Most Qualified, Contractors are focused on giving you, the homeowner, a quality job. And, why not--if you are left with a good Remodeling or Building experience overall, you'll be proud to talk to your friends and neighbors about it. This in turn will give your contractor more references which in turn will help generate more jobs in the future. A Qualified Contractor knows he is responsible for giving you a quality job at a fair price. He understands that if there are problems or serious disputes about the job, he will have to answer to the Contractors State License Board, as well as the BBB or whomever else, you the homeowner decides to file a complaint with. It's in any legitimate contractor's best interest to help resolve all concerns promptly. For they must consider the overall investment they've already put into their business: This includes years of experience and study spent, just to get through the initial license application process, there is also time and money invested in the License itself, the Bond, Insurance Taxes and Workman's Comp. Each of these items represents an overseeing agency to whom every licensed contractor must answer.
"But, I can save money having my brother-in-law do the job!"
While it's true that Qualified Contractors will charge will
almost certainly charge more than a handyman for the same job, to truly be fair
the homeowner must compare each one's overall investment. No licensed contractor
attempting to actually make a living in this business, will claim he can beat
the price of your neighborhood handyman. For, more often than not, an unlicensed
handyman is simply in it to supplement his income! A licensed contractor has
much more at stake in the way of overhead, just to run his business effectively
and legitimately.
Yes, there are many experienced handymen out there doing various minor side-jobs
at cut-rate prices. There are even licensed handymen who work under specialty
licenses and run their business legitimately, with all the necessary city permits.
Yet all too many have no license at all; carry no insurance and consequently
answer to no one but themselves. And if you hire such a company to work on your
home, then you the homeowner must seriously consider: If he or any of his employees
should become injured while working on your home, you may well end up paying
the medical costs out of pocket or from your personal homeowner's insurance!
This is not as uncommon an occurrence as you may think either! So, most of the
time--especially if you know nothing about them--it's a gamble! You may as well
take your money and spend it in a high stakes Las Vegas Poker game. While you're
there maybe see a couple of shows--at least the entertainment value will make
you feel like you got something worthwhile for your money.