Posted by Woody (MI) on January 26, 2002 at 04:01:45:
Hi Elena
My only advice in this area is to find more of a Handyman than a Contractor. You might want to check your local weekly newspaper like a Pennysaver or Thrifty Nickel. Call 3 or 4 of the guys that advertise there (never less than 3) and tell them what you’ve got going. One word of advice is to make sure that they carry their own insurance. Get a list of references, call the references and go see their work if you can. You might even let them know that you want someone that could act as general contractor on your projects. That way they are responsible for getting bids from other contractors (plumbing, electrical, etc.) and then you don’t have to waste your time with that when you could be out finding more deals. Make sure they have the experience required to do the job. I don’t care what they say, it’s impossible for a 30 year old man to have 30 years of experience. Oh by the way, try to check to make sure that the references aren’t actually just relatives of theirs. You would be amazed at some of the stories you get from would-be contractors. I hope this helps a little.
Woody