How to Select a Remodeling Contractor
12There are so many things to consider when hiring a remodeling contractor on the North Shore. Here you go:
Rule number 1: One of the most important things for you to consider when hiring a contractor is that you need to feel comfortable with this person. They need to be easy to talk to, you should be able to ask hard questions and not feel like you should not have asked that question when you are done. You just need to feel like you can trust this person. Because you do need to trust them; they will be in your home, like part of your family. So, if you are a good judge of character, you have a leg up on the rest of the world. Being a good judge of character is very valuable, but you need more.
What to look for:
Licensing:
Make sure your contractor is licensed. There are two ways to do this. First, you can ask the contractor if you can see his licenses (yes, there are generally two licenses you want to see). If they balk, hesitate or say they left it home….be wary. (I carry mine with me at all times.) Do not be afraid to ask (see Rule #1).
Or second, you can look them up online.
To look up a Home Improvement Contractor’s license, go to: http://db.state.ma.us/homeimprovement/licenseelist.asp
To look up a Construction Supervisor’s License, go to: www.mass.gov then select “construction supervisor” as the license type.
Here are the 2 different licenses required in the state of Massachusetts for most jobs.
Home Improvement Contractor license:
A Home Improvement Contractor’s license (HIC) can be issued to just about anyone who can write a check. But they are required. The HIC registration is issued in the contractor’s company name. It allows the contractor to sign contracts with homeowners for over $500.
One of the most important and beneficial aspects of the HIC registration is that it provides a “Guaranty Fund” to the homeowner. When a contractor applies for an HIC license, they have to make a contribution to the Guaranty Fund. If your HIC licensed contractor fails to perform for you (e.g., takes your deposit and does not come back) you have an avenue for redress. The Guaranty Fund may reimburse you for your loss. Then they will chase the contractor for the money, or he/she may forfeit their license. The HIC license also requires that the contract that you sign has 14 specific points, more on contracts later. The HIC license is one of the licenses you should ask to see. They should have it with them.
If you do business with an unlicensed contractor, you have no recourse through the Guaranty Fund.
Construction Supervisor’s License:
A Construction Supervisor’s License (CSL) is sometimes referred to as a contractor’s license. CSL licensed contractors are often referred to as general contractors, licensed contractors, and lots of other names, some not so flattering!
There are two flavors of CSL’s, restricted and unrestricted. Restricted licenses are for folks who can only work on 1 and 2 family residential homes that are under 35,000 cubic feet. An unrestricted license holder can work on any building under 35,000 cubic feet of enclosed space.
To obtain a CSL, the license holder will need to have 3 years experience as a contractor, generally they attend classes for 3 months, an evening or two per week, then they must sit for and pass a rigorous exam. Not everyone passes, at least the first time.
This license is required to do almost anything at your home. It is required to do any structural work, decks, windows, replacement windows, siding….almost anything.
The CSL license is one of the licenses you should ask to see. They should have it with them.
Certified Lead Paint Renovator:
I could write volumes about this, but I will try to be brief. More later.
If you live in a home that was built before 1978, then you are required under Federal EPA and MA State Dept of Occupation Safety law to hire a Certified Lead Paint Renovator (CLPR) if your renovation will disturb more than 6 sq feet of interior painted surface or 20 sq feet of exterior painted surface. This is true even if your house was fully renovated last year, and even if it has a Certificate of Deleading (really). I will write more about this later.
Your contractor needs to be licensed in this area, so does his firm, so does anyone who works on your property if they are left alone there. In other words, a Certified Lead Paint Renovator must always be on site. For instance, if the plumber is there alone, he needs to be a Cert Lead Paint Renovator. You should ask to see their license.
There are a few ways around this. One is if the CLPR tests for the presence of lead paint. If he finds lead paint, he is required to notify you in writing and then follow the lead paint laws. You may want to evaluate if you want this testing done. Please consider the possible results before blindly doing so.
The safety precautions for containing lead paint dust are significant and can be costly.
Fines for failure to comply are steep. A contactor can be fined up to $37,500 per incident! Some movement is afoot to make homeowners partially responsible for the fines. But, its not here yet.
Lead paint dust is a poison and has affected many people, young and old and its effects are often irreparable.
If you live in a house built before 1978 and the contractor is going to disturb more than 6 sq. feet of interior or 20 sq feet of exterior painted surface, then they are required to give you a copy of the Renovate Right pamphlet. Failure to do so is a finable offense. If you don’t get one, be suspicious and ask.
I do not carry this license with me as it is an 8 ½ x 11” certificate. I will provide it when asked. And it will always be on the jobsite when we are doing a lead paint job. This is required.
Contracts:
All renovation work valued at over $1,000 must have a contract (HIC law). Make sure the contract details the work to be done. Make sure it is specific because if it is not written there, then it may not happen. It must have a tentative start date and end date. In fact, there are 14 points it needs to cover. I will write more on this subject later. Suffice to say, make sure you have one. And read it.
Permits:
Permits are required when doing almost anything on your home, except for what is termed, ordinary repairs. Ordinary repairs are defined in the MA State Building Code. A permit is required build a deck, remodel a room, replace a window or door, replace a threshold, almost anything.
The contractor should be the one to obtain your building permit. You should not obtain your own permit under most conditions. If you do, beware. You become the one responsible for making sure the work is done and done properly. ALSO, if you obtain your own permit, you are NOT eligible for the Guaranty Fund. So if you obtain the permit, and give your contractor a deposit and he or she disappears, you have no recourse.
Insurance:
Here is a tricky one, insurance.
Contractor’s are required to carry liability insurance and in many cases, Workman’s comp insurance.
Liability insurance is always required and it covers you if damage is done to your property by the contractor.
Workman’s Comp insurance compensates the contractor or one of his employees if they are injured on a job. It pays for their medical expenses and gives them a substitute weekly salary until they are better. It is required for all contractors if they have employees. If they are sole proprietors and work alone they are not required to have it by law, but they should have it anyhow, to protect you.
Let’s make believe you hire a sole proprietor to repair your roof. Nice fellow, well groomed, passes Rule #1 and all the others, but he says he is not required to have Workman’s Comp because he works alone. He’s right… so far. So he trips over his boom box and falls off the roof and suffers a spinal cord injury, God forbid. Let’s further make believe he has the world’s greatest health insurance (no comment) and all is covered. Ahem…except he no longer has an income. He’s 32 and has a wife and five kids. Nice fellow that he is, he still needs an income. What do you think happens next? He gets a lawyer because his wife and kids are hungry and need they lunch money. So he sues you, the boom box company and your insurance company because, like anyone else, he slipped and fell on your property and he needs to provide for his family.
Ask any contractor if they have insurance and they will undoubtedly say yes. They may only have liability insurance, and when they say yes, they are not lying…they have insurance. They will probably even say they are “fully insured”. They may not have Workman’s Comp though. You need to ask if they have Workman’s Comp insurance. Or, better yet, ask for a Certificate of Insurance (COI). It should list all the insurances that are carried by that person.
Contractors hate to purchase Workman’s Comp insurance. Last year I paid about $18,000 in Workman’s Comp premiums, and I have a good record. I require it of all of my sub-contractors too, even if they are sole proprietors and work alone.
If the contractor does not give you the COI, or says they will and don’t, or says their insurance company does not issue them, or any other feeble excuse. Run! Run the other way! Your house may depend on it.
Here is what a COI looks like:
Certifications and Associations:
It is always a good idea to see if the contractor is associated with a trade association that carries a Code of Ethics that they expect their members to adhere to. For instance:
- BAGB (Builders Association of Greater Boston) www.bagb.org
- NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) www.nahb.com
- NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) www.nari.org
Many of these organizations have a path to follow if you are not treated according to their Code of Ethics.
Some of these organizations offer certifications. I personally am a member of NARI and carry a CR, Certified Remodeler certification. Some of my employees have CLC certifications, they are Certified Lead Carpenters. I think it shows dedication to their profession and they are not just a guy in a pick up truck with some tools.
These just offer you a level of comfort knowing that these contractors have fulfilled the education and experience requirements and have passed an exam to have qualified for their certifications.
References:
Ask for references, and then actually follow up and make those calls. They are important. Don’t think they will always be just an advertisement. Speak honestly with the reference, and ask specific questions. For instance, ask if they were clean, did they leave debris around. Were they polite? What was the quality of their work? Did they show up every day? Did you encounter any problems, if so were any satisfactorily resolved? It is OK to have problems in a renovation, the real answer is did they resolve them with a smile. Would you hire them for your next project? Would you recommend them to your family and friends?
Conclusion:
In almost 10 years of doing business, less than a handful of customers have asked me to see my licenses and for a COI. I am always pleasantly delighted to provide these things.
And don’t forget Rule # 1.
