I’ve worked with many contractors before. I liked them well enough, but didn’t love them. Currently, I’m working with five contractors in my other vacant home. Three of them are doing a complete bathroom remodel, the fourth is painting my entire house, and the fifth is doing a bunch of odd jobs like tiling, electrical, plumbing, and attic insulation.

Besides the quality of work, what separates great contractors from so-so contractors is attitude. The difference between like and love is referrals.

Surrounded by contractors – who will I refer?

Paint contractor – I told him I wanted the entire house painted except for the ceilings. He gave me a flat-rate quote, including paint. He didn’t have a checklist and he didn’t ask me any questions, except for how many colors I wanted. I told him he had two weeks to get the job done because I had bathroom contractors lined up for the following week and hardwood floor installation after that. (more…)

Earn more per project by seeing possibilities that the homeowner can’t. I recently went through a home renovation that included two complete bathroom makeovers and a partial kitchen remodel.  During the interview and bid process, I related to the contractor my specific needs and design plan. He suggested a few minor changes that would be more suitable and cost-effective, but other than that, he simply did what I asked him to do.

My friend, however, who is also the realtor who sold me the house, made a smart suggestion to seal a hallway closet that abutted the bathroom and use that space for bathroom shelving. This made perfect sense because (a) there were too many doors in the hallway, making the space look smaller and (b) I desperately lacked storage in the bathroom.

Why didn’t my contractor come up with the brilliant idea? Perhaps it’s what we call tunnel vision. You go into the project by first listening to what the customer wants, you tell them whether or not it’s doable and then you create their vision. But if you looked around, you might get ideas that will greatly enhance the space and make it more functional for the homeowner. (more…)