Let’s face it- it is not every day that you hire a contractor. Many people don’t know what to look for when doing so. This article is meant to parse out what is most important and what needs absolute consideration when you’re hiring a kitchen remodeling contractor for your Peachtree City Ga home.

On a very fundamental level, always explore how long a contractor has been in business. Have they worked in the area long? Does the company have a website with customer reviews? Has the company been evaluated on Angie’s List or similar sites? If the answer to any of these is no, this should not automatically rule that particular contractor out, but rather be an indicator to you that additional questions and research may be required on your part to determine if you will be getting the contractor that you need.

Secondly, is the contractor licensed and insured? For some people and for some jobs, this will not be an absolute necessity. For example, if your kitchen remodeling project is small scale and you know the contractor personally, you may not feel that they are required to be licensed and insured. Some families will hire unlicensed and uninsured individual contractors to do the work because, while the job likely will take longer and there is some risk involved, that is the only way to keep the project within their budget. 

Many advisors and websites will tell you that absolutely under no circumstances should you hire an unlicensed and uninsured contractor, but the fact is that in our current economic climate, there are many highly skilled individuals who are available and willing to do this type of work below the cost of a licensed and insured contractor. Only you can decide if that is a risk you are willing and able to take on your kitchen remodeling project.

Next, if you hire a contractor who subcontracts the kitchen remodeling project out to another group, you will want to request a written lien waiver from the contractor when the project is completed. The purpose of acquiring the lien waiver in writing is to ensure that the subcontractor is going to be paid by the contractor. This written document will legally release you from the liability of covering their wages. This is a very crucial step to protect yourself from potential problems between a contractor and subcontractor. We strongly recommend that you follow this practice in order to avoid incurring any additional and unexpected expense.

Next, you want to be sure to hire a contractor that fits your needs and goals of the kitchen remodeling project. Do you want to create the illusion of more space in your kitchen? Do you want to actually open up and create more space in your kitchen? Many of the contractors with a website will actually tell a specialty in the above two items. Creating space by changing a room layout as well as creating the appearance of additional space is truly an art and if this is your main priority in your kitchen remodeling project, look for a contractor who focuses on this as their primary skill.

You will find that some contractors will simply take your idea and complete the job whereas other contractors are more likely to have greater input into your project before starting the physical labor of the project. If you’re unsure of what you want or if your idea will work, you will want to find and hire a contractor that can give you custom design, layout and build- out ideas. Experienced contractors will know what will work and what won’t work in terms of execution and working back from that knowledge can help you to make better decisions about the design of your kitchen remodel. Getting custom design and layout ideas from a contractor will likely cost you more money, but to have that consultation and conversation with the group that will execute the remodel can really be priceless. That seamless work relationship often leads to far fewer complications in the build- out phase of the project.

Finally, and for many people, very importantly, you will want to know if your contractor completes the cleanup and disposal from your kitchen remodeling job. Some contractors do, but many don’t unless you specifically ask and write it into the contract. This item should not be assumed- always ask and be very specific. Renting a dumpster is an additional expense for the contractor, as is a day of cleanup, so you don’t want to spring this on them as one of your priorities as they are leaving the job site after work completion. 

The services and work contractors can provide to you really vary widely from contractor to contractor. It’s very important that you know your priorities in your Peachtree City Ga home kitchen remodeling project before you start interviewing contractors and hire your contractor based on their ability to meet your priority items in your requested time frame.