You can’t work with just any old contractor when you have a home project that’s beyond your abilities — you need to find someone you can trust to complete the process as efficiently as possible while staying within your budget. Choosing the wrong contractor can turn into a very expensive nightmare, and one that should be avoided at all costs. Here are some ideas to ensure you find someone capable that you trust to complete your St. Louis renovation:

Ask Your Friends and Family

Mining your network of family and friends for recommendations should be your first step. When people have a very good (or very bad) experience, they generally remember it well. Compile a list of both the good and the bad that you hear. Apart from reaching out to your friends and family directly, sometimes making a Facebook post asking for a reputable contractor can give you a great deal of information in a very short time.

Do Your Research

Once you have some recommendations, you should do some additional research on those names. See if the contractors have a website and any online reviews. A negative review among 50 positive ones should not be concerning, but if you see that the reviews are overwhelmingly negative or just so-so, you should cross that name of your list and continue your search.

Be Clear on What You Want

Before you contact any contractors, you need to be perfectly clear on what you want. You should know your budget and the scope of work in advance. It’s always a good idea to listen to the advice of professionals, but if you’re not clear on what you want, you could end up getting pushed in directions that you never intended. This is why finding a contractor that you trust is so important. Feeling confident in your decision before getting started will keep you from being constantly worried that you’re being taken advantage of. 

Explore Every Option

You should always get multiple estimates, even if your first meeting goes very well. Once you have 3 or so bids, then you can review the information and make your decision. Also, when you let a contractor know that you’re getting multiple bids, it generally keeps them competitive in price.

If you’d like some recommendations for local contractors, or if we can be of assistance with something else, please get in touch. We’re always happy to help.