Improving your home can be an extremely rewarding venture, but it can also be an expensive project. You want to ensure you get the best contractor at the best price. In this economy, not everyone can afford a lawyer or professional to look over the contracts and the fine print. For that reason, we have created a list of the top five lessons to learn before entering a home improvement project.
1. Research: Learn about basic construction practices and projects. Unless you do some research, you will be less confident as to what you're looking for once the project begins.
2. Planning: Have a solid plan and don't allow the contractor to "make the calls." The way to ensure this is to know exactly what you want before getting started. Advice may be given from a contractor, but do not confuse advice with your own desires for your project.
3. Warranties: Read the fine print and ask questions before hiring the contractor. Remember that you are the one paying for the project and hiring the contractor. The contractor is only responsible for carrying out the project. Do not be afraid to ask questions about your project. If you don't fully understand something, ask them to explain it again.
4. Contracting: Become educated on creating spec sheets and reading bids carefully by line items. Become involved as much as possible. This means understanding what the contractor is looking at when reviewing the above items.
5. Deposit-Installments and Payments: Keep control of your money and your project while keeping in line with your State's laws. Probably the most important lesson is to understand how much the entire project is going to cost, how much you are putting down in the beginning and when further payments are to be dispersed.
