I’ve heard from many consumers over the years who hired a friend – sometimes licensed, sometmes not – to perform some type of remodeling project. And it just never turns out to be the smartest idea and very often it’s the end of the so called friendship. Usually the lure is one of “saving money” and the guy could use the work and well, their friends”. Yeah right. Quite the opposite typically happens.
The work ends up being shoddy and timelines are not met. Of course there is no contract and the homeowner usually has fronted a good deal of the entire cost of the project with very little to show for it. They’ve asked repeatedly for some progress and some folks ask for a contract after the fact. These kinds of scenarios rarely work out in favor of the homeowner and only add to their frustration and money lost.
Recently I received another one of these kinds of emails from a homeowners asking what her options are and my answer to her query is posted in my FAQ section of my site.
Bottoom Line: Don’t do business with a contractor-friend and expect a great deal. Go through the steps outlined on my site, Tips on Hiring Home Remodeling Contractors as well as Questions To Ask The Contractor regardless of whom you’re looking to hire.