ConstructionDeal.com Update

As Spring and Summer roll around, you notice a lot of discussion in the media about home repair scams. It's as old as the hills - warm weather brings out the crooks who want to take advantage of the unsuspecting... and the lazy.

You can protect yourself from an unscrupulous contractor or even an outright scam artist by doing your due diligence. Or, in other words -- doing your homework.

Scam Artist?
Where do the scam pros lurk? At your front door, for starters. Don't ever hire anyone soliciting repair or renovation services door-to-door with a "special deal" or someone who has some "leftover materials from another job." Usually, you should leery if an unknown contractor or company calls you out of the blue. Treat an unsolicited call from a remodeling or repair company the same as you would any telemarketer. Hang up.

Can I Trust the Yellow Pages?
Just because a company is in the phone book does not mean they represent quality nor has the company been screened by the directory. They simply paid for an ad.

Beware any contractor who only gives you a cell phone number and has no business address. It doesn't mean you should avoid them completely, but it means that you may not be dealing with a qualified or established company. Do a little extra homework and thoroughly check their references. Go to a current or recent job site to physically review their handiwork.

Does a Contractor License Matter?
Yes and no. Some people prefer to work with a local contractor who will simply give them the best price - they don't care of that repair or remodeling company has a license or not. However, a license is a great indicator of quality, history, experience, and stability for any contractor.

If you want to find out if your potential contractor is licensed, ask for their license information and check this online resource!

Also, find out if your state even requires a license. Some do not. Some only require a license for certain projects or projects over a specified dollar amount.

Should I Check the Better Business Bureau?
Absolutely! The construction industry provides the BBB with the most complaints nationwide. They handle, monitor, and help resolve customer grievances against companies. Check to see if your potential contractor has current problems or a history of complaints. They hold complaints on record for 36 months.

What About "Pre-Screened Contractors"?
Ha! There are several online companies out there that promise that all their companies and contractors have been pre-screened. Or, there are "excellent" reviews and ratings on their sites. ConstructionDeal.com doesn't do anything quite so foolish.

Why? Well, read this story to get an idea. It's nearly impossible to keep track of all the thousands and thousands of contractors in our network. They may sign up with no BBB complaints, all their insurance and bond payments made, with no legal actions against them, but... all of these things could easily change the next month, week, or even day!

Any company that promises their contractors are prescreened are providing a false sense of security to homeowners! We want you to ALWAYS do your homework on ANY and EVERY service professional who may step foot on your property. The more you know, the less chance you have of getting burned.

How Much Should I Pay Up Front?
Ah, here's where many homeowners get screwed. The unscrupulous contractor and especially the scam artist will ask for most (if not ALL) the money up front. But, they're getting smarter about this. They know most homeowners can't or won't pay it all up front. So, they're trying to get as much as possible and they're running away with it.

The BBB says you should never pay more than one third up front. I'm a little stingier and I think you should be, too. Try to negotiate a serious pay plan in your contract. Tell the contractor or company you will not pay more than 15% up front - but will give another ten percent on the first day of the job... if they show up. Then, if work progresses, you'll pay more each day/week/month. And then pay the final amount after work is complete and you are happy.
There will be compromises there. But I would rather see you not get your project completed than to be ripped off by a scam artist. So don't be afraid to negotiate to protect yourself.

What Else Can I Do?
Again, if you can - check REFERENCES of every contractor or company who will do work for you. And if they cannot provide you with more than one or any reference more recent than 2 months ago, you should be concerned. Quality companies should be proud of their work and should have plenty of satisfied clients. If they do not - what do you think your odds are that you'll be happy with your project?

If you do get burned without doing any of your own research, you've got no one to blame but yourself. If something does go wrong, try to work with the BBB to get help. They can usually help resolve almost 85% of all the construction, remodeling, and repair cases they mediate. If not, the courts might be your only alternative.

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Carpeting Scam to Avoid

If you need to find a home repair expert, post your project with ConstructionDeal.com. We'll match you to as many contractors as you wish -- and don't forget to check them all out! It's a fast, free service for all homeowners and business owners with remodeling, building, or repair jobs.

Labels: Find a Contractor, Home Improvement, Home Repair

When you bought your home, you probably hired a Home Inspector to review your potential purchase before signing the contract. Or, if you've ever sold your home, you might have hired an inspector to make sure the house was ready to go on the market.

But, here's a tip: you can hire a home inspector to save you money... even if you're not buying or selling a house. How? Your home is getting older and older by the day. Things are settling, rotting, weakening, bending, and cracking all over the place. And you would never know it -- until there's a problem. Once there is a problem, you have to call a professional to come out and fix it.

Now, we at ConstructionDeal.com are here to help you find those service professionals when something goes wrong. But, when you have to hire a company in an emergency situation, you could really end up paying a lot of money to get things fixed.

A home inspector could come to your house, review anything and everything from your foundation to your roof -- or even just areas that you're concerned about, like your attic, insulation, windows and doors, and more. The inspector can give you a full report, which is a detailed and objective analysis of what work might need to be done. Also consider that this inspector has nothing to gain from any information provided so you can be sure that what he or she is telling you is accurate.

An example of how hiring an inspector could save you money. Say you notice a long crack in the paint in a room at the back of your house. Or a door leading out of that room no longer closes cleanly. You could have a home inspector come out and look over your basement and foundation. The inspection report tells you that your home is settling and it won't become a serious problem for another twenty years. What if you had hired a Foundation Contractor who wanted to begin house leveling work the next door -- at a cost of thousands and thousands of dollars?

The opposite could also have been true - what if you decided to not have your home checked out, waited until the cracks and closing doors became worse, and then had to hire a foundation company in the emergency situation?

Hiring a home inspector is not very expensive. Depending on the area of the country, the size of the house, and how much needs to be inspected, it can cost anywhere from $150 to $500. Not a significant amount to give you a detailed survey and analysis of all that your home needs. And it's a great way to give you peace of mind -- no more surprises and less of a chance of those emergency payouts.

RELATED POSTS:
Protect your Gutters
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Remodel your Homeowners Insurance

If you need to find a local Home Inspector, you can post your request on ConstructionDeal.com! If a free service for all homeowners.

Simply tell us what type of inspection you need and we'll send it out to our network of professionals. You'll get 4 free quotes, sometimes in a matter of minutes.

Labels: Home Inspection, Home Inspector, Home Maintenance, Home Repair

If you live in a climate affected by seasonal change, you're probably ready for Spring. It's important to consider what, if any, damage may have been done to your home during the Winter months.

Now would be a great time for a do-it-yourself home inspection. Leave the Spring Cleaning for next weekend.

Check Your Roof
Start at the top of your home and work your way down. The roof has protected you from wind, rain, snow, and ice from December through April -- do a visual inspection. You can visually inspect the shingles and gutters from the ground. Look for damaged, missing, and mis-aligned tiles or shingles. Check close to the roof edge, in the valleys, around the chimney, and near the vents. Avoid climbing on your roof, if you don't have to. It can be very dangerous. If you suspect a problem - consult a professional roofer. Check the gutter systems to make sure water is still flowing freely by spraying hose water onto your roof and watching it come down through the downspouts. The water should not be spilling over the gutter and the water should move away from the foundation at the bottom.

Check Your Siding
Wood, brick, and metal siding can be affected by temperature changes. It can shrink, expand, mortar can crack, and parts can come loose. Paint can also become separated from the siding and chip off. Make sure all paint chips are cleaned up to avoid children or pets from eating any pieces that may contain lead. Look for any damage caused by weather or falling debris, such as ice or tree branches. If your siding is not properly maintained it can let in pests, moisture, and warm/cold air that will affect your energy bills. Talk to a siding contractor if any problems have come up.

Check Your Windows
Your windows have likely been been closed and sealed for several months. Open up your windows, if you can, and make sure they're in proper working order. Wood and other types of windows have also expanded and contracted from the wild temperature changes of Winter months. Hold a candle up to the window - if there's a flicker, it could mean there's a draft. If the window rattles at all during moderate wind, it could mean the window needs to be replaced. Check for caulk seal breakage or any missing weatherstripping - you'll be letting warm air in and cool air out in the summer time. If the window needs to be propped up to stay open, it might also mean it's time to replace it. Check with a Window Expert to make sure.

Check Your Foundation
Snow and rain runoff have been dropping all around your house. You need to inspect your foundation to make sure that there is a sufficient grade to move water away from the home (and the foundation.) After you've run water over your roof and down your downspouts, check for water that may be pooling by the foundation walls. With April Showers approaching, you want to make sure the gutters and downspouts deposit water at least two to three feet away from the house. Check visible foundation areas for loose tiles, bricks, stones or blocks. Check for moist walls, cracks, or bulges that push in toward the house.

Inside your house, go to your basement walls and look for cracking, bulging, or any leaning of the foundation walls. Frost and water may be pushing in on the concrete and causing problems. Look for signs of a moist wall or any water accumulation. If you see any kind of problem, speak with a Foundation Contractor as soon as possible to make sure there won't be any larger problems. Here's a great online Foundation Diagnosis Tool! Check it out.

They say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Finding out what problems your house may have, before the Spring rains come, could prevent major home repair payments down the round.

Labels: Home Maintenance, Home Repair

Labels: Home Improvement, Home Repair, Saving Money

I've found a great resource to help you review the most important part of your house - your foundation.

It's not a sexy part of the home renovation process. But it is essential to make sure the structure of your house is in good shape.

This information is from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and it has a great section to help you do your own evaluation of the foundation. There are sections that help you ask the right questions, gives you options, and lets you know what will happen if you do nothing.

"Renovating a full-height basement can add value and extra living space to your house. Even if you don't have a full basement or aren't planning any basement improvements, the foundation of the house is the most important consideration in any renovation. The foundation supports the structure above it and resists the pressure of the soil around it. Fixing any foundation problems before you renovate is essential to preserve the durability and structure of your home."

The foundation for your house may be a full-height basement, a crawl space, a slab-on-grade foundation or even a combination of two or more types. Foundation materials include poured concrete, unit masonry, stone and preserved wood. Each type of foundation or material has its own associated problems.

The most common problems related to structure or soil conditions are:

• Cracks in slabs, walls or footings;
• Crumbling mortar or concrete;
• Unstable or weak soils;
• Uneven settlement;
• Warped or bowed foundation walls;
• Adfreezing (frozen soil sticking to the foundation and lifting it) or frost heaving;
• Low ceiling height;
• Inadequate support of the main floor system;
• Soil gas or radon infiltration;
• Odors or generally poor indoor air quality (IAQ);
• High humidity;
• Pest infestation"

You can read through the sites questions and suggestions. They also provide a Basement Assessment Worksheet to allow you to check off the problems and locations. It's a great way to let you know it's time to bring in professional help.

Here's a sample of the some of the questions, options, and consequences of ignoring a problem:

"Ask Yourself...

• Is there any porous, powdery or crumbling concrete or mortar?
• Are there honeycombs (voids) in the concrete?
• Is the surface layer of concrete breaking off (spalling)?
  

Consider Your Options:

• Patch small areas of crumbled, honeycombed or broken concrete with a cement-based material. Consult a structural engineer for widespread problems.
  

And If You Don't...

• Small areas of crumbled, honeycombed or broken concrete will allow moisture and soil gas to enter. Deterioration may continue, affecting the structural strength of the foundation.
• Large, damaged areas may be unsafe if they don’t adequately support the existing house or proposed renovations."

Check out the site - even if you're not Canadian. There's some really good, useful information there. If you review your foundation and find some problems, you can always use ConstructionDeal.com to help you find a quality foundation repair company.

It's a fast, free, and easy way to find a service professional.

Labels: Building Foundations, Home Improvement, Home Maintenance, Home Repair

"So... what can your site, ConstructionDeal.com, do for me?" you ask.

Here's the short version -- we'll help you find a contractor (and save you time and money doing it.)

Here's the slightly longer version -- Let's say you have a remodeling or repair project and you need a professional to help you do it. From help building a new house all the way down to stopping that faucet leak in the kitchen. You have a few options to find an expert - you can ask a friend or family member for a referral.

You can pick up your yellow pages and thumb through to find a few companies that have a pretty ad. Or, you can use a service like ours.

"How does ConstructionDeal.com save me time and money?" you follow up. You're tricky that way. Always asking the good questions.

If you rely on the referral from your friend or sister-in-law, you end up calling only one company. That company might not do the type of work you need. And, you'll only be talking to ONE company. That means you'll get only ONE bid on the job. You might pay too much.

If you have to pick a few random companies from the phone book, you have to spend time calling them all up, qualifying them over the phone to make sure they can do the job, and then you have to wait for follow-up calls. You might even need to pull a few more names out of the book and call those up. Takes a lot of time.

What our site does is this -- you submit your remodeling project under the correct category. You provide an accurate description of what the project involves (thus, qualifying the contractors), and then you sit back and wait for them to call you. Nice, huh? You'll get 4 quotes from service pros the same day - sometimes within minutes.

Anyway. That's what we're all about. Matching you up to contractors. If you need some work done, post your project -- at no cost -- and decide on the best bid from all the contractors, to have the job completed. Simple.

If you don't need anyone right now... be sure and bookmark our page.

"Thank you," you say.

You're welcome.

Labels: Find a Contractor, Home Improvement, Home Repair