Concrete is a vital building component in residential and commercial areas and has a global market valued at over $395 billion. This is not shocking as it is the most common building material in the world. However, for all its popularity, concrete can be a surprisingly difficult material to work with. Hiring the right contractor will make all the difference to the success of your project.
Whether you are building a deck, sidewalk, or driveway, the market is flooded with contractors vying for your attention. However, with all the choices, it can be difficult to decide what skills to look for in a contractor. You don’t want to pick the cheapest, necessarily. Therefore, you need a checklist to help you choose the correct professional for the job. This guide will give you a few tips to help you find the perfect contractor for your job.
1. Do a Background Check
Before you begin any job, it’s a good idea to make a list of potential contractors in your area. The internet makes it incredibly easy to find contractors based on whatever criteria you decide on, whether it be proximity, price, or experience. It’s also helpful to reach out to friends and family, as they may have used a contractor that did a good job on their project. Whatever contractor you choose, they should take your project seriously, quickly respond to any issues, and be willing to take you step-by-step through the process they will use.
2. Look for a Good Reputation
You want a contractor who has a reputation for doing good work. As mentioned above, getting suggestions from friends and family is a great way to ensure good work. You can also look at online reviews, check with sites like Yelp and the Better Business Bureau, or ask the contractor for testimonials from people they have worked for.
3. Look for Experience
Generally, if a business has been around for a while, they know what they’re doing. You want a contractor who has completed a variety of jobs, seen various problems, and fixed them. In short, you want an experienced contractor who will get the job done correctly the first time.
4. Get it in Writing
Consider all aspects of the job you’re planning and put it in writing. You don’t want any questions coming up about what you said in the middle of a project. Also, you should be suspicious of a contractor who seems reluctant to put their promises on paper.
Things that should be written down include the timetable for completing the project, what materials the contractor will use, the project’s cost, and who will be responsible for the cleanup when the project is completed.
5. Verify Their Insurance
Accidents happen, and if a mishap occurs while your contractor is working, you want to ensure that you are not responsible. Ask your contractor about their insurance coverage and ask for proof that their insurance covers accidents on your property. All professional contractors will have adequate insurance to meet your needs and will have no trouble supplying you with evidence.
6. Compare Prices
There’s no crime in shopping around. Meet with a few different contractors and find out their prices. Talk to the contractors about why they structure their prices as they do. As the customer, you want to get the most work for the least amount of money while ensuring a good, professional job. There’s no shame in saving money, but you want to ensure your contractor is still using materials that will last.
7. Review Their Portfolio
Every professional contractor will have a portfolio with pictures of previous jobs they’ve completed. If the contractor you’ve selected doesn’t have a portfolio, you should take that as a red flag. Their portfolio should show you jobs they’ve done and services they offer to help you visualize what your final project will look like and, perhaps, give you a few new ideas on how you want your project to look.
8. Go with Your Gut
Not all contractors have the same method of communication, and not all contractors have the same personality. Trust your instincts when it comes to how you feel about the contractor’s personality. This is a person with whom you will be in frequent communication. If they are too brash or too quiet, their personality type may not fit yours. Measure each interaction you have with your contractor and assess if their personality matches well with yours.
9. Customer Service
Many think you have to wait until the contractor has started the job to measure customer service. But this is untrue. You can start measuring how good the contractor will be at customer service from when you meet. Is the contractor friendly? Is the team punctual? When you call your contractor with a question, do they get back to you on time? These traits add up to whether the contractor will have good customer service once they start your project.
10. What Services Do They Offer?
A professional concrete contractor should have a wide range of services they provide. For example, they should handle driveway and sidewalk repairs, construction of decks and patios, construction and repair of walls and floors, resurfacing, building parking areas, and various decorative talents. If your contractor doesn’t offer one of these basic services, it might be worth looking into why they don’t cover that particular job.
Call On Alpha Foundations
Alpha Foundations has been around for nearly two decades, and our awards and testimonials show that we are the best concrete contractors in the business. We have a great reputation, competitive pricing, a wide variety of services, an online portfolio, and award-winning customer service. Alpha Foundations is nationally recognized and a proud Groundworks company.
We use only top-quality, industry-leading structural repair products to ensure top-notch results on every job. In addition, Groundworks prides itself on having in-house structural and geotechnical engineers who heavily focus on product design and quality. And to make sure you’re certain that their products and services are right for your needs, we provide free on-site inspections and consultations.
For more information about our services, contact us today.
