Say "No" to The 3 Bid Theory

If you needed heart surgery would you ever consider asking 3 surgeons to submit bids and then select the lowest one? The rhetorical answer is of course not. However many home owners think nothing of shelling out thousands of dollars and opening up their home to a remodeler they selected solely on his price.

Granted a remodeling project is not a life threatening operation, but it could have a definite effect on the families well being and financial health for years to come. Many factors other than price need to be considered before you can find the best contractor for a specific project.

A common tactic is to solicit three remodelers for bids. The homeowner will throw out the high and low bids and select the middle bid, confident he has minimized the risk by dropping the 2 extremes. Price drives the selection.

No job interview begins by negotiating salary and a home remodeling project should not be any different. Before you get to compensation you should make sure you have a qualified applicant. One of the first things you do is to check references. It is important that you talk to people who have hired this remodeler to do jobs similar to yours. A beautifully remodeled kitchen or bath sheds little light on his ability to build a second floor addition to your home. You'll want to ask the references if they had any problems with quality, payment schedule, employees or completion time.

The most telltale question you can ask is "Would you hire this remodeler again?" Some people will be hesitant to make negative comments, but the enthusiasm in which they answer this question is bound to tell you all you need to know about this remodeler.

After you have talked with the references, take a look at their work. Check out the quality of the craftsmanship and materials, overall aesthetics, creativity and how the project blends in with the rest of the house.

Also verify the remodelers licensing if required in your city/state and insurance. If you hire a remodeler who does not carry workers compensation insurance and one of his employees gets injured on the job, you could be liable for medical bills and lost wages.