FALL HOME UPDATE : REMODELING : Starting the Search for Good Contractor

With a 9.5% unemployment rate in the building trades and more than 11% jobless rate in some construction specialties, you’d expect it to be easy to find someone to do home repairs, improvements, room additions and those special jobs around the house. And it is--but finding the right contractor is another matter.

“Nowadays people do return your calls faster than they used to,” says Barbara Winn, a Del Mar resident who recently had a hot tub and deck installed in her back yard. “People are eager to work, that’s the bonus of the situation that we’re in now. Even if people have an income, they’re anxious to supplement that.”

Winn added that prices also seem to be more reasonable. “People know you’re getting bids and (that) there are other contractors out there,” she noted.

Contractor Cal Withrow agrees: “Money is tight. The only people getting work done are those who have secure jobs or guaranteed incomes of some kind.”

Even with interest rates at their lowest in 20 years and money plentiful for home improvement loans, Withrow noted that people hesitate to borrow against their homes unless they feel certain they will have a job or income.

There is a lot of competition in the home improvement business now because builders who usually only do new homes or big projects are willing to do smaller jobs, said Richard Thaisz, a carpentry contractor in Carlsbad.

It may be easier to find help, but recession or not, homeowners still must take precautions that they’re hiring someone with the right skills, proper licenses and insurance, and one who is in the habit of finishing the job that was started.

In good times and bad, the best way to find a contractor is to ask someone you know who has had similar work done.

“It’s definitely a risky endeavor,” says Rise Johnson of Vista, who is having floor-to-ceiling bookshelves built for her family room. “There’s an extreme concern about quality, plus the security of having people in your house. Whoever I hire, I call at least three references.”

Johnson adds that having contractors in to examine the job and give quotes has been a learning process. “I have a heater duct that has to be moved,” she explained. “There are several different ways of doing it, and finally I realized that one carpenter didn’t know how to go about it.”

The cabinetmaker who impressed her most gave Johnson information on the latest technology in molding and found novel ways to cut costs without sacrificing style.

Thaisz warns that, when checking references, one should make sure that the job in question has been completed. Then you will know that the builder finishes his projects and you can ask how he dealt with problems that may have come up. It’s an old industry trick, apparently, to use a person for a reference while work is still in progress. The builder then sometimes moves on to the new client, leaving the first one holding the bag. This is the best reason not to fully pay a contractor for work until it is done.

“It wasn’t hard for me to find someone to do my work,” Winn said. “The dealers who sold me the hot tub recommended two or three people I could use.”

Building supply marts, architects and decorators frequently provide lists of contractors with whom they are familiar. Some stores will even make the arrangements.

If you buy a door from Home Depot and arrange to have the door installed by Home Depot’s own subcontractor, it may save time and may or may not save money. Usually, however, you can count on the work being done well and completed on schedule, since the contractor wants to protect his relationship with the store.

For major projects, however, it’s still smart to ask for competitive bids from several contractors.

Make sure the contractor has a license, and if he or she is going to have helpers, that they are covered by worker’s compensation insurance. Otherwise, if someone gets hurt on the job, the homeowner can be held liable. If the contractor does not carry worker’s compensation, make sure your homeowner’s insurance will cover possible injuries of the contractor and employees.

Once you have the contractor’s number, call the State Contractor’s License Board to confirm that the contractor is qualified to do the work being quoted. Clients sometimes discover a license has expired, is actually for a different specialty--an electrician in fact holds a plumber’s license--or is simply bogus. There have been cases where workmen find another contractor’s number in the telephone book and use it. They expect that the customer won’t check.

Be certain to ask for a detailed estimate of time, supplies and costs. Does the price include wood, paint, fixtures or other supplies? What type of wood, brand of paint or quality of supplies will be purchased? A customer sometimes is asked to buy or pay for supplies in advance, especially if the contracting company is small and the job is large.

If questions remain, call the Better Business Bureau, a membership organization that offers reports on members and maintains a complaint registry on members and non-members. The bureau does not recommend or endorse any company, but will provide a list of roofers, plumbers or other trade specialists who belong to the organization. Bureau members are required to follow a code of business ethics and agree to impartial arbitration to settle disputes that cannot be resolved between the parties.

Membership in a builder’s organization, the Better Business Bureau or a Chamber of Commerce is no guarantee that a builder does good work, but it does imply that the company has been around for awhile and is concerned with its standing in the community. Such a business person will no doubt try to maintain a solid reputation.

In the business of contracting, a reputation can make all the difference--especially in hard times.