WARNING: Avoid Your Renovation Horror Story Part 1

I love builders. When they’re good, they’re oh so good, but when they’re bad, your renovation slips into the toilet. Try these (true stories) on for size…

“Holy #!?%, the builder took 80% of our money and completely vanished after completing only 30% of the work. Turns out he was millions of $$ under water and knew it when he low balled our bid.”

“Holy #!?%, the builder’s crew continuously peed in the woods behind our house. ”

“Holy #!?%, the builder stopped our project for 2 weeks before coming back to complete our job without ever telling us.”

“Holy #!?%, the builder never paid all of his subs so we started getting invoices and threatening phone calls after the project was done. ”

All true. Protect yourself on your upcoming reno using these 5 hiring tips:

• Always check credentials with the local builders association.
• Always vet and reference check, even if a builder was recommended by your mom or a holy man in Tibet.
• During the interview phase, ask to speak with past and current clients.
• Ask to visit a current job site on a given day or to drop in unannounced. You’ll see how the job site is kept and how the crew conducts themselves.
• Always google complaints about a builder to include checking with the better business bureau.

We have a list of questions and talking points we ask builders when we help clients vet them, but we would be here all day if I shared then all.

Follow the tips above to put yourself on the right track. In PART II of this article you’ll discover when is the optimal time to bring in a designer on a renovation and when it’s too late.