subject: Ways To Get The Best Home Improvement Contractor In Ca [print this page] Home improvement is a spring-summer projectHome improvement is a spring-summer project. Home improvement or home alteration is best done after a lot of thought and consideration.
Kinds of Home Improvement
Home improvement projects could be large or small. They could take the following forms.
It could be a small job when you just want to change some fixtures and maybe open a new window.
It could be a larger project when you decide on room additions as your family has grown.
You may want to break down a couple of walls to have larger rooms.
You may want to build a deck or landscape your gardens.
Or you may want to carry out repairs like retiling your roof or fixing the caulking in the windows
Steps to take
Think long and hard before you undertake a home improvement project. Remember any alteration that you do to a house loosens the structure. Once a change is made it is not easy to reverse it. Elicit the opinions of the rest of your family or even a few friends to make sure that everyone is happy with the plan. Discussion with the family might also bring forth some new ideas. Home improvement projects should be done in a planned and systematic manner to ensure that the job is completed in the optimal time. Make the necessary drawings. Enlist the services of an architect if necessary.
Talk to some recommended home improvement contractors and get a detailed bill of materials and quote from them. Get 2-3 competing quotes and study them in detail. Draw up a detailed plan of how you will manage while the home improvement is being done. Stagger the work in the house so that one area at a time is complete. This will allow you and your family to stay in the house while the work is being done. Make sure you have sufficient funds to complete the whole project. It is also wise to have a little extra as there are invariably cost over-runs or while the work is in progress, you might decide to increase the scope of the project. Also plan for how you will manage while workers are traipsing through your house. Be prepared to take a few extra days off from work, as it is most common for work not to finish on time.
Outsourcing the Project
It may be a good idea to outsource the project to a renovation contractor. Jobs done by professionals tend to be faster, neater and more reliable. It could also be cheaper as the workers would come with their own tools, they are qualified and/or experienced to carry out this work and so there will be minimum wastage of materials and the job is likely to finish on schedule. The job will be more reliable and stronger. Before outsourcing the work, do a little homework. Get some competing quotes and use them as a negotiation tool. Verify the cost of materials and labour so that you sound more assured about the various aspects of the job. This will prevent the contractor from padding his bill.
