About hiring a contractor, I can now say that if you have a good contractor they tend to work with good reliable sub-contractors. Also, among the contractors and sub-contractors all move was split into at least 2 payments to cover milestones. Except for the plasterers, they didn't want any money until they were done. Oh yeah, the plumber didn't want any money until he was done either.
That raises another good point: get referrals from friends! Mike agrees with the milestone-based payment plan versus the time-based payment plan. He also thinks for icing, contractors should have a 30 day wait period after completion for the final 10% in case you later find something witht heir work but I imagine that's not very common.
I did see one episode where the subs were good and reliable (in fact the show used them to finish the job) but the contractor (who kept slipping out the schedule) never paid them so they had to stop working. Then the contractor took off. I think they may have had some referrals on that guy but it turns out he'd never actually done a job of such a large scope and he was in over his head.
Around the time Eric and I bought our house we were complete addicts for home improvement shows. Hometime is a classic. We spent whole weekend mornings watching how to hand drywall, tile a bathroom, or just paint a wall properly.
Over the years, with experiences both good and bad, the amusement has worn off. But I do think the shows educated us immensely about home building and maintainence and working with contractors.
To my mind, the biggest problem with contractors in Santa Cruz is that they are just plain flakes. Out of a list of five contractors you can expect to have only three return your calls and one return a bid, if you are lucky. It is a major pain and well before the niggly details of quality and references. I take reliabilty on faith based on their ability to respond.
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About hiring a contractor, I can now say that if you have a good contractor they tend to work with good reliable sub-contractors. Also, among the contractors and sub-contractors all move was split into at least 2 payments to cover milestones. Except for the plasterers, they didn't want any money until they were done. Oh yeah, the plumber didn't want any money until he was done either.
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I did see one episode where the subs were good and reliable (in fact the show used them to finish the job) but the contractor (who kept slipping out the schedule) never paid them so they had to stop working. Then the contractor took off. I think they may have had some referrals on that guy but it turns out he'd never actually done a job of such a large scope and he was in over his head.
Reply
Over the years, with experiences both good and bad, the amusement has worn off. But I do think the shows educated us immensely about home building and maintainence and working with contractors.
To my mind, the biggest problem with contractors in Santa Cruz is that they are just plain flakes. Out of a list of five contractors you can expect to have only three return your calls and one return a bid, if you are lucky. It is a major pain and well before the niggly details of quality and references. I take reliabilty on faith based on their ability to respond.
Reply
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