<p>Second floor hallway bathroom suffered a flooding. Flooring has been ripped out, and subflooring is being dried out. Living room ceiling has been ripped out, and is being dried out. Insurance adjuster has been and gone. Insurance check already deposited. Adjuster recommends finding a general contractor to coordinate the multiple steps needed to restore home to a semblance of original condition.</p>
<p>Other than painting the ceiling once repaired (if that), all of the work appears to be beyond our skill level so some kind of professional(s) need(s) to be called in.</p>
<p>Advice? Suggestions? What do I look for, and what do I avoid?</p>
<p>Specific recommendations for DC Metro Area contractors are fine too!</p>
<p>We’ve had good luck finding contractors through Angies List. If you know realtors, they also often have a list of contractors / tradespeople they can recommend.</p>
<p>Ask friends/neighbors. That is the best way to find people. We found a wonderful contractor that way. He no longer does general contracting because he has figured out he can make more money and have more flexibility doing all the “small” jobs no one else wants. It’s wonderful, especially for our rental properties. We just call, tell him what needs to be done, he does it, sends us a bill—a very, VERY reasonable bill at that. He was a fantastic find!!</p>
<p>Word of mouth seems to have worked for me. I’ll ask friends for recommendations. I’m lucky because one friend’s husband is an architect and he’s worked with quite a few contractors and tradesmen in our area.</p>
<p>We have had the best luck with contractors who live and work locally. Because they get most of their work within our town they have a reputation to keep and they are anxious to do quality work on time. And everyone that we have hired was through word of mouth.</p>
<p>We’ve hired a couple of contractors (roofer, plumber and leaf clearing) from our neighborhood. They are quite eager to get their names and reputations out in the community and figure if they keep their neighbors happy, it’s good word-of-mouth advertising. </p>
<p>We have had good experiences with all three. Our plumber is terrific and lives right down the street.</p>
<p>Do you know people (friends, friends of friends) who have had a remodel done? If you like the work that was done, call their contractor. The contractor who did our kitchen loves small jobs that he can fit in between larger jobs. Right now he’s putting the kitchen of a friend back together after a leak (the same kind of thing that happened to you); it’ll take him a few days.</p>
<p>I’ve had the best experience with word of mouth from people who have done remodels, etc.</p>
<p>Regardless of the contractor, unless the job will be very small, try to get at least 2 to 3 contractors to bid each job you have if you’re sub-contracting or 2 to 3 general contractors if you’re going that route.</p>
<p>“Regardless of the contractor, unless the job will be very small, try to get at least 2 to 3 contractors to bid each job you have if you’re sub-contracting or 2 to 3 general contractors if you’re going that route.”</p>
<p>Quite agree. And I’ve found that bids can be all over the map. When we wanted to get our roof done, one estimate was $35K! It’s a complicated roof with many hips and gables. bit c’mon. My neighbor who has a high-pitched slate roof said he had an estimate of from one roofer of $70K. </p>
<p>Sometimes I think contractors who are flush with business–not exactly the case today–throw out crazy numbers because they really don’t want your work.</p>
<p>That said, I’ve found that one good way to find contractors is to ask for a referral from someone who is already doing work for you. My plumber, for example, pointed us to the electrician we use. I also found a carpenter through Craig’s list. He had good references.</p>
<p>A couple of tips. Ask if they are insured and licensed. See if you can find out if they own a home or any other property, since in case of unhappiness you could attach a lien. Also, Google is your friend. You can probably see if any lawsuits have been filed against them.</p>
<p>I agree that friends and neighbors is the best way to go. If you know any architects they may be able to help you. If you want to make any changes to the layout, you may want to call in an architect anyway.</p>
<p>35K for a complicated slate roof sounds pretty normal for around here.</p>
<p>@Mathmom. My roof is complicated but asphalt. It’s the neighbor who has the slate. They said they would have to bring in cranes and the like to do it.</p>
<p>We just had our roof done last year. 51degree angled roof, composite shingle.
Our local area has a consumer guide for contractors as well as articles on what to look for.
We had four bids & they not only varied by overall price, but by hourly rate for unexpected issues. We actually went with the lowest bid ( it was a smaller company than most) after throughly checking them out & were pleased.</p>
<p>Id agree with asking neighbors or a trusted real estate agent.</p>
<p>You could also look on Yelp- but be aware some of the reviews may be manipulated to make the company sound better or worse than it is, so don’t end your research there.</p>
<p>I agree with personal recommendations. That way, you can also see the quality of the work. Your friends and coworkers are unlikely to give you the name of someone who did/does poor work. Try asking around first.</p>
<p>Re: a general contractor…it depends on who is actually DOING the work. We just had counters put in, for example. The fabricator was actually also the installer…and he also made the arrangements for the disposal of the “old stuff”, the installation of the new, and the plumber to reconnect all of the plumbing. No need to pay a general contractor.</p>
<p>I know folks who have had tons of work done by one person…and that person actually had subcontractors who did the things he/she didn’t do (e.g. electrical, plumbing).</p>
<p>bids can be vary greatly, depends on the contractors. We had to dig down 14 feet to reach a sewer line to repair. Many contractors came, some was asking 15,000 to replace the whole 100 ft line from the house, some ask less. After many months of trying, I choose some one would fix it for $2000, he had ping pointed the problem (using a video camera) and dig down 14 feet to repair just that part needs to be repaired and restored the neighbor’s yard to boot.</p>
<p>Remember though that often the low bidders don’t consider everything. My favorite contractor is never the low bidder, but he always thinks of all the contingencies.</p>
<p>The insurance adjuster wrote out a very detailed budget for repairs, and told me that the contractors on her list would come in very close to those figures because they also use the same brand of estimating software. She did say that they may find things she has missed, and if so, I will need to let her know.</p>
<p>My plan for now is to give everyone I ask for bids a copy of the adjuster’s breakdown with the figures whited out. There will be a separate list of “since you will be here, what would you charge to fix?” items. Because if parts of my house are going to be torn up, I figure I may as well do most of the stuff that requires tearing!</p>
<p>I hadn’t thought of subscribing to Conumer’s Checklist, but that may be a good idea. I was reading a back issue just the other day at the library!</p>