I make it a point to stay current with remodeling news and trends.  After all, how else could I provide beneficial information to potential clients attracted to our blog?  Today, while scanning and reading remodeling and home improvement forums,  I came across a post from a woman with a question I’m sure many homeowners have asked themselves regarding home improvement.  This is what she said:

“I’m not trying to inflame here, I just have some basic questions. What about the situation where you hire the contractor and his crew comes to work on the project but he is not on site, or just visits once a day or so. I would imagine the licensed guy is legally liable for the work his unlicensed crew does, but he’s not looking over their shoulders checking their work. How am I, as the consumer, protected in this situation? It seems almost as bad as a non-licensed situation. Yeah, I probably have more legal recourse if something goes wrong, but who wants that headache? I just want something installed/repaired properly the first time.”

Have any of you wondered the same thing?  How can you protect your interests (family, finances, property, etc.) when considering remodeling?  Many businesses do hire day laborers or employ untrained workers to complete projects.  If the company owner holds a valid contractor’s license, this is technically legal.  It is unsettling to consider that the people actually doing the work on your home may have no business with a hammer in their hand, much less the responsibility of remodeling your property.
Hoping to give a morsel of information to this poster and to those of you viewing our blog for insight, I’d like to share the following (This is what I posted in the forum response section also):

Who wants the headache? Great point. NOBODY!

Checking whether the lead carpenter overseeing your project is  NARI Certified, is a great way of ensuring your project is in capable hands.  Depending on how large the company, the President or owner may not be able to oversee each project on a daily basis. Employing experienced and professionally trained carpenters is a way busy, larger construction companies make a genuine effort to produce good work and decrease the chances of homeowner dissatisfaction.

Checking the credentials of the workers in your home is imperative. I’d argue that the company you are considering to complete your home improvement project should offer this information early on in the process.   A company that fails to do so may be omitting this information for a reason.

At Tabor Design Build, we make it a point to disclose this information early on so our clients know they are in skilled and experienced hands.  We chose not to leave questions unanswered.  Being transparent is a great way of earning a potential client’s trust.  

If we lived in an honest world, this step may not be necessary.  However, as my grandmother says, “It is, what it is” and you must protect yourself.  Ask the important questions and if your don’t like the answer, move on to the next one.  Eventually you will find an honest contractor who will give it to you straight.