contractor questions - need to hire one

boyohboyohboy wrote: we are going to be needing a contractor to do some dry wall work on a med. size room we have. it is framed out and insulated so we only need the dry wall put in for the walls and the ceiling. I am going thru the yellow pages as well as using craigslist to find someone to do the job, asking for free estimates right now.
can you tell me if any of your husbands do this kind of work, what are the questions I need to be asking so we dont get ripped off, or worse in a situation where the work is poor?
I am also a little worried about having a stranger in the house that might or might not even be from a company when I am home alone with the kids, although I dont see how this can be helped...would you suggest only using a company then, not a self employed person?

MommyToAshley replied: Is there a local chapter of NARI where you live? I'd give them a call. I'm sure they have a list of questions to ask on their website... at least our local chapter does.

http://www.nari.org

Boo&BugsMom replied: Stacy I thought you rented? Or did you buy the house you are in? Sorry, I can't remember.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: I will ask DH for you. He is a project manager for a big home builder and hires contractors all the time. He has also done drywall himself on our own home, so he would know what is good vs bad work, etc. Let me get back to you...PM me if I forget in a couple days.

Kaitlin'smom replied: when we framed in a room, DH, grandpa and BIL did it. It did not seem that hard and they did a good job (for the most part LOL the one measurment was a little off and on the other side of the room when we open the attic steps it scrapes the wall.....oh well.

oh sorry I guess I did not answer your question.....do you know anyone who has had work done? maybe ask other parents or if you go to church you could ask around.

coasterqueen replied: We've always done our own hanging because it's easy and cheaper, but we've had someone else refinish. I tried to fire one guy we had do the work because he was terrible, but Dh begged him back. The second guy we had was good. I can't really answer your question because we've always used someone that was recommended to us or knew, except that first time (the one I tried to fire). Never again will I go with someone I don't know their work.

One word of advice - don't pay them until they are done. I don't mean to offend anyone, but drywallers are notorious for leaving a job unfinished if they get paid early OR if they are going to be there for a week or two (mainly in whole house jobs) and you pay them Friday morning - they don't come back after lunch.

lisar replied: I say always check the out before hand. Better business bureau. Etc.... Check out what DeeDee's website. I have never heard of that before. Personally I work in the construction industry so I know lots of people who would do it for me. As far as questions to ask I am not real sure.

boyohboyohboy replied:
we do rent right now, we just signed a three yr lease with this new builder. I am going to post the web site so you can see it...
however they have this deal that if you decide to buy the house at the end of the lease then they put the entire amount of what you paid in rent down as the down payment...
which is alot for three yrs. so we are considering it.
well, my dh was, until I told him how much I dont like it here right now.
but we are going to wait out the three years and see.
anyway, the builder put on a room about the garage that is just roughed in, if thats the term, and it can be used as storage, but you have the option of finishing it and using it for whatever, it was the reason we picked this house over the others..
we wanted to finish the room and make it into a play room for the kids, its huge, and would be so much fun. my dh is an artist, and is going to do murals on each wall for each kid.
i am really excited about that part.
we are not however really good with construction, although he has asked me to let him put up the dry wall. i am just worried its more of a job then he can handle.
so thats why we are asking for estimates. i have no idea what a job like this is going to cost.
i guess if its really alot then we will be doing it ourselves.
i just wanted to know what to ask, what to expect...
thanks


http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/apa/572689403.html

boyohboyohboy replied:
thank you rae! i also wondered someone mentioned to me, if we offered to clean up each night for them, that it might also decrease our bill, or does that seem like not something to say?
how long should we expect a job like this to take?
and what does something like this cost?
i can send you dimensions if that helps....

luvmykids replied: DH is a contractor, TBH for a small project like that you're probably better off with a handyman type service or person. Most contractors who do those types of one or two day project aren't willing to knock off for you cleaning up, etc....Definitely ask for a written estimate and ask what happens if he doesn't get it done in the amount of time he thinks he will, and definitely state somewhere that additional work must be approved in writing. That way he can't start what you've agreed on and then say you owe him another $400 bucks because he "also" did something else. Also make sure the price includes labor and materials...sometimes people offer to pay for the materials if someone will install them but he can probably get it cheaper than you anyway.

Hanging drywall is pretty quick and easy, do you want him only to hang it, or tape and texture it (so all you have to do is paint)? Still, for a medium size room, like a bedroom, I'd say at the most two days from start to finish at the very max.

coasterqueen replied:
Drywallers charge extra for them to clean up after "finishing" the drywall. I know this because when we remodeled the basement, Dh did not make sure they included cleanup in the bid and when they left I was in tears at the mess. It is a lot of mess to clean up, but obviously our basement is probably bigger than the room you are talking about. You can definitely save in that area.

luvmykids replied:
Wow, I would have been ticked DH is a general but specializes in framing and drywall and would never even think of leaving the mess or charging extra to clean it up, it's just part of the job.

sparkys2boys replied:
Wow, I have never heard that before. I would think that it would be included in the price.. yikes

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Sounds like Monica answered your questions, probably better than DH would since her DH is an actual contractor, DH just hires them. But I can still ask.

I thought it was part of the deal that they clean up when they are finished, but maybe they are all different. I agree with Monica though, if it's a small job, it may be easier to hire a handyman. Or even see if places like Home Depot or Lowes has someone who would come out and do it. I know with landscaping, we had this issue. Often times big landscaping companies don't want to waste their time to come out and do a small job. We had a hard time getting them to commit. To me, money is money, but I guess more money somewhere else takes top priority, kwim? Could be different with contractors, but I do notice that DH is always running off to a site to make sure that a contractor shows up. Best bet is to ask friends and get references. GL