How many quotes should I get for my Remodeling Project??
Researching and hiring a remodeling company for your home improvement project can be a daunting task, especially if its something you have no previous experience with and/or do not have any direct referrals from someone you know and trust. I have heard many times that a homeowner should get at least 3-5 quotes before making any decisions. I used to be a firm believer in this rule, in fact I used to recommend it to potential clients. However, I believe there are flaws with this approach and there are other important factors to be taken into consideration.
For instance, if you have a friend or neighbor that has been through a project and can provide a positive referral for the company they worked with, this would be a better start. You would still want to learn as much about the company as possible, how they work, their processes, background, etc. so that you can make your own well-informed decision. If you did this with one company, I believe this would be a better approach than picking 3-5 contractors at random and simply picking the one you feel is best.
Home remodeling is one of the most complained about industries in the country - spending additional time up-front, researching, asking the right questions, and seeking referrals is time better spent than using your valuable time inviting a whole host of contractors to your home and hoping that 1 or 2 of them is a legit, professional company. Do your behind-the-scenes legwork and then spend some quality time at your house with one or 2. In other words, spend more time asking around, networking, getting names from people you know, like and trust, and less time with contractors you're never going to hire.
In the past 6 years, there has always been several projects each year where we have been brought in to finish a project because of a contractor disappearing, doing negligent work, not pulling permites, etc. I'll provide some of these examples in future blog posts, just to be sure to scare you into hiring a professional company!!