Just a few minutes ago, I received a call from a customer following up on a request she had made of me last Friday.  She was a customer for whom I had earlier done some rather complicated repairs on her house.  She said she needed the carpeting in her bedroom replaced and wondered if I would do it or could recommend someone else.  Her comment was, “I’m getting older, and don’t want just anyone coming into my house.”   She knew from our previous jobs that I would be trustworthy and do good work.

Her concern reflects the reality that, when remodeling, homeowners must allow trades people access into areas of their homes into which they probably haven’t even allowed their close friends.   So the importance of getting a reputable artisan and/or contractor is high on their list of priorities. 

How can homeowners find a reputable and trustworthy remodeling contractor?  For starters, we can look for BBB accredited businesses in our area.  Another time-tested method is finding businesses that are referred by a business or friend that we already know and trust.  Their attesting to the honesty of the contractor goes a long ways. 

When I take on a smaller job, I normally require 50% of the job at contract signing, and the remaining balance upon substantial completion of the project.   The reason for this is exactly the nature of the trust relationship between myself as a reputable contractor and the homeowner.  If the job is larger, I will break it down into phases and require money up front for each phase, leaving about 20% or to be paid upon substantial completion. 

 Sometimes my customers have offered to pay me the last payment before I’m done.  I generally refuse, because, even though I have great relationship with such customers, I know myself and like to keep that last payment as a motivation to press to the finish.  As in many jobs, the last 20% of the job takes 80% of the effort of the general contractor.  And the seemingly little details may be small, but they can be exceedingly irritating when left undone, because they get lost in the shuffle of new jobs and pressing deadlines.

Another habit I have is to call my former customers from time to time to see how the workmanship has held up.  I want to learn from every job and maintain quality.  Some “industry practices” don’t hold up to the kind of standards I like to maintain and I want to correct that when a similar project comes up again.

A quality job starts and ends with a good two-way relationship between the customer and remodeling contractor of honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, and give and take.  Remodeling takes place in the real-world  of surprises with termite damage, crooked walls, sagging ceilings,  cracked foundations, etc.  The remodeler’s job is to foresee those problems as best he/she can, and honestly recommend solutions and estimate costs.  

When the customer and the Remodeling contractor approach these things with the attitude of partnership and teamwork, the remodeling experience can be very satisfying.

Thankfully I have had the privilege of working with many good customers who have been exactly those kind of “partners” and “team members.”  I am proud of the work we have done and consider it an honor to have worked for them. 

Java Joe