How to hire a good General Contractor

Coctco Connection, Costco’s own magazine had a very interesting article titled “How to hire a good General Contractor”.  Some of the highlights are: 

1.Get recommendations and references.  Talk to friends, family and others who have used teh contractor for similar work.  – We provide our customers with at least 3 references whose jobs were similiar type of work.  we also have written testimonials on our site at, alleremodeling.com/testimonials. 

2. Get at least three written estimates.  Insist the contractors come to your home to evaluate what needs to be done.  Be sure all the estimates are based on the same work so that you can make meaningful comparisons.  – Keith always comes onsite and discusses teh project with the Homeowner often providing different ideas and solutions. 

3. Check the contractor complaint records.  Your state or local consumer protection agency or Better Business Bureau can provide this information.  –  Allen Remodeling has an A+ rating with the BBB.

4.  Contact your local building inspection department.  Check for permit and inspection requirements.  Ask teh Building Inspector about teh contractors performance.  –  We always apply for a permit, this protects the Homeowner and teh contractor.  Keith has an excellent working relationship with all Inspectors.

5. Be sure your contractor is insured.  A contractor should have personal liability, property damage and workers comp insurance.  –  Allen Remodeling has a comprehensive liability insurance policy and carries workers’ comp insurance.

6.  Insist on a written contract.  That states exactly what work will be done, the quality of materials that will be used, warranties, timetables and total price of job. –  We provide a lengthy contract listing everything your job will entail, we do not want any surprises once we start working.  We list brand names of products and provide allownaces.  Our payment schedule is broken down in several manageble chunks.