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We hear horror stories from clients all the time about working with other contractors who were rude, didn’t show up on time, left a mess behind, or even abandoned them with a half-done project. Plenty of contractors lack respect and have poor communication skills with not only clients but also other contractors. In our 35 years in business, we’ve come across many unprofessional contractors who we’ve chosen not to work with because they didn’t meet the high standards and expectations we have.

Below is an email we received this year from a plumber, after we politely declined the bid he gave us for a bathroom remodel. His bid was significantly higher than each of the other plumbers we met with.

Choosing A Professional Contractor

We’re not sharing this just to shame another contractor – we purposefully removed names because it truly doesn’t matter. The important message is that yes, there are a lot of less-professional contractors out there, but it’s our responsibility to make you aware so you can make informed decisions. There are a few things you should absolutely do before choosing a contractor, like checking out past projects on their website, reading their online reviews, and asking for references. It’s not a good idea to jump and hire the first contractor that gives you a low price – you need a contractor who will guide you through the process so you feel comfortable and understand all of your options. 

At Tom Curren Companies, we work tirelessly every day to provide the highest level of service, quality, accountability and professionalism. Our team takes pride in what we do, and we want our clients to feel good about who they choose as a partner. Working with Tom Curren companies means not only finding success in your next project, but also finding a contractor you can finally trust.

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     One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is not verifying that the contractors they hire, and subcontractors they hire, are insured. Before hiring anyone to undertake a renovation project in your home, it is extremely important to know that they’re insured to avoid being held liable should something go wrong. A shocking amount of people do not want to, or do know to, properly vet the people they hire to work on their homes.

     Firstly, you should never be uncomfortable, or afraid, to inquire about a company’s credentials. A good rule of thumb is that if a company is qualified, licensed, and insured, with nothing to hide or be evasive about, they’ll be happy to offer any and all information you require. If they don’t show you what you require, you should start searching elsewhere for an honest and legitimate company.

     Most people don’t have much experience hiring companies for their renovation projects and don’t know the importance of hiring an insured company. Unfortunately, too many people learn the hard way. Something goes wrong with a project and all of a sudden homeowners find themselves faced with lawsuits or claims on their homeowner’s policies. A home improvement company’s general liability and worker’s compensation insurance will cover injuries on the job site, property damage, and negligence in craftsmanship. Imagine the potential trouble of having uninsured workers in your home. Avoid learning the hard way, and do your due diligence!

     Remember to be careful to do your research prior to hiring anyone. Verify credentials, perform quality assurance, and check a contractor’s qualifications with the relevant certification board or insurance company. Request copies of the company’s General Liability policy, Worker’s Compensation policy (if required), and Property Damage coverage. Contact their insurance carriers to establish that they’re current, or you could be held liable for any injuries and damages that occur during the project. To cover your home and property, it’s a good idea to have a certificate of insurance issued in your name. Don’t forget to contact your home insurance carrier to verify that your policy covers your home and property during a renovation. Some home improvement projects may void your homeowner’s policy if not approached properly.

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     The Tom Curren Companies remodeling team stresses the value of pulling permits. The process for obtaining a permit often varies greatly between both different states and their individual cities. However, the purpose of the document remains the same, as it is an agreement that all of the outlined work will meet the municipal building department’s safety codes. This is beneficial for both parties, as the homeowner will not be worried about having to tear down their work at a later date and the town can rest assured that there will not be any potentially dangerous structures built at the specified residence. Homeowners who choose not to seek local approval requirements put themselves and their homes at risk for future safety and legal issues.

     When companies or individual contractors make any reference to a homeowner pulling his or her own permits, they are allowing all liability to fall on the homeowner’s shoulders. This is a precarious path to take in any remodel, as in the same way that permits can be very beneficial for homeowners they can also be detrimental when one is not filed either correctly or at all.

     In comparison, when using licensed contractors for this extensive work, such as the ones on our team, homeowners often do not have to participate in the permit process at all. Our experienced contractors will take care of every aspect, including filling out the paperwork for the municipality, collecting fees, and being present for the required inspections. This leaves homeowners with the comfort of an approved permit for their home and none of the associated stress.

     In addition to allowing the work to continue uninterrupted, a permit can also work to protect the homeowner and any future homeowners as well. Since all of the work under the permit is done to the specification of the state building codes, the new construction is more likely to last the test of time; allowing for better resale down the line for homeowners and peace of mind for potential buyers.

     To further ensure that the job is on track, our team will hold inspections with the town when each portion of the client’s remodel is complete, such as separate inspections for the job’s plumbing, electrical work, and more. This thorough review by the town guarantees that all of the work thus far has been done to code for the homeowner. Unfortunately, we are then at the mercy of the town inspectors, as they have their own schedules to abide by and may delay projects by roughly a week at times. Though these inspections can sometimes cause a temporary delay in labor, they are beneficial in the long run for the homeowner and our team’s fulfillment of the work.

     We want each project to run as smoothly for the homeowner as possible, without the risk of delays that can happen when a project is stalled for a last-minute permit. This derailment can be detrimental for homeowners with tight timelines, as well as for the contractors and subcontractors who had planned on working specific days. There can also be additional fees and/or penalties incurred when trying to skirt around necessary permits- on top of the building permit fees themselves. Tom Curren Companies always aims to run projects by code from the very start, in order to avoid any bumps that can occur along the way when shortcuts are used.

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     We know that television shows like Flipping Out are popular for a reason: drama stalks a remodeling project, waiting for an unmet expectation to strike. When customers don’t tell us exactly what they’re feeling, holding back concerns until late in the process, all those bottled up worries come flooding out at the end of the job. That’s understandable, and we absolutely get it. You want your expectations and desires met, and believe us: we want to meet them. That’s our job.

     Unfortunately, as fantastic as superpowers would be, we don’t have ESP, and we can’t read minds. Without consistent input from the customer, we can’t be 100% sure that we’re providing you the satisfaction you deserve. If something is troubling you—if you have a question, concern, or just want to be walked through a process—do let us know. It’s best to lay everything out on the table so we can work through any issues together. Any problem—and we mean any problem—can be worked out: it all starts with open communication and a continuing dialogue on both ends.

     One place to start the conversation is with style and budget, as installation procedures and pricing vary greatly depending on what you’re looking for. The better we understand your vision, the better we can estimate the scope of the work to come. Most homeowners, excited about the end results of remodeling, give little thought to the time, noise, and other inconveniences that naturally attend construction projects. Before embarking on any job, we encourage our clients to discuss timetables and work schedules with us. If, for any reason, the schedule falls behind, that’s something you should feel free to ask us about.

     We know completion of a project can sometimes seem stop and go, or faster during some stages and slower during others. We want you to be aware that those are the times when, in actuality, a lot of “unseen” work is being done—dealing with electrical lines, for instance, or plumbing.

     Communication works both ways, and we never want to be ships passing in the night when it comes to customer communication. Always tell us what’s on your mind, establish expectations with us at the beginning, and the only drama you’ll find in construction will be where it belongs: on reality T.V.

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     Our customer Erin, having recently purchased a home, was looking to completely remodel her kitchen and bathroom, in addition to relocating the home’s side entrances and moving a half bathroom to another room in the house. We asked Erin for her thoughts on how the process worked from a homeowner’s perspective, and—like almost any remodeling project—it had its pros and cons. “The loan process is a long one,” she told us, “but overall geared towards protecting the homeowner, and it was worth it for us to get the house that we wanted.” Be advised, though, that a lot of paperwork attends construction loans, and the process can be somewhat intrusive. Even before her loan closed, an inspector came out not once, but twice to “make sure the cost of the renovation projected by the contractor was not an overestimation.”

      That brings us to the contractor’s perspective. With mortgage-construction loans, contractors are required to complete all design plans, get estimates from sub-contractors, and provide exact costs upfront before the loan closes or the contractor is paid anything. “Typically the company doing the work has to fund the project to get started,” our contractor Scott explained. “Once things get rolling, we can submit for payments. But only after certain stages in the process have been completed. This can be overwhelming for a smaller company that lacks the cash flow to do this.”

      Once a mortgage-construction loan closes, the loan inspector continues to play an integral role. Once the loan was approved and the work began, Erin says, “the inspector had to come out three different times to inspect the work, and he was the one who gave the OK for the bank to give a payment to the contractor. We had to sign saying we were satisfied with the work and, once the job was done, we had to have two final inspections.” Until both the inspector and homeowner have approved certain stages of the project, the contractor goes without payment and a percentage of the loan for the homeowner is held back.

      We’ll end this post with a few final thoughts from our customer—thoughts that, more or less, sum up the major pros and cons of mortgage-construction loans:

      “This loan is definitely geared toward protecting and helping the homeowner, which was nice, and now that we know the process it makes sense,” she said. “Overall, I think it’s more work for the contracting company because of all the extra work due prior to securing the loan and because of the delays in getting payment from the bank. We are very thankful to Scott and Tom Curren Companies for taking a chance on us and agreeing to work with this type of loan. They did an amazing job and were so professional throughout the entire process!”

     So, in short, a construction loan can be great—just know what you’re getting yourself into, do your homework, and ask the tough questions before diving in.

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