How to Hire a Kitchen Contractor

Once you have made your decision to remodel or renovate your kitchen, the next crucial step is hiring a kitchen contractor (unless you have decided to go the DIY way!). A reliable and efficient kitchen contractor can often make the difference between a kitchen remodel that you love or hate. Hiring the right kitchen contractor can guarantee that you get a kitchen that that lives up to your expectations. Hiring the wrong contractor, on the other hand, can often give you an experience that is the stuff of your worst nightmares! So, how do you know if the contractor you have hired is right for the job or not? How do you go about hiring a kitchen contractor who will help make your dream kitchen a reality?

Here are the things to keep in mind:

Reliable

The best way to get a contractor who is reliable is to ask for referrals with your friends, family, colleagues or neighbors. If you find a name that pops up a number of times, you could shortlist that contractor to be interviewed. Draw up a list of names from the referrals that you get from people that you trust.

Interview

Interview the contractors whose names you have shortlisted. Ask for references and addresses of projects done in the past. If a contractor has a website, read through the website and check for credentials and industry affiliations or memberships with credible industry organizations.

Visit Contractor

If possible, visit the past projects of the contractor. You must also call the references listed to verify them.

Discuss project

Once you have identified the contractor with whom you have the best rapport and who has verifiable credentials and references, discuss your project and get a written document from him. This should include the plan, a schedule of tasks and dates in which they will be completed, the price that has been bid, as well as schedule for payment. Also ask if they will be using subcontractors and how many hours a day will the work be going on.

References

Get bank references from the contractor.

Flexibility

Make sure the contractor is one who is open to ideas from you and also flexible about any change in design or plans. If he is a good listener, chances are that he will be a good professional too.

Start the project

Once you are satisfied with the written document submitted by the contractor, you could go ahead with the project.

While it is a good idea to do phone interviews with a number of contractors before deciding which one would be the best for your kitchen remodeling project, it is always wise to interview shortlisted individuals face to face. You would get a better idea of the communication style, leadership style, and personality of the contractor through a face-to-face discussion, much better than you can ever glean from a phone conversation. Once you have decided, make sure that any changes in designs or plans are communicated to your contractor in advance for a smooth working relationship.