Hiring a contractor requires a lot of trust on the part of the building owner, especially with very complicated projects. It's often a good idea to go with a company that already has a great reputation and plenty of documented experience under their belt, but sometimes it isn't always reasonable. Long wait times and high prices are a big deterrent to building owners.
There are also benefits to hiring contractors that aren't as well known. For starters, you're supporting a small business and the contractor will most likely be more invested in making your property look beautiful. There are many contractors who are "diamonds in the rough", but finding them can be a difficult process. In this article I'm going to quickly go over three lesser known red flags that can help you determine whether or not a certain contractor is a good fit for you. Keep in mind that these aren't necessarily indicative of a poor contractor, just some things I've learned in my experience working as one.
3 Lesser-Known Contractor Red Flags
1. Unnecessarily Subcontracting
This really depends on the type of work being done on your property. If you're hiring a general contractor (or GC), then subcontracting labor, especially for tasks that require unique skills, is not at all alarming. Where this does become suspicious is when you hire a contractor for one specific task (like roofing or cleaning) and they subcontract that one task you hired them for to a different company.
Now, this might not necessarily be abnormal, and it also might not lead to a bad job at all, but as a contractor I would be very suspicious of such work. It's one thing to buy the materials and pay your own crew to perform a job, taking a cut for yourself, than to hire another company to handle all those logistics while still taking a significant cut. As a customer you have less control over quality, and are more than likely charged more than you need to be because of an unnecessary middle man. Not to mention that subcontracting also increases chances for insurance companies to deny coverage as there are certain stipulations in commercial insurance regarding subcontracting.
2. Matching Quotes
It's pretty well known that you get what you pay for, and building owners are already aware of the fact that the cheapest bid may not be the best one. Nevertheless, there are some contractors who try to quote this way in a more clandestine manner. This is known as "price matching" or even slightly undercutting a bid you received from another company.
As a general rule of thumb, I wouldn't recommend letting a contractor know what other companies have estimated your job at. It's best to ask them to provide you with a price they feel is fair and then to decide which company you think would be the best fit.
3. Storm Chasing
This applies more so to exterior construction.
If your area has just been through a big storm and someone comes knocking on your door to tell you that you have roof, siding, etc. damage, beware! They are very likely to be storm chasing contractors. These types of contractors follow strong storms and try to get work fixing the exteriors of buildings that have been affected by them. Regardless if they are correct in their assessment of your building or not, you should never hire a storm chasing contractor. They are known to be less reputable and aren't likely to do a satisfactory job as they won't be sticking around.
Instead, if you are looking to repair the exterior of your building after a storm, hire a local, reputable company to do such work.
There are three quick red flags that I would look out for if I was hiring a contractor. And if you're looking for a reputable commercial contractor in Southeastern Pennsylvania, consider us for your janitorial, remodeling, and cosmetic repair needs.
(610) 719-7590 • mike@shearerpm.com
Comments