozy, equip it with the latest technical innovations, or decorate it in a certain style? Then you cannot do without the help of professional and qualified craftsmen.
It's clear that you'll be searching for local home improvement company because it's the simplest way to achieve the needful result.
On the Internet, you can easily find thousands of ads and websites of companies that offer their services in the field of apartment or house improvement. Your task is to choose from them the one that will make the repairs efficiently, quickly, at the cost that was originally agreed. Unfortunately, not every ad is backed by a conscientious performer of repair work, therefore, in order not to waste time, money and nerves, go to the choice thoroughly.
First, you need to decide who to invite: a team of workers who work separately or a company that will conclude a contract with you and give guarantees, but will also appreciate the work more. Of course it's more effective to hire local home improvement company and make them responsible for everything and trust their experience. Don't forget to underline all your wishes and control they follow all of them.
If you are hiring a team, it is advisable to at least get some recommendations from their previous customers, and, if possible, watch their work live. This will give you some confidence that your apartment is not the first in which they will improve, and that the workers will not disappear after receiving an advance payment from you. But you will have to check the quality of work personally, and it is not so easy if you do not have the necessary knowledge of repair technologies.
In this sense, a construction company is much more reliable, but even among the companies there are those that create many problems for their customers.
So, in order to choose a good company for repairs, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- A serious company cannot tell you the cost of your repair over the phone. If, without seeing your apartment, they confidently tell you the cost per square meter, you are being deceived. The fact is that without inspecting the object and discussing the details, it is very difficult to even approximate the cost of the work. The only thing that can be guided by is the approximate range of prices "from" and "to". But a good company will definitely offer to send you an employee who will inspect the apartment, take measurements and, based on these data, make a detailed estimate for you.
- The company must work quickly. The speed of the company and its employees can be assessed even at the stage of acquaintance. If the company promises to send a measurer to you in a week, and then postpones the visit several times; if the employee is significantly late for the meeting; if, after inspecting the object, you cannot receive your estimate for another week, all this speaks not in favor of the organization. In good company, the measurer will come to you in 1-2 days after your call. The estimate is also carried out in 1-2 days.
- - The company must have a database of completed objects, photos of which can be shown to you. It is also advisable to inspect one of the objects in the process of work.
- - The company is obliged to conclude an agreement, which details the obligations of the parties, the payment scheme, deadlines and penalties. Penalties for non-compliance with the terms are usually given in written form and you should calculate the penalties for each day of delay of the amount under the contract.
- - Estimates are part of the contract. Pay attention to how detailed they are. Each work, each material should be highlighted in a separate item. Beware of not detailed estimates, which contain just general points, for example: "wall preparation", "bathroom renovation". Having such an estimate, the contractor can at any time declare that "such and such" work is not included in his concept of "repair of a bathroom" and will require additional payment.
- - The work schedule and completion date must be realistic. Do not believe if a company promises to make a major overhaul of an apartment in a "week" - if the technology is properly followed, this is simply impossible. It is necessary to maintain the prescribed drying time for plaster, screed, self-leveling floor, etc. The normal period for overhaul of an apartment should be realistic.
- - The company is obliged to appoint a responsible employee at your facility, with whom you will resolve all emerging issues, and who will monitor the quality of the work performed. These functions are usually performed by a foreman; in small companies, this may be the runner himself.
So you can easily look for local home improvement company and choose those one which is most favorable for you.