▪ Word of mouth is the best way to find a good home remodeling Contractor. Ask your friends, family and acquaintances for good references. The best contractors do not advertise. Their good work is their advertisement, and they can rely on a steady supply of referrals.

▪ Other sources for home remodeling Contractors: materials supply houses, home builder's association directory (it may be worth joining your local association just for this). Also, if you have a good Contractor in one trade, ask him if he knows of any good workers in another trade. Often the good ones know each other.

▪ I like to keep a running list of home remodeling Contractors who work in my neighborhood. As I drive around, I note the phone numbers from trucks and signs. I also note the address where the Contractor was seen working in case I want to ask that person how the Contractor performed for them. (You can do reverse address telephone number searches on the internet.)

▪ If you are working with or know a residential architect, ask him/her for a good referral.

▪ Be sure to get multiple bids for each house renovation job. Expect wide price variation. Be wary of Contractors who may be "fishing" and hoping that they will find someone to fall for their exorbitant pricing. These "fishing" Contractors already have more work than they can handle, but they'll fit you in if you're willing to pay their very high prices.

▪ During your initial visit with a Contractor, incentivize him/her with the hope for more work in the future. Contractors prefer to establish relationships for repeat business, so if you plan to do more renovation in the future, by all means, let them know about it.

▪ Be wary when encountering home remodeling Contractors who are not busy. This may mean that they are inexperienced and are just starting their business. Or, it could mean that they have a bad track record with little repeat business.

▪ Take this advice with a grain of salt: I am cautious when a home remodeling Contractor comes to give me a bid and is not dressed in work clothes. This may mean that he/she is not hands-on and is more of a supervisor. I would prefer to work with a hands-on Contractor who does at least some of the work himself. At the very least, the Contractor needs to be ready to step in if there is an urgent situation to get some work done.

Finding Contractors, Part 2

Former builder and instructor of "Save Time and Money in Home Remodeling" cont. ed. course at Emory University