- How long have you been in business? Do with an established contractor, and check it out with consumer protection officials to see if there are any outstanding complaints on file.
- Are you licensed and registered with the state? Only 36 states require licensing for contractors. Check with your local building department or consumer protection agency to see what your state requirements are.
- How many projects like mine have you completed in the last year? Ask for a list.
- Will my project require a permit? Most projects require permits; a competent contractor will get all the necessary permits before starting the work. Don’t hire him if he asks you to get permits.
- May I have a list of your references? Call at least 3 previous clients and ask to see their results. Ask the clients if there were unexpected costs, if the work was completed on time, if the workers showed up on time, and if they would recommend the contractor again.
- May I see other jobs in progress? Buyer beware if you are not allowed to see the site or if the contractor doesn’t have any other work.
- Will you be using subcontractors on the project? If yes, then ask to meet with them. Ask the subcontractors if they were treated fairly and paid on time. Subcontractors could put a “mechanic’s lien” on your property if the contractor doesn’t pay them.
- What type of insurance do you carry? They should have personal liability, worker’s compensation, and property damage coverage. Ask for the copies of insurance certification. Don’t work with the contractor if he doesn’t carry insurance.
- What kind of down payment do you require? Try to limit your down payment. Some state laws limit the amount of money a contractor can request as down payment.
- What kind of payment schedule do you offer? Try to get this in writing on the contract (always sign a contract), and try to make payments due during the project upon completion of a certain amount of work. Never make a final payment or sign an affidavit of final release until you are satisfied with the work and know the subcontractors and suppliers have been paid.
Archive for the ‘Pro Tips’ Category
Here are some things you may not know about carpeting, carpet cleaning and carpet wear. If you were to magnify your carpet in your home and look closely, you would see that it is made up of millions of thin fibers woven together to form a sort of mat. If you looked very closely at the bottom side, you could see the layer of glue binding those fibers together to form the carpet. Dirt that comes into your home from shoes, feet, pets, wind, etc., is made up of all sorts of organic and mineral materials, which get deposited on your carpet. Often, this dirt is well concealed. With each footstep through the room, this dirt gets shifted further toward the bottom of the carpet.
One of the main components of this dirt is sand, (silica, one of the more plentiful minerals on our fair planet). The very same mineral that is melted down and poured to make glass. Like glass in its refined form, silica has sharp edges. These sharp edges get worked into the carpet by the passing of feet, where they constantly cut at these carpet fibers. As they wear, they fray.
At your home you could probably find a sample of your carpet as it was back when you first had it installed, if you look under a particularly heavy piece of furniture or back in an out of the way corner. These small areas of pristine carpet fibers give a very good “before” and “after” image of your carpets well-trod life. Remember how vibrant the colors used to seem? How fluffy the carpet looked? How soft it felt? Dirt and organic materials mat the fibers together. Sand cuts the fibers and makes the nap seem ‘frizzy’ and thin.
Regular vacuum cleaning can help keep your carpet looking better on the surface, but it won’t clean the sand particles out from the very bottom. Very few non-commercial vacuums can even come close. It takes a combination of a cleaning or detergent agent and extreme vacuum power to break the sand loose and pull it out of the carpet. Steam cleaning carpet cleaners are useful because the heat helps to break up the organics. As the steam cools it turns into water, which rinses the carpet fibers and the intense suction of the extractor removes a large percentage of the deep down dirt. “Dry” carpet cleaners also use a type of “detergent” which they sprinkle generously. This detergent breaks apart the organic particles, which bind the rest of the dirt, allowing it to be removed through suction.
By removing these deep down, fiber damaging particles, you are removing the “cutting” fibers that constantly shred your carpet fibers and the backing that holds them together.
Read more about carpet cleaning:
Carpet Cleaning and Murphy’s Law
Increase Home Value Investing in Carpet
Resources:
1. Try the simplest solution first and then work up the hard stuff. Don’t take the roof apart if you just need to change shingles.
2. Study the project thoroughly before you dive in. Going step by step through each phase on the job will save time and give you the result you want. Prepare the shopping list so you won’t have to run to the store at 9.30 on a Sunday evening.
3. Wear safety glasses and gloves. Taking the proper safety precautions when you do plumbing work is essential to you and your family’s well-being.
4. Map your plumbing layout. Knowing where everything is will speed up your reaction time in emergency and may save on expensive repairs and replacements.
5. Build a tool kit – one tool at a time. Adding specialty tools you your basic kit will allow you to tackle more complicated projects, which will help you save time and money.
6. Keep a repair and maintenance log. If you know what you’ve done and when you did it, you will keep home running smoothly and you will eliminate some big surprises along the way.
7. Stick with code. Building and plumbing codes aren’t in place to make your life miserable; they are there to make the systems in your home operate safely and efficiently. Follow them carefully.
8. Get advice from experts. Home centers and plumbing suppliers are more than places to buy washers and P-traps; take advantage of years of practical experience of walking on the sales floor.
9. Buy the best fixtures and materials you can afford. It’s a fact that you get what you pay for – the better the fixture, the longer it will last and the less amount of time you will spend maintaining it.
10. Don’t put off minor repairs. What could have been a simple fix like replacing a leaking faucet can become a major ( and expensive) headache over time.
11. Call in a pro when the water’s over your head. Know your skill level and don’t attempt jobs you are not prepared for.
12. Rent the big tools on a job-by-job basis. There’s no point in spending the money on a tool like a commercial drain auger if you are only going to use it once.