Guidelines for Selecting Your Paint Contractor!

Transcription

1 Guidelines for Selecting Your Paint Contractor! Selecting the right contractor for your painting project can be a challenge. To help make this decision less stressful, CertaPro Painters of Northport has developed the Contractor Selection Guidelines below based on input from customers, contractors and the American Painting Contractor magazine. Each of the nine selection criteria serves to validate one of three main areas of concern: first: is the contractor credible; second: what sort of craftsmanship should you expect; third: how smooth will the process be for you, the homeowner, from start to finish. By using these guidelines you stand a much better chance of hiring the right contractor to perform legal, quality work, in a safe efficient manner with a minimum of stress, wasted time and money. Q: So, why do different contractors charge different prices for the same project? A: There are many reasons. Here are a few to keep in mind: 1. Not all contractors are Legal. Suffolk and Nassau Counties have some of the toughest laws governing home improvement contractors. They require that all contractors providing services to residential home owners be licensed and approved. Licensing requires, among other things, proper liability and Workman's Comp insurance, qualified testing and that the contractor operates the establishment in a professional manor. But it is still up to the home owner to investigate the contractor s worthiness. Are they a member in good standing with the Better Business Bureau, have they avoided the 10 WORST LICENSED BUSINESSES List in Suffolk County and can they produce reputable references that are current. Request references; check the Suffolk County Consumer Affairs Web Site for valid Licensing, (631) , In Nassau County: And, are they affiliated with the Better Business Bureau Not all contractors carry workers compensation insurance, disability and unemployment insurance, and general liability insurance, leaving you open to possible lawsuits or financial loss should someone get hurt or an accident occur. Not providing coverage keeps overhead lower for these contractors, but exposes you to huge financial risk. The law requires your contractor to have these insurance policies.

2 A. General Liability B. Workman's Comp Request current certificates for worker s compensation and general liability insurance from all contractors you ask to bid on your project. Ask to have you named on the certificate. 2. Not all contractors use trained professionals to perform the work they are contracted to perform. Many use casual day labors to save the costs associated with attracting, selecting, training, and managing painters and foremen. The Workman's Comp law prohibits this type of labor utilization without the proper certificates and coverage. 3. Not all contractors take the time to get a true understanding of the customer s needs for the project before putting a proposal together. These contractors hope to win projects based solely on price, and provide a lowball figure for the project. The relationship then becomes contentious as the contractor tries to cut corners so as not to lose money, and the customer is put in the awkward position of having to police the job and request rework for shoddy work. Quality endures, but quality isn t free. Good Work isn t cheep and cheap work isn t good. Corny as it may sound, your hard earned dollars either become an investment or a liability. 4. Make sure the contractors you ask to bid on your project understand the type of job you are asking them to perform: is it clean it up for sale, make this a showcase for my life, or somewhere in between? Make it a point of giving all the contractors the same information about your project. 5. Not all contractors will define in detail the work they will perform and the products they will use. The three areas you should pay attention to are preparation, priming, and painting. Preparation what tasks will be performed, for what purpose? Priming spot prime or full prime coat? Are appropriate primers for the substrate being used? Painting exactly what will be painted, with what color, what type of paint and how many coats? Make sure the proposals you receive detail these items in a clear and simple format that does not use too much industry jargon. In summary, if a group of contractors are all licensed and insured, provide professional craftsmanship, have a true understanding of your expectations for the job, and are willing to write it all down in detail that is organized and easy to read, there should not be very much difference in their prices. Those contractors whose quotes are low in comparison to the group are probably cutting one of the corners described above or they have missed

3 something in the scope of work. Q: Besides those items mentioned above, what other attributes should I be looking for in a quality contractor? A: Four additional areas to look closely at include 1) the Training employees receive, 2) the Processes used to ensure the job runs smoothly, 3) Customer Service reliability, promptness, accuracy of the proposal, respect for your time and possessions, customer experience ratings 4) Safety - does the contractor meet and adhere to the OSHA, local and EPA requirements. 6. For some contractors, training is an expense they d rather not incur. Very little time is spent teaching the physical skills of painting, let alone the softer skills associated with safety, job site management, and communication with the customer. A few contractors, however, realize that training their employees pays dividends by drastically reducing the occurrence of accidents; improving the quality, cleanliness, and customer satisfaction of each project; and minimizing the costly and frustrating repercussions of missed communication. Contractors with regular training sessions for their employees are more likely going to run safe, clean, on-budget, and hassle free projects. Investing in training shows that the contractor takes pride in his employees, and that the employees are career professionals who take pride in their craft. 7. Performing quality work is only half the battle. We have all heard horror stories about projects that run way over schedule, require large amounts of rework due to differing expectations, and leave the homeowner feeling exhausted, frustrated, or worse. Usually, these problems can be avoided by using processes and systems the contractor has put in place to specifically address issues of coordination, clarification, and communication. Ask your contractor how the employees will be managed on the job site, how the job supervisor will know exactly what to do, what tasks will be performed in what order, and how best to communicate with the crew. Good contractors will have worked these issues through and have honed systems and processes in place to ensure the job runs smoothly. 8. Customer service should not be an afterthought the contractor should be focused

4 solely on understanding your specific needs, designing a tailored solution to meet those specific needs, and executing that solution with respect for you, your time, and your possessions. Use the list of questions below to evaluate your experience with each contractor so far. How was my first call handled? Did I talk with a human or a machine? Was I able to schedule an appointment right away, or did I have to play phone tag? How responsive was the contractor? Was my appointment scheduled for this week, or sometime in the future? Was the appointment scheduled at a convenient time for me or for him? Did the contractor show up at the appointed time, or was he late? If late, did he bother to call ahead to let me know he d be late? How attentive was the contractor? Did he seem genuinely interested in my project? Did he ask the right questions to understand my needs? Did he answer my questions in a way that I could understand? Did he offer meaningful suggestions or options? How professional was the presentation? Were references and insurance certificates offered? Was the scope of work in the proposal accurate? Did it feel like a high pressure sales pitch, or a well-thought out proposal with the necessary supporting information? 9. Safety should always come first, on any job. Painting your home involves you, your family, your pets, your possessions and your property. Make sure your contractor has an OSHA approved safety program in place. It ensures that not only are the contractors employees safety minded, but it helps to protect you from unnecessary worry. 10. Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers and Schools Federal law now requires that individuals receive certain information before renovating six square feet or more of painted surfaces in a room for interior projects or more than twenty square feet of painted surfaces for exterior projects in housing, child care facilities and schools built before Homeowners and tenants: renovators must give you this pamphlet before starting work. Child care facilities, including preschools and kindergarten classrooms, and the families of children under the age of six that attend those facilities: renovators must

5 provide a copy of this pamphlet to child-care facilities and general renovation information to families whose children attend those facilities. Beginning April 2010, federal law requires all contractors that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities and schools, built before 1978 to be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. Ask to see your contractor s certification. For more information visit: Anyone living in and including a home built before 1978 should read the EPA Pamphlet: Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools Understand that as of April 22, 2010, federal law requires all painting contractors to be certified and to use lead-safe work practices when painting homes that may contain lead based paints. Make sure your painting contractor is LEAD SAFE CERTIFIED That was a lot of information for you to cover. But, now you ve done your due diligence and for those contractors who remain, each should be able to provide you with a quality job and a pleasurable experience at a fair price. Thanks again for inviting me into your home to discuss your painting needs. Sincerely, Dominick C. Rocco Owner CP H, H