Home improvement projects can be stressful. Who can I trust, Who has the best price, will they do what they say. In today’s market in the Washington DC Maryland and Virginia, there are hundreds of contractors to choose from. How do you know who to hire to perform the services you need. A common mistake many Arlington VA homeowners make is the price. Understanding in today’s market, many folks have less money on hand to invest into your homes especially when its unexpected. Price in fact should be last consideration. Look at it this way. Here is where you should start to avoid pricey mistakes of hiring the cheaper contractor—Ever hear you get what you pay for. This is so true most of the time. There is a reason for a huge price difference. In the 22 years in this business, I have never had a competitors proposal that was the same. What may seem the same, usually isn’t. This may affect you quality work you desire and warranties. The smallest differences in language can make hundreds to thousands in difference of price. If you hire a contractor based on price, how do you know its going to be completed properly? There are so many other qualifications you should be researching. Especially when finances are tight, last thing you want to do is make a bad investment. Every contractor is going to claim they are the best, when in fact only approx 10-15% of all contractors in the United States have any Certifications associated with their line of work. Certifications are usually additional education programs usually provided by manufacturers, to educate contractors the correct way to install their products to adhere manufacturer warranty requirements, proper installation procedures and in some cases can provide additional warranty coverage over companies that are not certified. This helps assure that you have a quality Arlington VA contractor you are working with. But thats just for starters. The other key component here is that the contractors are actually implementing these practices learned. What good is a Certification if its not implemented properly. We find this so often.

Next is references. References older and current are so important and with phone numbers so you can speak to the homeowners. Older references give you an idea how their services are performing and newer references are good to know how they still are providing their service. Questions you should ask..Are you happy with their work, have you had any problems with their work, how did they respond if so, would you recommend this company, why would you recommend this company. These are very important qualifying questions to ask. Take the time and call at least 10. May seem like extreme, but 4-5 references are just not enough.

Any one can give you 4-5 “friends and relatives”. The more references, the stronger the company’s reputation probably is. Also research the internet a little–contractor customer complaints blogs, bbb, angies list, yahoo and google ratings….these are all good references as well that are non-Bias…Contractors are not in control these reviews, if you get a bad review, we as contractors cant change it….1-2 bad review will happen, unfortunately, not every person can be satisfied for various of reasons…but definitely don’t want to use a company with many complaints, show up late…..left trash behind…..poor workmanship…etc. Check Credentials for contractors if they claim to have them, ask them with which manufacturer/organization and you can contact the company or check online through the manufactures website. Also there are Certificates given, ask to see their Certificates.

These are a few tips that can save you tons of major damages due to poor installation and methods. Once these steps are taking start looking at price, workmanship warranties and manufacturer warranties. Good luck and hope this has help some of you in looking for a qualified Arlington VA contractor.

S.H Certainteed Certified, Building Solutions Certified, EPA Renovator Certified, Authorized installer Firestone, BBB member, A+ Rated Angies List, 5 star rated Google and Yahoo contractor.