If your home improvement project involved stucco, you will want to be sure you find the right contractor for the job. It is always important to hire good contractors, but it is especially important when they will be doing work such as stucco installation, which is not as common as other contracting duties. You need to work with a people who know how do to the job properly, so you can be sure it will get done right the first time.
Fortunately, you shouldn’t have much trouble finding a good contractor, as long as you know what questions to ask during the process. Use the tips in this article to help yourself sort through the field to pick out the perfect stucco contractor for your job.
Get Multiple Bids
The biggest mistake that homeowners make when picking out any type of contractor is only getting one or two bids as part of the process. You should treat this project just like you would treat a commercial job – you need to secure multiple bids in order to select the best option for your needs. It should be noted that the lowest bid doesn’t automatically win. Instead, you need to weigh all factors, including price, experience, referrals, and more before selecting the company you will hire. It should only take a day or two to contact multiple companies with a request for a bid, so you can have much of the information you need within a short period of time.
There Should be a Guarantee
When you get the bids, make sure to ask if the work will be guaranteed once it is completed. A quality contractor will stand firmly behind their work, so don’t hesitate to ask this question. If the labor and material are not covered by some form of guarantee, you should quickly move on to the next bid. There are plenty of contractors out there who are willing to stand behind their work, so there is no reason to work with one who isn’t.
Keep It Clean
Stucco can be messy business. Make sure there is a plan in place to protect the rest of your property from the mess that can be made when stucco is put in. You don’t want to be left with a huge cleanup project after your contractor has left the job site, so ask specific questions as to how they will keep the rest of your property as clean as possible.
Call References
All contractors should have references, and it is no different for those who work in stucco. Don’t just ask for references, however – be sure to call at least a couple of them to inquire as to the quality of work that they received. This is your best chance to get an unbiased review of the work that was completed, so have a list of specific questions prepared when you give a call to one of the provided references.
Everything in Writing
It doesn’t matter if someone ‘seems’ trustworthy or not – get everything in writing before a project starts. This contract is meant to protect both parties, so make sure that the language is suitable for your needs before you sign on the dotted line. Once the work that is to be done is clearly outlined, along with the costs for the project, you can go into the job with confidence that you will reach a successful conclusion.
Hiring a stucco contractor doesn’t need to be a long and drawn out process, as long as you know what you are looking for from the start. Use the points above to guide your search, and only hire a contractor once you are fully satisfied that they are the perfect selection for the work that you need completed.