How to Choose a Contractor - Continued

Don’t allow your work to start, and don’t give any type of deposit for work unless a contract has been signed. While most often you are not going to run into a problem, that one time that you don’t have a contract that states who is responsible for what and when the work is to be completed and how it is going to be completed, that is the one time you could have a problem.

Pay the contractor as the work is being completed. Don’t pay ahead unless you feel very comfortable with the work that was done to date. If the contractor is asking for money because they have to make major purchases of materials, you will realize if the purchase is required depending on the amount of your job. This will have to be written in your contract about payments on certain dates so that if the work is not completed you can get a refund.

One last thing to think about when you are hiring a contractor and working with a contractor is that the warranty should be in writing. After six months or a year, memories tend to forget details. A written warranty protects you and the contractor.