When you decide to remodel your bathroom, or add a completely new one, many decisions have to be made before you drive the first nail. Your first decision does not have anything to do with the bathroom’s design, though that’s where a significant number of people will start.
Whether you opt for a turnkey project, self contract, or a do-it-yourself project, remodeling a bathroom to reflect your personality and design is a great upgrade to your house, loft, townhouse or condominium.
Getting the Remodeling Job Done
Your first decision needs to be whether you'll hire a contractor to produce a turnkey job, whether you'll act as your own contractor, or if you'll do the work yourself. Since there are advantages and disadvantages to each approach, let’s take a quick look at them.
Choosing a Turnkey Project
Most people choose this approach. If you don’t have the physical ability or knowledge to tackle a major remodeling project, or you simply prefer to have someone else do the work, a turnkey project, also known as design/build, is for you. The term means exactly what it says: you hire a contractor to do the entire project including, in many cases, designing it. When all the work is done, you turn the key and walk in.
What Does the Contractor Provide?
The most important benefit of having a contractor on the job is having peace of mind and a single point of project responsibility.
A good contractor has the skills and knowledge to handle everything from tear-out to installing the last piece of plumbing. He arranges for the electrician, plumber and any other tradesmen needed for the project, acquires all necessary permits required by the city or county, and co-ordinates work schedules so there’s no wasted time. And because he is responsible for the entire project, he also gets the blame for any problems that might develop.
In many municipalities, even though the contractor obtains the permits it’s the homeowner’s responsibility to make sure the correct permits were pulled.
The main negative of hiring a contractor is that there are many bad contractors who will abandon the final few items in the check-off list in exchange for giving up the nominal holdback amount stated in the contract. Often the cost of completing these final details is more than the holdback amount. This fact motives an unscrupulous contractor to abandon the project and leaves the homeowner with the responsibility for getting a handyman to complete the final detail work.
The proper remedy for project abandonment can be negotiated in the contract language. This will help to avoid later litigation. Contact a local attorney if you are not comfortable negotiating the contract terms yourself.
Finding a Contractor
You can start looking for a building contractor by opening the phone book yellow pages and randomly select one based on the size of their ad. Of course, this is the riskiest method. There are better ways.
Get referrals from friends or family who have hired contractors for their projects. Were they happy with them? Did they have any problems? Was the work completed on time and on budget? Did they clean up the area at the end of the project or not?
You can also check with your local Better Business Bureau. This will be helpful if the contractor you're interested in is a member. However, membership is voluntary. Not all complaints against contractors are filed with the Better Business Bureau. While it's a good idea to check the Better Business Bureau, it should only be used with other checks.
Spend some time on the internet. Check out a site like Angie’s List, where prior customers rate local contractors.
Visit upscale home remodeling showrooms. Spend the day at a Home and Garden show. Spend time on the telephone with contractors listed in the phone book.
Finally, trust your instincts. If you get a feeling that something is not right about a contractor you’re talking to, it probably isn’t. Remember, it’s your money, and quite a lot of money, and you should feel comfortable with your final choice of contractors.