5 Questions to ask before hiring a contractor

So how can you protect your home from becoming another cautionary tale? By asking the right questions that will make it easy to determine if a contractor is up for the job or if they’re a disaster waiting to happen. Here are 5 questions to ask before hiring a contractor for your home renovation project. 

“What’s your specialty and how long have you been in business?” 

Experience matters in construction. You don’t want your home to be the place where a novice builder learns the basics — and makes typical beginner mistakes along the way. Ideally, you should be looking for a contract who has at least five to ten years of experience in the business. You should also ask if they specialize in the specific type of home renovation you want. 

Another benefit of hiring an experienced contractor is that they tend to have great networks. They’ll know the best suppliers, subcontractors, and other contacts they can reach out to for top-notch materials and skilled labor. 

“Are you licensed and insured?” 

Don’t assume that just because a contractor has a website and hard hat that they’re qualified to do the work. Make sure to ask upfront if they’re licensed and insured, and don’t be shy about requesting proof if there’s any doubt at all in your mind. Remember, you’ll be entrusting them with the integrity of your home, one of your most precious and valuable assets. If anything goes wrong and your contractor isn’t licensed and insured, you’ll be fully responsible to cover the cost of the damage. 

“Can you provide references from clients, vendors, and subcontractors?”

When a contractor does excellent work, their happy clients usually shout it from the rooftops. So a contractor who has earned a reputation for being the best won’t have any trouble handing you a list of people who can vouch for their work. It’s a good idea to reach out to several references and speak with a mix of previous clients, vendors, and subcontractors. That way, you can get an overall view of what you can expect from a contractor in terms of results, attitude, and ethics. 

“What’s the project timeline?”

One of the most common horror stories is the home reno that ends up taking much, much longer than anticipated. A one-week job turns into three months. A three-month job turns into a year. A year-long job turns into a neverending state of project limbo. 

You can save yourself from this kind of angst by asking for a firm project timeline upfront. It should include an end date as well as milestones to ensure that the project proceeds at an appropriate pace. While you can never fully prevent delays from happening during a home reno (after all, it’s a complex undertaking with many moving parts), you can avoid being blindsided by discussing the project timeline in detail before hiring a contractor. 

“How do you stay in touch with your clients?”

There’s nothing worse than reaching out to your contract with a question or concern and not being able to get a hold of them. A good contractor should be available to answer your questions and provide updates on your projects within a reasonable timeframe — usually 24 hours or less. So be sure to ask your contract how they plan to communicate with you throughout the project. 

Get help from home reno professionals in the GTA

If you’re considering a home renovation project, GTA Builders can help! We’re experienced pros and we’d be happy to answer any questions you have. Get in touch to start planning your project today.