Things I cannot tell you

“Can you tell me what it costs to repair…”

Normally, no, because every repair is different and costs change constantly.

Yes, there are industry “standards” as to what it should cost to repair XYZ, but those are very generic, and don’t take into account the specific issues about your house. For example, try Googling “fix loose toilet cost.” You’ll get much more information than you want.

The other reason I don’t give price estimates is it is far too dangerous to “guess” at a price. In this economy, the prices available for anything can go from very low (a hungry independednt) to wildly high (a boutique chain franchise) for just about anything…  If I am too low on my price guessitmate, you’ll be very mad at me, and if my guesstimate is too high you’ll be mad at me as well. So, unless I KNOW the price because I have had the exact same work done on my own home recently, I can’t help with pricing.

“Can you recommend a…”

I have a very, very short list of contractors that I will tell you work on my home.  Note I did not say recommend, as I don’t want to recommend any one firm. A company that does great work on an old house might not be the best choice for repairs at a new house. Also, everyone has a bad day, or employee turnover, and if you have an “issue” with a contractor I might have recommended it will come back to me, one way or another.

One service I can recommend without question is Angies List. They are geared for customer service, not price, so be warned, the people on the list will not be the cheapest, but will be some of the best. For cheap, try Craigslist, but be careful: they are at the opposite end from Angie’s list, as it is an open listing and anyone can hang a shingle out and say they are a plumber, electrician, roofer etc.

“How can I pick a…”

There are a few simple rules for choosing a company to work on your home.

• Get three estimates. Before talking with any company, write down the scope of work so each bidder has the specifications in writing and you can compare apples to apples.
• Ask for references, and check them. Ask the reference why they chose the particular company, and whether they would hire them again.
• Make sure the company and its employees are licensed to perform the work. For example, the carpenter may do beautiful woodwork, but shouldn’t be doing the electrical wiring unless he is a licensed electrician.
• Take your time choosing a contractor. Wait until you have all the written estimates in hand, then go over each of them to make your choice. If a contractor is pressuring you to approve a proposal immediately, that should be a red flag.