Renovation Solutions: Finding the best remodeling contractors for your project

This entry remodel shows the dramatic impact a remodel can have on a house with the help of a well-selected group of professionals.

Annie Schwemmer, Renovation Design Group

Many of our clients come to us wondering how they can ever find a contractor who can get their job done well, on time and on budget. They have heard countless remodeling horror stories about contractors going MIA in the middle of a project, hiking the bill or botching the work. The skills of most homeowners lie outside the arena of construction, so they realize how dependent they will be on the person executing their remodeling project.

That type of thinking is what spurred more than 2 million inquiries for general contractors in the U.S. through the Better Business Bureau in 2012 alone. The statistics show the horror stories are not as common as we may think with only 5,355 complaints last year. It may be in part that the natural selection process during the trying economy over the past few years has left only the best companies who could weather the storm.

While that may be so, there is still no shortage of contractors in Utah. Defunct firms are starting up again, now that the economy is improving. The bottom line is that each homeowner aspires to select a top-notch contractor for their particular project.

Not every contractor is created equal, so what does one need to know when making this critical decision? First, you need to know that new construction and remodeling are two very different beasts. A contractor that may be a craftsman in new construction may struggle at the jigsaw puzzle that is remodeling.

If you are remodeling a home, it is important to choose a contractor who has experience in the art of residential remodeling construction. If you have an older home lets say an antique from the early 1900s that is a whole other species as well. It takes a specialty contractor to handle the issues that may come with remodeling a historic home in or out of a historic district.

Just so we are clear here, when we are referring to a contractor we mean a general contractor or GC. The general contractor assembles, manages and directs a team of subcontractors and coordinates and warranties their work on the construction of the home. Contractors are experts in the cost, logistics and methods of building.

Remember though, contractors are about as good at design as architects are at building. If you wouldnt hire an architect to build your remodel, then you shouldnt hire a contractor to design it. However, involving the contractor early on in the process helps address construction concerns in the planning stage and can provide critical budget information. Architects and contractors do need each others skills for a successful project.

We often partner with general contractors to form a design-build team that involves the contractor from the inception of the project. This is actually a very common way of executing a construction project these days. This method unifies the flow of work and allows each participant to contribute in their area of expertise.

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Renovation Solutions: Finding the best remodeling contractors for your project