Whether you’ve been thinking about replacing your old windows, adding a concrete coating to your garage floor, or getting a new front door, trusting a company with your home can be nerve-wracking.
The last thing you want is to waste your time, money, and effort on a home remodeling contractor that leaves your home in disarray.
You need to find the right company for your project the first time.
So, you’ve probably read plenty of articles and watched many videos explaining how to find the right home remodeling contractor for your project. You get the gist, and you understand the basics.
But you want someone to tell you, “This is going to be a trustworthy company for you and your project.” Southwest Exteriors is here to help.
As a San Antonio home remodeling contractor since 1989, we’ve learned much about what makes a high-quality home remodeling company and how to become one.
While we offer some of the highest quality products, services, warranties, and installation, we know we are not always the right company for every homeowner.
No matter who you choose to work with for your next project, we want you to have the right knowledge and tools in your box to be able to spot a trustworthy contractor in your area.
This article will take you through 10 qualities of a high-quality, trustworthy home remodeling contractor and allow you to rate how well the contractor you consider fits the qualities.
After reading, you will tally your answers to learn the level of riskiness your potential contractor portrays to you. Then, you can better understand if the contractor you are considering for your project will be a risky choice and can find the right company that will pose the least amount of risk for you.
When it comes to choosing a restaurant for lunch or where to position a piece of art on your wall, you probably wouldn’t consider these risky decisions.
A risky decision is one you take your time on. It may be weeks, months, or even years until you finally make a choice.
So, if you’ve been thinking about starting a new home remodeling project, you want to choose a contractor you can trust and that will pose the least risk to you and your home.
How do you find a contractor you know will not be a risky decision? Follow along with these 10 statements below and rate the contractor you are considering on a scale of 0 to 5.
Once you’ve gone through all 10 statements and given your potential contractor a score, you will tally them up to see your results at the end.
Let’s get started.
One of the first things you need to confirm is that a contractor has been locally established for around 7-10 years.
This is important because this means the company has established credibility and longevity. This also allows you to feel confident in their work and their warranty by checking historical reviews and looking into the founding of the company.
A contractor that has only been around for a year or two is not as trustworthy as one that has been around for a decade. How do you know this new company on the market will sustain its business and be there for you when you need them in the future?
Once you’ve established the longevity of a home remodeling company, you next want to ensure they have good quality real reviews and photos of their work on hand.
Trusting online reviews can be difficult. Sometimes, you may not know if the reviews are honest or if the client was offered an incentive to review.
When looking at a company’s reviews, you want their overall rating to be at least over 4.5 stars. The reviews should be incredibly detailed, including the client’s experience from the beginning of their product all the way to the finishing touches.
If the majority of a company’s reviews only mention the sales presentation and how well they liked their sales representative, this is a red flag. This reviewer has not yet had their project complete, so how do you know the company will offer exceptional service?
You also want to be able to see real photos of the company’s work, whether that’s through their website, their presentation to you, or through reviews. Seeing real photos of the company’s work allows you to know whether their workmanship matches what they promise and will meet your needs.
When meeting with a potential home remodeling company, you want to feel you have a full understanding of the products they offer and that they will help you achieve your goals.
A high-quality home remodeling contractor will help you design what you want to fit best into your home, not just sell you a product as fast as possible.
You want to feel confident you understand what products they offer, if they will meet your goals and needs, and that the contractor listened to your needs and provided helpful suggestions to meet your needs.
One important aspect of finding the right company for your home remodeling project is understanding their installation process from top to bottom.
Even if you have minimal knowledge of how your project should be installed, you want the confidence that your contractor can explain what they will be doing in full detail to help you understand they have excellent craftsmanship.
The contractor you are considering should explain exactly how things will be removed and installed, where equipment will be stored and how they will take care of your home from the very beginning of your project to the finishing touches. They should also be able to answer any detailed questions you have about your project.
Then, you can have the confidence they will provide you with a high-quality project and take care of your home throughout the process.
Along with understanding the installation process of your project, you want to know that you will have a project manager who takes care of all aspects of your project.
The project manager will be in constant communication with you about updates on your project and will be your go-to person for any questions or concerns you may have.
A project without a project manager is like a car without a battery. Without one, the operations do not run smoothly, and things continue to go wrong.
If you do not have a project manager, YOU become the project manager. You will be left to always question what’s going on with your project and crave updates that you aren’t receiving.
After knowing that your potential contractor has a project manager for your project, you want to be able to see who you will be working with and who will take care of your home.
When you meet with a potential contractor, you want to see who you will be working with. This adds another level of confidence in this contractor, knowing you can see who will be working on your home. This also establishes more credibility for the company.
If you do not see any pictures of the crews or project managers who will be working with you on your project, it is not the end of the world. But, it is an added layer of assurance that you can see who exactly you’ll be working with on your project.
The warranty a contractor offers is crucial to understanding how they will back up their work in the future.
Your potential contractor for your project should explain their company warranty and product warranties in depth, including how long they last, what is included and excluded, and how they will handle any warranty claims.
If you do not understand the warranty a company carries, you do not know if they will be there in the future to provide you with services if something goes wrong with your products.
When it comes to the cost of your project, you want to know exactly where your money is going. A high-quality contractor should provide you with a detailed breakdown of the cost of your project as part of the proposal, which will include all other details of your project, like the installation process and warranty.
You need to understand why your project costs what it is and that the contractor is transparent in their pricing.
A detailed project proposal shows the amount of effort a contractor will put into your project. If they give great attention to detail in the documentation of your project and the contract, imagine the amount of detail they have throughout your project.
A home remodeling project is no small investment. Even as a financially stable homeowner, dropping thousands of dollars all at once is nerve-wracking for anyone.
Whether you want to pay for your project through monthly payments over time or split the cost into just two installments, you want to find a company that provides you with the option.
A contractor that offers multiple payment plans for your project allows you to choose a high-quality contractor without breaking the bank. If a contractor only offers you one or two options, they most likely only care about making the sale.
The final thing to look at to determine the risk of choosing a home remodeling contractor is if they followed through with what they promised to you.
After you meet with a potential contractor, if they say they will contact you the next day but do not, this is a red flag.
You want to work with a contractor that can follow through with its promises from the get-go. We understand that common slipups happen. People forget things. But, if you decide to work with a company that continuously falls short on its promises, this is a risky decision.
Now that you’ve completed this risk assessment to find the best home remodeling contractor for you, it’s time to tally the results. Simply add up all the scores you gave your potential contractor for each question and compare them to the results below.
To choose the best home remodeling company for your project, we recommend staying within the 0-20 point range. This contractor will most likely provide you with a high-quality project, take care of your home, and make you feel confident in their work.
When searching for the right contractor for your project, it’s important to have realistic expectations.
The highest quality contractor will never be the least expensive, so you must outline your wants, goals, and needs for your project to find the right company that will meet your criteria.
So, as you are searching for the right company for your home remodeling project, you probably have a few different contractors you’re considering for the project. But how do you accurately compare them to find the best one for you?
Check out this article that will outline exactly how to compare two or more home remodeling companies by looking at the company, their products, warranties, and more. Then, you can find the right company for your project.
Schedule your commitment-free consultation today!
Southwest Exteriors offers high-quality exterior remodeling services like window, siding, and door replacements, as well as garage floor coatings.
Communication is one of the most important principles to us. From the moment you work with us, you will know exactly what to expect and will never be left in the dark.
Our products, services, and installations are made to last a lifetime in your home. They are backed by our lifetime warranty for as long as you own your home.
Ready to start your project with a contractor you can trust? Schedule your commitment-free consultation with an expert design consultant today!