Beautiful homes need to be maintained through regular renovation and improvement. High-end home renovations work best when they're handled by a reputable, highly skilled Connecticut contractor. In this guide to selecting a contractor for luxury renovations, we'll provide you with tips to help with the selection process.
From checking credentials to reviewing portfolios, these steps can help ensure quality and reliability in your Connecticut contractor. Here's what you need to know.
What to Look For in a Connecticut Contractor
Knowing what to look for in a Connecticut contractor can help you identify the right candidate when you meet them.
- Quality work: First and foremost, good contractors produce quality work. They use high quality materials and finishes, and they have the skills to complete their tasks. Good contractors also hire skilled, experienced labor, and they provide training for their workers to help ensure that every job is a job well-done. Gauging contractor quality can be difficult, but you'll be able to see your contractor's skills and quality of work through the pictures in their portfolio. They may also have a list of high-profile clients that they work with, and may have worked on well-known buildings in the area where you live.
- Reputable: A reputable contractor is one that has been around for a long time, developing brand recognition and trust in your community. Reputability can be difficult to gauge. Reputable contractors may have many years of experience and connections in your community. They're able to provide many good references, and they may also be members of various building and construction-focused organizations and associations.
- Licensed: Contractors are required to have a license to do work like high-end home renovations in Connecticut. You can check the contractor's license through the state of Connecticut website. If the contractor doesn't have an active license, don't hire them. Licensed contractors are required to have insurance and a bond, which can help in the event that something goes wrong with your home improvement. It's important to hire a contractor with the right credentials and consumer protection in place.
- Good communicator: Home renovations are complicated, multi-step projects that can stretch on for days, weeks, or months. Your contractor's ability to communicate with clients about these processes will help make your experience less stressful. Hire a contractor that's a good communicator to help ensure a smooth and successful home remodeling process. What does good communication look like? Look for a contractor that keeps you in the loop, listens to your concerns, answers your questions accurately and timely, and communicates with other project stakeholders effectively. Good communication helps prevent disputes.
How to Search for a Contractor for High-End Home Renovations
Searching for a contractor to perform high-end home renovations in Connecticut requires some work and diligence from consumers. Doing your research and taking time to hire the right contractor can lead to success.
Ask for Referrals
Start by talking to people you know - neighbors and friends - who have had similar work done on their homes. What contractor did they hire for the work? Was it a good experience? Would they hire that contractor again? Why or why not? Getting referrals from people you trust can help you sort through the contractors in your area to find some of the best businesses.
Check Portfolios and Qualifications
Most modern contractors have websites featuring helpful online portfolios. Checking the portfolio online is one way to help gauge contractor skills, quality, and experience. Also, lack of a portfolio is a red flag, so be cautious of contractors that don't have a portfolio to show you.
While you're reviewing the contractor's website, take time to look up each contractor through the state's license lookup to ensure they have a license.
Vet Multiple Contractors
Meet with multiple contractors to help you find the best one for the job. Vetting multiple businesses can help you determine what is a fair cost for the work, and can help you compare communication styles.
- Meet onsite. Meet with the contractor onsite to look at your home and discuss the work. Avoid contractors that will not meet onsite and in-person. Invite other members of your household to be present to discuss the job with each contractor.
- Know which questions to ask. Have a list of questions prepared to discuss your job with the contractor. Ask each contractor the same questions to make comparing contractors easier.
Read the Bid/Contract
Once you've met to discuss the job, each contractor will submit a bid or contract for the work. Compare bids. The more information in the bid, the better. If there is a substantial cost difference between some contractor bids, ask yourself why.
Lower-cost contractors may be using sub-par materials or may have a limited scope of work. If it's not clear why or how a contractor is underbidding other contractors, this could be a sign that they're hiring inexperienced labor or cutting corners in various ways. They may also be bidding low by mistake, which can lead to problems down the road.
Check References
Always check references, even if the contractor you're hiring was referred to you by someone you trust. Check three references and ask them each the same questions to make comparing references easier.
Have Questions About Hiring a Connecticut Contractor? Check Out Our Guide
Do you need to hire a contractor for a high-end home renovation in Connecticut? Litchfield Builders has a guide for homeowners to help them through the hiring process. Download our free guide to learn more about hiring residential contractors in Connecticut. If you're ready to start on a high-end home renovation, contact us to schedule an in-person consultation.
