Something’s going on with your home. You may have noticed cracks in the drywall. Your floor might be tilting. That means that you need to have a professional come take care of the situation … quickly. Otherwise, you could be facing massive damages.
It can be hard to find a contractor, though, especially a trustworthy one. Are you looking for a foundation contractor? Here are some of the qualities that you should be looking for.
Licensing and Insurance
Foundation work can be tricky. That’s why you need to make sure that the contractor doing the job is licensed and that they are insured in case something happens. Ask them up front for proof of licensing and insurance. They will gladly furnish what you ask for.
Experience
You want to have someone who has done this sort of work for a long time. They have seen all kinds of homes and all kinds of foundations. That way, they won’t be surprised at any kind of scenario. It will also allow them to come up with some solutions that more inexperienced contractors might not be able to find.
Pictures on Their Website
Contractors will have their own websites and will often post pictures of their most recent work. Take a look at what they have done — you will get something similar. If their work looks outstanding, then you can move ahead to the next part of your search.
Reviews
The internet makes this part of your search easy. You can go to review sites and see what people are saying about certain contractors. Were they polite? Did they clean up any messes each day? Did they show up on time? Were they communicative or was it difficult to get any questions answered? Were they transparent about their pricing or did they try to sneak some hidden costs at the end of the job? All of these things can help you shape your opinion on whether you should move ahead and contact a certain contractor.
Estimates and Warranties
The contractor should be able to provide a written estimate outlining what they anticipate working on and a written warranty that shows that they stand behind their work. You want people who are clear about every aspect of what you’re going to get when you hire them.
Be thorough when you’re going through all of this. Make sure that you ask every question that you can to help prevent any confusion later. You can even talk to family members who have hired similar contractors. That way, you can help ensure that you’re going to have the best experience possible and not have any regrets.
Once you’ve determined that you’ve found a good contractor, then it’s time to have them come do the job. Be sure to discuss everything up front, especially in terms of payment. Then you can relax and let them do their work. Once everything’s finished, you will have a safe home with a solid foundation again. That will make the time that you spent searching well worth it.