I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
point that you should always get references and check them out. They
also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
specific contractors.

Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.

I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
estimator comes out and ask then?

Thanks for any guidance.

Dan

I'd wait till all the estimates are in and you're satisfied that none of
the contractors are complete jerks. Then ask for references of the
bidder(s) you'd like to go with.

Check with your state licensing board for complaints; for example in
California http://www.cslb.ca.gov/

Dan_Musicant wrote:
I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
point that you should always get references and check them out. They
also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
specific contractors.

Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.

I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
estimator comes out and ask then?

Thanks for any guidance.

Dan

But ... any references you get would come from the contractor, and you can
BET they're not gonna give you the job where they were 3 weeks late and laid
the wrong color shingles ... so you're gonna get a rosy red picture from
every one of them, and you'll be no further along than when you started.

You're doing the right thing in getting multiple bids. Unless this is an
emergency, take your time and do some follow up. Use the internet to do some
searches on the companies (if they're small local outfits you probably won't
find much), and ask around to friends, relatives, co-workers etc for
recommendations or horror stories. Those are your best sources of
information. Ask to see jobs they've done - again, you'll probably get their
best ones, but you can at least look at craftsmanship and such.

--
Scott McDaniel
InfoTrakker Software

"Dan_Musicant" wrote in message
...
I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
point that you should always get references and check them out. They
also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
specific contractors.

Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.

I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
estimator comes out and ask then?

Thanks for any guidance.

Dan

I'm not sure I'm the right person to answer a question like yours, however
just like buyer markets and seller markets in real estate, you need to
assess how busy and how available contractors are in your area. In
Westchester county , NY where I live and work, you get recommendations from
satisfied customers, friends, relatives, etc. call the contractor and pray
he's willing to work for you. (sometime this year) All that text book" how
to hire a contractor" stuff only works when there are to many contractors
and not enough work



"Dan_Musicant" wrote in message
...
I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
point that you should always get references and check them out. They
also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
specific contractors.

Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.

I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
estimator comes out and ask then?

Thanks for any guidance.

Dan

Ask for PROOF of liability and workmen's comp.they should give you this. And
yes ask for references , go one more and see if you can see some of there
completed jobs. but remember their not going to give you names of
dissatisfied customers. But on there behave some people can't be satisfied
no matter what and believe me calling there wife a bitch is a bad business
practice.


"Dan_Musicant" wrote in message
...
I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
point that you should always get references and check them out. They
also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
specific contractors.

Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.

I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
estimator comes out and ask then?

Thanks for any guidance.

Dan

The best and only reference you'd need is "Payment on satisfactory
completion". If he wants a retainer, he's the wrong guy.
Any good contractor will do the job on the basis of not satisfied : don't
pay.
"Dan_Musicant" wrote in message
...
I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
point that you should always get references and check them out. They
also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
specific contractors.

Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.

I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
estimator comes out and ask then?

Thanks for any guidance.

Dan

Dan_Musicant wrote:
I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
point that you should always get references and check them out. They
also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
specific contractors.

Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.

I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
estimator comes out and ask then?

Thanks for any guidance.

Dan


These suggestions are wonderful, but my experience with two
houses starting in 1971 is that it is very difficult to get TWO
quotes let alone three, so I have just given the job to the ONLY
bidder and prayed.

On Fri, 19 Aug 2005 09:46:18 -0400, John_B wrote:

an_Musicant wrote:
: I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
: been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
: video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
: point that you should always get references and check them out. They
: also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
: There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
: BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
: specific contractors.
:
: Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
: reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
: Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
: was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
: looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
: he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
: find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
: nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
: the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.
:
: I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
: people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
: just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
: Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
: estimator comes out and ask then?
:
: Thanks for any guidance.
:
: Dan
:
:
:These suggestions are wonderful, but my experience with two
:houses starting in 1971 is that it is very difficult to get TWO
:quotes let alone three, so I have just given the job to the ONLY
:bidder and prayed.
Gee, I hope I can do better than that. I will surely be praying -
there's a lot that can go wrong and from the posts I've been reading
some people who did due diligence in spades still got "creamed." Here's
a really really good thread in this newsgroup from 1997 titled "finding
reputable roofers." The sixth post (by LanceGecko) in particular is
fantastic:

http://tinyurl.com/co3s7

Dan

"Dan_Musicant" wrote in message
...
I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
point that you should always get references and check them out. They
also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
specific contractors.

Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.

I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
estimator comes out and ask then?

Thanks for any guidance.

Dan



I am a contractor, been in business over 20 years. I don't give references
and I don't ask for references from my customers. I only take jobs by
referral. With all the telemarketing etc. the last thing I would do is give
out a customers name to be called on, at who knows what hours, by a stranger
who wants to come over and look at their new kitchen?
You stated you already called a contractor that was recommended by a friend.
That is a good reference. That is how you will find a good contractor.

On Fri, 19 Aug 2005 16:23:50 GMT, "calhoun"
wrote:

:
:"Dan_Musicant" wrote in message
.. .
: I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
: been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
: video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
: point that you should always get references and check them out. They
: also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
: There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
: BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
: specific contractors.
:
: Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
: reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
: Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
: was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
: looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
: he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
: find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
: nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
: the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.
:
: I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
: people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
: just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
: Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
: estimator comes out and ask then?
:
: Thanks for any guidance.
:
: Dan
:
:
:
:I am a contractor, been in business over 20 years. I don't give references
:and I don't ask for references from my customers. I only take jobs by
:referral. With all the telemarketing etc. the last thing I would do is give
ut a customers name to be called on, at who knows what hours, by a stranger
:who wants to come over and look at their new kitchen?
:You stated you already called a contractor that was recommended by a friend.
:That is a good reference. That is how you will find a good contractor.

Well, I hope you're right and I see your point about your customers
possibly not wanting to be bothered with your prospective customers'
impositions. Like I say, I've never hired a contractor - done everything
on my own, but I can't do my roof or my foundation, electricity (new
services), etc. so I'm going to hire some contractors. I'm actually
hoping to find a good general contractor to coordinate all these things.
I had one but I didn't have the money then. Now I do and he's not as
interested in being a GC. He'd rather do the things he specializes in -
it's easier on him. Foundations are really tough, he tells me.

Well, that BBB video stressed that I should ask for references and
that's what I'm going to do. I'll see what happens. Thanks, anyhow. I
appreciate the feedback and I'll try to honor your viewpoint. I see the
validity of it.

Dan

"Scott McDaniel" wrote in message
...
But ... any references you get would come from the contractor, and you can
BET they're not gonna give you the job where they were 3 weeks late and
laid
the wrong color shingles ... so you're gonna get a rosy red picture from
every one of them, and you'll be no further along than when you started.

You're doing the right thing in getting multiple bids. Unless this is an
emergency, take your time and do some follow up. Use the internet to do
some
searches on the companies (if they're small local outfits you probably
won't
find much), and ask around to friends, relatives, co-workers etc for
recommendations or horror stories. Those are your best sources of
information. Ask to see jobs they've done - again, you'll probably get
their
best ones, but you can at least look at craftsmanship and such.

--
Scott McDaniel
InfoTrakker Software

Also make sure their contractor's license is valid and current. I've
recently had contractors give me bids only to find out their license had
expired months earlier. One guy gave us some ranch fresh eggs and offered
to give my daughters free riding lessons. Nice, but I still won't hire him.

If they don't offer references I would probably stop talking to them unless
someone you know and trust recommended them. And as it's already been said
they are not going to give you any BAD references so that kind of makes it a
moot point whether or not to call any of them.



"Dan_Musicant" wrote in message
...
I'm new to this to the tune that I've never hired a contractor. But I've
been thinking about it and doing some homework. I watched the BBB's
video "Hiring a Home Contractor" a couple of times and they make the
point that you should always get references and check them out. They
also say you should get at least 3 bids before making a decision.
There's a lot of other things they advise, including checking the the
BBB and licensing agencies and trade organizations for feedback about
specific contractors.

Well, I've called 3 contractors I have some reason to believe may be
reliable, but I sure don't have any proof. They appeared in a Good
Service Guide from a few years back and they are still in business. One
was recommended by a friend. That contractor sent a guy by today who
looked at my roof and took enough information to work up an estimate and
he said I'd get a letter next week. I went to their website but couldn't
find any references listed there. I went to the BBB's site, both
nationally and locally and when I put in the company's name or address
the search came up with nothing whatsoever - no company found.

I'm wondering how I should go about getting references from these
people. Should I ask for references even before an estimator comes out -
just call and ask the office person for references right off that bat?
Should I ask the estimator? Or should I call the office after the
estimator comes out and ask then?

Thanks for any guidance.

Dan

"calhoun" wrote in message

You stated you already called a contractor that was recommended by a
friend. That is a good reference. That is how you will find a good
contractor.

Every contractor I use was found that way. When they did a small job well,
on time, within budget, they became our regular contractors. For big jobs I
may need a budget figure, but for small stuff, they are just told "do it"
and they do. We also pay them on time.

Living in a somewhat rural place, I find it hard to get 3 bids
sometimes as well, plus I don't like to keep calling and rejecting
contractors that might be wanted for other projects later on.

The best contractor I have dealt with did't make me ask for references
(which would all be rosy, as mentioned). On day one, he simply gave me
a sheet of literally over a hundred names and addresses all over my
area, without even being asked. Sure, he would have erased the problem
jobs, but still it was an impressively long list for a small
contractor, and all fairly recent jobs. He even went to the trouble of
pointing out which of the references would be most similar to mine
(down to house colors, trim details, style, etc.), and then also asked
right up front if he minds if he puts our name on the list as well, and
did so when the job was barely even started.