Selecting the Right Remodeling Contractor


Before you can choose the right remodeling contractor, you need to gather a short list of remodelers from which to choose. The best way to finding someone to remodel your kitchen or bath is by word of mouth. Ask friends or relatives if they know anybody who has had their kitchen or bath remodeled. Then go look at their handy work first hand. The next best way to find a contractor who specializes in kitchen and bath remodeling is from the phone book or internet. If you found this website using a search engine, you probably typed something like "kitchen remodelers near Cincinnati" or "Cincinnati bath remodelers". Unlike the phone book, if you're looking for a local contractor on the internet, you are just as likely to find a kitchen and bath remodeler in Timbuktu. This is why you should narrow your search using key words like "Cincinnati" or "Cincinnati Area" in your search string. Once you've narrowed your search, you will see that there is no shortage of remodeling contractors in the Cincinnati area.  Beyond the key words you used in your search, kitchens, baths, remodeling and Cincinnati (which everyone listed will have), something else will catch your eye.  A great many of them are referral services. The reason they are up top on the search results is because they pay the search engines like Google to be there. Many remodeling contractors in turn will pay these referral services to get leads. If you use a referral service because you feel comfortable thinking that the contractors have been screened, guess again. Just remember that every contractor they send your way (and there will be more than one) has paid that service to be one of those contractors. I'm not suggesting that you don't use one of these services, just don't give the fact that they were referred to you more weight than a remodeler you found yourself. Now that you have assembled a list of remodeling contractors, what's next? Get three bids?


The Three Bid Myth


If you are like many people, that would have been your next step and potentially your worst mistake. Next to the purchase of your home, remodeling the kitchen or bath can be the biggest investment you will ever make. Regardless of who you choose as your remodeling contractor, you will be living with that kitchen and or bath for a long time to come. Comparison shopping for the best price is fine in most cases but there are times when it is not. If you are shopping for a stereo system, new car or even a house you can see and compare these items and hence know that the lower price is the better deal. The same is not true in many cases for a kitchen or bath remodel. You are signing a contract to pay for something that doesn't exist. It is a concept. Even if you have your own designer or design it yourself and have all the plans drawn up, are you willing to gamble on the one who is the cheapest, or second cheapest? When you think about it, this may be the largest onetime transaction you will ever write a check for. An exception may be cosmetic surgery so let me use that as an illustration. Let's say you want a face lift complete with nose job. You know what you want to look like when it's done. Would you be willing to go with the person who is the cheapest then hope that he has the same image in his head that you have in yours of what you want? Would you be willing to gamble that he doesn't make too many mistakes? Wait a minute! Are you comparing my face to a toilet? Not at all. I'm making the point that somethings should not be decided based on the lowest bid. This means you're going to have to do some research.


Kitchen Remodeling Equals Nose Job?


Not exactly but you're on the right track. Whether you are planning cosmetic surgery or a kitchen or bath remodel, the process is the same. It starts with weeding out those that have bad marks and keeping those with verifiable qualifications. Then you meet with those you are considering. The one who will get the job is the one who is the best qualified and the one with whom you had the best rapport. Let's go into each of those steps in detail.


The Weeding Process


First we get rid of those we are sure we don't want. Check references. If a contractor gets bad marks, you don't want him in your kitchen, bath or any part of your house for that matter. There are many places where you can check out a prospective remodeling contractor. There is the Better Business Bureau or the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. There are also various trade organizations such as National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). A great place to check online for some dirt on a remodeler is Angies List. This is a two edged sword for any remodeling contractor. Members of Angies List are people just like you who have had their kitchen or bath remodeling done by a particular contractor. This is their chance to tell the world what they think of that contractor's remodeling skills. Good or bad, it's all out there for the whole world to see. People are more likely to go out of their way to complain about a poor remodeling job than to praise a good one. So if a contractor is not on the list, that may be a good thing. Once you have narrowed the list down to one or two remodelers, it is time to move on the the second step in the selection process which is to meet with the contractors.


Meeting With the Contractor


Think of this meeting as a job interview. The contractor is the prospective employee and you are the employer. Would you tell him the work you expect him to do then ask him how much he wants? Hardly. Hiring a remodeling contractor is no different. First get to know a little about him. At this point you don't need to know how many kids he has and their birthdays. You want to know what kind of work he will do for you. If you get him to start talking about work he has done, a few questions will be answered for you without even asking. If he is enthusiastic when he talks about past remodeling jobs it will tell you what he thinks of his profession. There's no point in continuing an interview with someone who you feel would be just as happy selling vacuum cleaners. Is there a particular kitchen or bath that he is especially proud of or just liked a lot? Does he bring up details when he goes into certain aspects of the job? This in itself speaks volumes. If he tells you how hard something was but he kept at it until he felt it was right, you know this man is not just in it for the money. He takes pride in what he does and something that may miss your eye, stands out as a major flaw to him and he will not rest until it meets his standards. You will also get an idea of what those standards are. Once you feel comfortable and feel you can trust this person with your kitchen or bath, you will want to ask for a few references. The purpose of this is to ask past clients about their experience with this contractor. Here is a list of questions you may want to ask:

  • Did the remodeler deliver what he promised?
  • Was the finished kitchen or bath the same as what you had envisioned originally?
  • If there were changes mid-stream, how did the contractor deal with them?
  • If the changes could not be done at that point, were you satisfied with the remodeler's explanation?
  • Did they finish on time and on budget?
  • If they didn't finish on time, was it something that was out of the contractor's control?
  • If the remodel went over budget, was it because of an oversite on part of the contractor?
  • Did the workers on site act professional?
  • Did they keep the work area clean?
  • Did they do everything they could to keep dust and other debris from getting into the rest of the home?
  • Did they do everything they could to protect your property from damage?
  • Did the contractor keep in contact with you and his crew throughout the entire job?
  • Are you happy with your new kitchen or bath?
  • Are you happy with your choice of remodeling contractor?
  • Would you use them again?

Based on the information you have now, you should have a pretty good idea on who you want for your remodeling contractor. It is tempting at this point to want to see a sample of his work first hand. If the contractor has his own showroom, that would be great. But most of the time this is not the case. Asking to see a previous client's home is not a good idea. Most home owners would not want to be put out by having to clean their kitchen or bath so a total stranger could do a walk through. Not to mention the scheduling nightmare to find a convenient time for all parties involved. However, if the contractor has a remodeling job in progress, he might be talked into taking you to the site. This could be a scheduling issue also. You wouldn't learn much if the remodel was in the demolition or rough-in stage. It may come down to you choosing a contractor based on what you have leaned about him up to this point.


Ok I made my choice - Now can I ask how much?


Actually, the contractor is more than likely going to ask you... What!!? The dickens you say! Relax. You didn't let me finish. One of the first questions a contractor will ask is how much you have budgeted for the project. This is not so he'll know how much to squeeze you for. It is used for a guide in the design and planning stages and sometimes for reality checks. Sometimes a homeowner will want body sprays in the shower or a large whirlpool tub. These things may require running larger supply lines up to the bathroom from the basement. It may also involve a much larger water heater. If these are things the homeowner didn't consider, then this could have a major impact on the budget. Many is the time too, a client will get caught up in the moment and start going crazy with the fixtures. Some remodeling contractors may take advantage of a homeowner in this weakened state. Not our guy! He sees that glazed-over look in your eye and he is johnny-on-the-spot with the smelling salts and---(pause for affect), the reality check! If you ever watch those remodeling shows on tv, you will notice that any time they come across a problem that is going to take time and money to fix, they always talk about "the budget". The budget is the guide that all contractors go by. If architects and designers are used, they will know what the budget is also. The design concepts for a $40,000 bath is much different from those of $80,000 bath.


Budget smudget, I just want 3 bids


No problem. Huh? No problem. Earlier I said there are times when shopping for a could price is ok but wanted you to understand that there are times when it is not wise at all. Some remodeling jobs are relatively small and straight forward. For example, let's say you have a 5' wide by 9' deep bathroom. You want to replace the toilet, vanity and tub with all new fixtures. You want the tub/shower walls to be tiled as well as the floor. All fixtures and materials are to be standard or builder grad. Without looking at the bathroom at all, a contractor who's been remodeling bathrooms for a while will know off the top of his head that the job is going to run between $5,000 and $6,000. The price difference is based on the area you live in. If you live in the Cincinnati area, then you know a house in Hyde Park is built a lot different from one built in Hamiltom. The tiled walls in a Hyde Park bathroom can be over two and a half inches thick and made of mortar set in metal lath. Compared to half inch thick drywall there is a major price difference in taking the two walls down to the studs. I make that point because in the Cincinnati Tri-State, anybody with a hammer can call himself a remodeling contractor. If a remodeler hasn't had a lot of experience with homes a hundred plus years old, he may not know what he is bidding on. Only after you hire him and he is well into the demolition phase and your bathroom is unusable does he tell you he didn't charge enough. On smaller jobs like this, you are going to get contractors coming out of the woodwork. Protect youself by doing your research and screening each prospective contractor. Getting 3 bids in a straight forward remodel like this is perfectly ok. Just make sure the 3 contractors are comparing apples to apples. Ask them what is involved in getting from the bathroom you have now to the bathroom you have planned. They should all say the same thing. Sometimes there are hidden issues that are not knowable until after the demo starts. An experienced remodeler knows when this could be a possibility and will tell you this up front. Ask as many questions as you need to be assured that everybody is on the same page. When you do this, you can be sure that the bids are an honest calculation of what each contractor feels he can do your kitchen or bath for and not because he didn't understand the scope of work involved.

Koehler Construction Inc.

3169 Heron Cove
Goshen, OH 45122
Office: 513.625.4117
Cell: 513.827.6800
Fax: 513.625.1582