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Hiring A Contractor - 10 Tips

by: Steve Gillman

A very smart attorney I know paid $7,000 for a roof repair, only to have the roof leak the next time it rained. The contractor stalled, made excuses, but never did a thing about it. Anyone can have these kinds of problems when having repairs or improvements done, but to make it less likely, avoid the folowing mistakes when hiring a contractor.

1. Not knowing what you want. If you don't know what you want, you might not like what you get. Also, if you change your mind and change the job halfway through, the contract - and price - have changed (Hint: it won't get cheaper). Know clearly what you want done.

2. Not getting everything in writing. You don't want to hear, "I didn't say I was going to include the gutters."

3. Not having dates in the contract. Did you want it finished this year? You better have it in the contract.

4. Paying too much up front. A deposit may be a reasonable request when the contract is signed, and money for materials prior to the start date. Never pay in full before the job is finished.

5. Hiring unlicensed contractors. Actually, this can be okay, if you know what you are doing (and he does). The license doesn't mean you get expertise, but it does mean you get leverage. A contractor will right his wrongs to avoid losing that license.

6. Hiring the first one in the phone book. Ask friends who had work done, or the owner of a hardware store. Find a recommendation based on a similar job to yours.

7. Thinking there will be no problems. Weather delays, employees quitting, and more will happen. Having problems is okay, but it's not okay if the contractor can't work out the issues to your satisfaction.

8. Expecting neatness. Believe it or not, it is sometimes efficient to leave things laying where they'll next be used. There will be messes, so prepare accordingly. Cover things if it will be a dusty job, for example. Also be clear in the contract that the jobsite will be cleaned up at the end of the job.

9. Not having penalties in the contract. This is important on large jobs. It's one thing to say "Work to be completed by May 2nd," but better to add, "$100 per day to be deducted from the contract price for each day the job is unfinished beyond May 2nd." That's what I call a motivational clause.

10. Thinking contracts will prevent problems. They help, but unreasonable people on either side of a contract can ignore them, or use "literal readings" to make things even worse. Find someone you can work with, and keep your eyes open.

About the author:
Steve Gillman has invested real estate for years. To learn more, and to see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit

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Home Improvements � The Fun Stuff
by: Raynor James

Planning home improvements necessarily involves addressing numerous practical matters. That doesn�t mean you should ignore the fun stuff!

The Fun Stuff

The first thing to plan for in home improvements is the practical stuff. The second thing you need to talk to family members about is the fun stuff.

Most people have colors they like and colors they don�t like. They have things that interest them and things that don�t. Get your family to talk to you about those things. Each person�s bedroom, or bedroom area, should reflect his or her taste and interests.

A boy who likes green, football, and backpacking can easily have a sage green (it �reads� as more neutral than many shades of green if re-sale of your home is a concern) room with cream woodwork, cream interior shutters, and cream ceiling. Framed football posters and wilderness scenes might be pleasant. Bedding with a rustic motif (rows of stylized pine trees?) from L.L. Bean or Plow and Hearth would work right in. Add a touch or two of a bright color like red or yellow.

Does he need a desk in his room? A chest of drawers? A bookcase? Would he enjoy having a bulletin board? Even if they�re small, most rooms need at least three lamps so that illumination is general and even. The shades are usually best in warm, neutral colors. (Light coming through green shades tends to make people look sick.) Lamp shades should be level and the seams should be toward the wall so they�re not visible. When the bottom edge of most lamp shades in a room are the same height from the floor, the room tends to look serene and cohesive.

Hanging pictures usually look best if the bottom edges of the frames are the same height from the floor and level with each other, too. There are exceptions to this and every generalization of course. A grouping of pictures can have the bottom tier follow the �rule� while all of the other pictures are higher. A picture over a fireplace often looks good higher than the other pictures in the room.

Pictures usually look best when they have a relationship to furniture or an architectural feature. Pictures centered over a chest, bed, bookcase, or fireplace are good examples. Pictures don�t tend to look good if they�re scattered willy-nilly around a room, or if they�re up near the ceiling (unless they�re part of a grouping), or if the height at which they�re hung varies wildly with no rhyme nor reason.

A girl who loves pink, the ballet, and swimming can have woodwork the same cream as her brother�s while her walls are a soft pink (a pink with a hint of yellow in it tends to go well with cream), and her art work reflects her interests. If she loves to read, make sure she has a good reading lamp near her bed, or near a comfortable chair, or both.

A cream colored dust ruffle with widely spaced pink stripes and a quilted plaid coverlet in pink, green, yellow, and blue on a cream background might look nice. Add cream fabric window shades with large pink polka dots and I�ll bet she�ll smile.

The bigger point is to simply have fun with some of your home improvements. There is no need to look exclusively at practical matters.

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