Hiring a contractor for home renovations can definitely be a harrying process. Not only do you have to find a vendor that is willing to work with your budget and deadline, but you also need to secure the services of a professional that you trust. After all, your home is in his hands. And if you can’t get any referrals from family and friends you may find yourself winging it by going through a directory. In short, you could end up with a contractor that doesn’t work out as well as you hope. And whether you end up in a dispute over the cost of the project, the work to be done, the amount of time it will take, or some other aspect of the remodeling process, you might find yourself in a pretty bad spot, with work only partially complete and a contractor that refuses to move forward for one reason or another. So what can you do to resolve the issue? Here are a few tips.

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Start with a clear contract.

When you have an ironclad contract in place at the start of your project, conflicts are far less likely. Aside from having the power of a legal document to bolster your position on any issue, a written contract signed by both parties means that any changes your contractor wishes to make will result only through renegotiation, which gives you the opportunity to gain some advantage. For example, if your contractor needs more time to finish the project, you may be able to negotiate a lower price for this allowance. Just keep in mind that setbacks and overages do occur on such jobs, so your contractor will likely want a little wiggle room in the contract.

Talk it out.

The best thing to do in any conflict situation is sit down and talk like rational adults. You have wants and needs and your contractor does, too. Since this is your home you have an obvious emotional investment at stake (in addition to the monetary expenditure). But for your contractor it’s just another job. So don’t make it so difficult that he takes a walk. If he is the one being unreasonable then you might be stuck with a problem. But you can do your part to work through a dispute by making an effort to meet your contractor halfway through rational discourse.

Cave to his demands.

Nobody wants to pay more to replace ancient pipes that were hiding under the floorboards when they only budgeted for a cosmetic bathroom remodel, but if you want your build to be up to code you might have to cave to your contractor’s suggestions. Or if you need to get back in your house post haste, you might be willing to pay more to get your contractor to shake a leg, even though it’s not your fault that he’s behind schedule. Always remember that you have legal recourse after the fact if you’re somehow dissatisfied.

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Sue.

Unfortunately, you may be unable to resolve a dispute with a contractor any other way. As long as you have a contract in place and you can prove that he broke it you may have a case for reimbursement of some sort.

Hire someone else.

If you’re at the end of your rope with your current contractor, it may be time to start reading business reviews to find someone else. Just remember that if you break the contract before your vendor does you could be on the hook to pay him regardless of how much work he has (or hasn’t) completed.

For more home improvement ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

So you’ve decided that you’re finally ready to gut your outdated and non-functional kitchen and replace it with the gleaming, modern temple of culinary delights that you’ve been dreaming of in a renovated kitchen. Or perhaps you’re ready to remove the peeling, bordello wallpaper and ruby red tile from the distasteful master bathroom designed by the previous owners. Maybe you want to add a covered deck in the backyard to extend your usable square footage with an open-air, outdoor lounge. Whatever has got you looking for a contractor, there are a few things you need to know before you hire the first guy that gives you a good price. And one thing that few people consider is whether or not they’ll be liable if workers are injured on their property.

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Find out the facts first

The short answer is yes, you may be held liable for any accidents and injuries that occur on your property, whether they involve family, friends, clients, or contractors. Now, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you WILL be held liable. For example, if you can prove negligence on the part of any injured parties (i.e. they were to blame for the accident) you will not be held liable. And in truth, even if you are legally responsible, you might not have to pay any medical bills, legal costs, or punitive damages; if the contractor has worker’s compensation or the company you hire carries its own liability coverage you shouldn’t be on the hook to pay anything. Still, it is important to understand how far your liability extends when you have workers on your property.

Research your contractors

You might have heard about a famous case in which a school was sued when a burglar (a former student) fell through a skylight and injured himself during the robbery, only to turn around and sue the school, eventually winning a settlement (Bodine v Enterprise High School). And while there are certainly a handful of outlandish cases like this one out there to scare the wary homeowner, the truth is that justice generally prevails. If a worker is behaving in an unsafe manner and suffers an injury, you shouldn’t be held liable for his medical bills or any other costs. But accidents do happen and it never hurts to be prepared.

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The best place to start is by finding a contractor that has liability insurance of his own and carries worker’s compensation. This will alleviate the majority of your own responsibility should workers become injured in the course of doing their job on your property. But you may also want to check in with your own insurance provider. They will be able to inform you as to the extent of your liability in this situation, as well as how much your homeowner’s insurance policy will cover. In most cases you will have basic liability, but your policy provider may advise you on how to best avoid out-of-pocket expenses in the event of an injury and subsequent lawsuit (should one arise), and this could entail an additional, temporary policy or even a long-term switch to a more comprehensive insurance plan if you want to do extensive renovations. Once a personal injury lawyer Atlanta to Los Angeles gets involved you’ll be glad you have a beefy policy in place to protect yourself.

Watch Stagetecture’s You Tube Channel for more DIY ideas

Since 2009, Stagetecture has developed over 100 DIY Saturdays. Last week was DIY Saturday #105 and I started realizing that Stagetecture readers worldwide have tons of Do it Yourself or DIY experience and projects they’d probably love to share. So whether you are a blogger, writer, or just a home enthusiast who loves sharing great DIY projects, I’d love to have  you on Stagetecture!

I’m looking for people who have the ability to present a DIY project in a written step by step fashion, as well as have knowledge of tools, materials, and how long the project takes. If you or someone you know loves to write about, or even help your neighbors with their DIY home projects, how about get paid to share your project on a DIY Saturday?

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Here’s how it works:

Research past Stagetecture DIY articles:

1.) Before you contact Stagetecture. Review past DIY Saturday’s here and look at Stagetecture You Tube Channel for examples of good DIY Saturday examples.

I am looking for DIY projects that are universal (meaning topics that the majority of homeowners worldwide can tackle.)

• A good example: How to replace a tile backsplash in your kitchen.

• A poor example: How to remove a structural beam to enlarge a room.

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Inquiring about the job:

2.) If you fit the above description for a DIY writer, you will need to provide the following:

• Click on ‘Contact Us’ and title your inquiry ‘DIY Writer’. Include information about yourself, your DIY experience, and links to your work.

• Link can include: previous DIY articles on the web, publications, blogs, etc… If you don’t have previous articles I will ask you to submit a sample article once we talk via email.

• Each writer will get paid a one-time amount based on experience, length, images, You-Tube video examples of their project, etc.. I will discuss payment with you when inquiring for the job.

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Long term writers:

3.) Each Saturday I hope to have a new writer submit articles along with other DIY Saturdays articles. If the readers enjoy your writing and you have new content to offer, your one-time writing could turn into a long term contributor with Stagetecture!

I look forward to hearing from you as we continue DIY Saturday inspiration!

Please note: All DIY articles must be originally written, but you can use other blogs, publications for reference, but must credit the original source in your writing. Please write articles that will have images and You Tube videos to illustrate your ideas.  If you have troubles, your project may be too specific. We can talk this out if you are chosen as a writer.

-Thanks, Ronique

Watch Stagetecture’s You Tube Channel for more DIY ideas

No matter how good you are at tackling DIY projects around the house, nearly everyone has limits when it comes to home repair and upgrades. So at some point you may find that you need to hire a contractor in order to get some major renovations completed. Although finding such a professional can be as easy as hauling out the yellow pages or perusing local directories online, these research methods won’t tell you anything about whether or not a contractor is qualified and able to handle your particular project, or if they will do a good job. So here are just a few tips to help you avoid hiring a contractor that is nothing but trouble.

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Your first step is to get referrals

This requires some legwork on your part as you’ll have to approach family members, friends, and trusted colleagues to discuss their contracting experiences. But considering that it could deliver on a fantastic service provider it’s well worth the effort you’ll put in up front. So start asking everyone you know about their prior experiences with contractors. Although many people will have horror stories to tell about contractors upping the cost midway through a job, tacking on extra fees, or outright disappearing and leaving a job only partially finished, you’ll probably find a few who can’t stop raving about the incredible prices and service they received from a contractor.

The trick here is to take a positive referral with a grain of salt and temper your expectations. Keep in mind that the job a contractor performed for a friend could be night and day when compared to what you want done. Most contractors are fairly versatile and cover a wide range of renovating services (or hire a crew of specialists to make sure the job gets done right), but still they may not be familiar with the particular renovations you’re seeking. Even if they can offer you the same great prices and speedy, caring service that your friends received, they may not be able to give you exactly what you want.

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Try to get several bids

You can likely secure a load of referrals from many trusted sources of such information in your life, but ultimately you’re the one who has to be comfortable with a contractor (not to mention confident in his abilities to deliver). Along those lines you should ascertain a couple of things at the outset. First, can your contractor work within your budget? Will he offer you alternatives to help you save money whenever possible (even if it means he loses a little bit in the process)? If he exceeds his schedule, are there consequences (like further savings to you)? Does he have his own liability insurance to cover himself and his crew in your home (and can he provide proof of this so you don’t have to worry about small claims court down the road when a laborer breaks his thumb with a poorly-aimed hammer).

And of course, you must ask if he is licensed and make sure to sign a contract stating that he will be liable should you have to redo any of his work at a later date due to code-related issues. In fact, a contract in general is a good idea to ensure that you have some legal recourse should he bail on your project. Finally, make sure that the payment structure is beneficial, including milestones, and that you don’t pay in full until the project is complete.

For more home renovation ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

When it comes to designing the interior space of your home, you might end up deciding that you need a little help from the pros; after several wall colors that simply didn’t work, a mishmash of mismatched furniture, and the addition of a giant antique mirror in your small, modern home (a big mistake in more ways than one), you’re about ready to concede that your decorating skills are sadly subpar. But you just might not feel right about spending beaucoup bucks on something that the average homeowner seems perfectly capable of (all your family and friends seem to have their home decor well in hand). So you need to carefully price out interior design services in order to find one that can deliver the style and functionality you want at a cost you’re comfortable paying. Here are a few tips to help you get it right this time.

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Determine what services you need

First and foremost, you need to think about what you want done before you go looking for an interior designer. Perhaps you have one room in mind that could use a serious makeover. Or maybe you’d like to upgrade every common space in the home (kitchen, living room, even the guest room or guest bathroom). It could be that all you need to be completely happy with your home is a glorious master bath. Then again, an overhaul of your entire interior space could be on the agenda. The point is, you need to decide this before you start looking for bidders.

Create a budget

You also need to create a budget before you get too far along. It’s all well and good to say that money is no object, but for most people this is not true. Okay, so maybe money is no object, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to let your interior designer in on the fact. Whether you have to set the budget so that you don’t spend too much or you simply want to start with an artificial limit that you’re comfortable with (and see where it goes from there), you should never, ever give your interior designer free reign to spend. Simply let him know that there is some wiggle room so that he will take the initiative to approach you with suggestions.

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Collecting bids and estimates

Your next step is to start collecting bids. You may have some ideas about the function and aesthetic of certain rooms, and you will likely prefer certain colors, finishes, and materials from the get-go. But don’t be too pushy at the outset. Your ideas have gone nowhere thus far, or you wouldn’t be hiring an interior decorator. So set a few basic parameters and then see what your bidders come up with in terms of ideas and pricing. You may wind up loving their vision for your space or you might hate it, but either way you’ll get some good ideas and a slew of price quotes in the process.

Just keep in mind that quotes are not final numbers and you may run into pricy setbacks along the way (not to mention a change of heart or three). So always plan for an overage of at least 20% from the original bid. That way you can avoid paying the excess on plastic (and having to consolidate later with balance transfer credit cards).

For more interiors tips on Stagetecture, click here.

Whether you are considering remodeling a small portion of your bathroom, or you are considering adding on an addition to your home, there are several essential tips to follow. Many homeowners jump head first into remodeling before determining, budget, time, what needs to be fixed before remodeled, etc…

Today, my Guest Blogger, Swan Griffin gives you five essential tips to consider before you start remodeling, to help save yourself time, money, and energy!

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Many people feel like it’s time for a change when it comes to their home. Rather than buying a new home they choose to remodel their current home. When planning a home restructuring there are a couple rules of thumb to consider.

1.) Fix What Is Broken First

Home owners tend to think big when remodeling their house. Adding new bedrooms, knocking down walls or adding a second floor are some of the most common goals of a remodel. But these major improvements can deplete a budget, leaving no money to fix those leaky pipes, drafty windows and peeling paint.

2.) Over Budget Your Time and Money

If there was a ever a time when Murphy’s law came into effect, this is it. Hidden problems in the home, alternate products and materials that are more expensive, mistakes; all of these contribute to making your remodeling more expensive than you intend. Leave a little leeway to reduce stress, add 15-20% to your goal budget and a couple extra weeks to your goal finish date.

3.) Your Yard Is Apart of Your Home Also

Don’t forget to look at making changes to yard. This is the first impression people get when visiting your home. It does no good for your interior to be a beautiful work of art but have a dilapidated exterior. Go ahead and plant a couple shrubs and add a walkway, possibly a nice shed or pagoda if your yard is big enough. It can increase your property value and create a great framework for your home.

4.) Hire a Contractor

Many people will try and complete the repairs themselves or hire a cheap inexperienced worker. This can add thousands of dollars to your home project just from fixing mistakes. Homeowners with full time jobs are only doing spare-time and weekend work which can cause you to live in a construction zone for months. Hire a contractor and sit back. It lessens the chance of mistakes and lowers time.

5.) Research

This may be the simplest of the five but also the most looked over. Before hammering a single nail, make sure you have all your ducks in a row. Can you afford it? Are you prepared for total upheaval? Do you have the most cost-effective materials? What about city code? Remodeling your home causes you to remodel your lifestyle; make sure the impact is minimized as much as possible.

Swan is a marketer for Supplyhero.com, a large internet discount janitorial/industrial supply company. For these and many more green products for your home or business please visit http://www.supplyhero.com

For more Remodeling ideas on Stagetecture, click here.

Depending on what type of modifications, restoration or changes you want to your home, hiring a contractor could be in your near future. If you are considering a contractor, do you know what to ask, and what factors to consider before deciding on one? Today’s Guest Blogger, Mike Rogers gives tips for choosing one.

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Do you need to do residential construction at your home? If so, then it’s crucial that you choose the right contractor specializing in residential construction. Here are some key features to look for in such contractors:

1. Experience

It’s crucial that a residential contractor that you choose have enough experience. He doesn’t necessary have to have decades of experience in the business. But the “more is better” rule generally applies when choosing a contractor. Years of experience will help him to avoid common pitfalls, and to find the best solution if any problems arise while doing residential construction work.

2. Cost

Keep in mind that the residential construction work that you’ll have done on your home will be an investment. In fact, it could substantially increase its value. That said, make sure that you don’t pay more than you should. Do some research about the industry standard costs of completing the construction work on your home. Also, whenever possible try to negotiate the cost of the construction work. These steps will help you to get the best price. While work from quality contractors will likely cost more, it still shouldn’t cost more than usual.

3. Guarantee

This is crucial whether you’re searching for a roofing contractor or a different specialist. Keep in mind that not all guarantees are alike. It’s absolutely, positively important that the guarantee be written. Just as importantly, it should be detailed. What specific work will the contractor be doing? When will the work be completed? How much will the work cost you? If a certain residential contractor can’t provide a written guarantee that answers such questions, then you should keep searching.

4. History

Unfortunately, it’s difficult for any business to satisfy all of its customers. However, if a home construction contractor hasn’t satisfied most of its customers, then you should think twice about hiring him. So before choosing a contractor (such as a roofing contractor) do some research about a particular contractor’s track record. Get personal referrals from friends, relatives, and coworkers. Review organizations that track complaints filed about individual construction contractors. Taking these steps will help you to avoid contractors who have built up a bad reputation.

5. Paperwork

It’s crucial to choose a residential construction specialist who’s fully licensed, bonded, and insured. How about for outstanding contractors? You should do this paperwork check 100% of the time. Even if a residential contractor is skilled and careful, mistakes and accidents are simply a part of life. Stuff happens. Choosing a contractor who’s fully licensed, bonded, and insured will help to protect not only you, but also the construction contractor for residences.

6. Warranty

This is an official way to protect you if your house were to experience any problems after the contractor completes his work. Generally you should look for warranties that are at least a year long. Sometimes your house won’t experience any problems until months after the contractor completed the work. So make sure that you’ve protected yourself for such situations.

If you want to find the right construction contractor who specializes in homes, then the above considerations will help you to accomplish your mission

Mike Rogers is president of MW Rogers Construction which is a Houston roofing contractor and also does Houston residential construction

Rogers, M.W. Construction
7536 Harms Road # A, Houston, TX 77041-2142
(713) 937-7200

For more architectural ideas on Stagetecture, click here.