Boost Your Property Value and Love Your House Again.

Follow these insider secrets to getting a remodel that adds value back to your home and goes so smooth your friends won't believe you... Have you fallen out of love with your house? Do you want to drive your home value through the roof? But have you been hesitating because of all those horror stories you hear about scam contractors? What exactly do you need to avoid making the remodeling mistakes that other people have made? Hello, my name is Jim Rower. Ive been in the residential construction industry for over 30 years and have been the CE of Rowers Remodelin! for the "ast #3 years. $his re"ort I have written "rovides you with critical information and %uestions you need answered before you select a !eneral contractor for your home remodelin! "ro&ect. 'y followin! this !uide, youll be able to slee" easy at ni!hts (nowin! your "ro&ect is bein! handled "rofessionally and ably. )any of my clients have lived in their home for a lon! while, and started to feel the itch to revam" the way the entire abode loo(s. House remodelin! is a !reat "ro&ect to embar( on * a way to !et to doin! all those lon! overdue re"airs, as well as to !ive the house a fresh, new loo(. +i(e them, dont you want to fall in love with your house all over a!ain, es"ecially if it adds immense value to your home in the "rocess, -ou mi!ht be interested in remodelin! for a variety of reasons. you need new rooms for your !rowin! family, you have a !rowin! collection of ac%uisitions that you need to ma(e s"ecial s"aces for, or you have &ust been lon! dreamin! of transformin! your house into the comfortable and beautiful dwellin! that you have always wanted it to be. /hatever your motive, remodelin! is a "ro&ect that is e0citin! * but also very challen!in!. 1side from the obvious need to have ca"ital to "ay for materials and man"ower, the bi!!est decision youll "robably have to ma(e is which contractor to !et. 2ettin! a !reat contractor can be tric(y business. 1 lot of "eo"le e0"erience setbac(s in their remodelin! "ro&ect because they could not find a contractor suitable enou!h for the &ob. -ou mi!ht be li(e some "eo"le who do not even consider remodelin! &ust because they do not really 3(now4 anyone in the business. $here are &ust too many harrowin! accounts of ha"less homeowners who have been du"ed by con5man contractors. 6tories of unsavory contractors, who steal su""lies, over5declare costs, leave unfinished "ro&ects, and abandon alterations that need re"airs in less than three months are too many to count. )ost "eo"le feel li(e they cannot find enou!h time to sit down and do "ro"er research for !ettin! a !ood contractor. 6ome even !o into the ris(y decision of not hirin!

a contractor at all, and end u" !ettin! dismal results on their remodelin! "rocess on their own. 1nd yet 5 des"ite all these ne!ative e0am"les, remodelin! your home can be a smooth and very successful e0"erience. -ou do not need to be 3connected4 to !ood contractors, nor do you need to have above avera!e (nowled!e in buildin! and remodelin!. 1ll you need to (now are a few 3secrets4 to ma(in! the search for the "erfect contractor easier and more fool"roof. Hoo(ed, Read on.

Watch Out For Obvious Hazard igns 6ometimes, "eo"le !et scammed or suffer ma&or financial losses for obvious reasons. 1void ma(in! the followin! !larin! mista(es. 7. 6uccumbin! to "ressure from insistent sales"eo"le /hen youre ma(in! your rounds and in%uirin! about the services of different contractors, be "re"ared to listen to a lot of a!!ressive sales "itches. 8o not be coerced to set a deal with a contractor who "romises you all sorts of wonderful results, and who is "ractically !uidin! your hand to si!nin! away a chec( to them9 $he old ada!e, if what theyre sellin! sounds too !ood to be true, it "robably is. 2o with your !ut if youre feelin! "ressured and tell them to bac( off. )aintain a "leasant but firm resolve to 3!et bac(4 to them only after you have seen and studied everythin! accordin!ly. Chances are, if youre not comfortable when you ma(e the decisions, you wont be comfortable with the results. #. +istenin! to everyone * too much /ere sure that relatives and friends mean well when they dis"ense advice for your home remodelin! "ro&ect, but be careful of ta(in! all these su!!estions seriously. If you thin( your brother or your best friends idea sounds nice, you should still ta(e the time to consult with an e0"ert, or to read u" on more material about it. In some instances the "ro"osed idea may &ust not be wor(able in your situation. Its better to double5chec( than to have re!rets that will cost you in the end. :ee" in mind, "eo"les ideas also have the tendency to clash with one another. 'e sure to heed only the advice which you really feel most comfortable with. 3. Entertainin! door5to5door contractors $he only (ind of contractor you should allow into your home is the one whom you are already interested in hirin!. Contractors do not do 3free assessments4 unless

they are bein! commissioned to do so. If someone (noc(s on your door offerin! s"ecifically to do this, be wary. ;eo"le come u" with all sorts of tactics to brea( into houses and "ilfer from unsus"ectin! "eo"le9 Remember safety first9 1lways (ee" your safety in mind when anyone comes to your home unannounced. If you ta(e nothin! else away from this e5boo(, this is the most im"ortant99 <. Rushin! into a "ro&ect because of a discount offer 6ome "arties come u" with this scheme to coerce their clients into "ayin! u" ri!ht away. they claim that their "rice for the contractor deal is a 3s"ecial seasonal offer4 or a deal to use your finished "ro&ect as an advertisin! model. 1!ain, double chec( these offers before ta(in! them u". -ou mi!ht be sur"rised to find out that these s"ecial 3discounted4 "rices do not differ much from the re!ular "rices that other contractors would be offerin! durin! that "eriod.

As! the "#portant $uestions )eetin! your contractor face5to5face is essential. =ot only will you establish a better connection with him >and ma(e misunderstandin! less "robable?, but it will also be an o""ortune moment for you to be able to "resent these essential %ueries. 7. 8o you have a license, 1 licensed contractor is more liable an easier to trac( down if you will have issues with the finished "ro&ect. 8o not entrust a "ro&ect to a contractor who does not have a license9 It ensures that your contractor has "assed an a"titude e0amination and that he is res"onsible and trustworthy. 1s( to chec( his license and ma(e sure that it is currently re!istered. #. 8o you have a !eneral liability insurance "olicy, 1 contractor should be res"onsible for any untoward dama!es which he will cause to your "ro"erty, if these are not "ertinent to the on!oin! construction. 1s contractor, he, not the client, is also res"onsible for his em"loyees and laborers welfare. 3. Can you "rovide wor(mans com"ensation insurance, $his (ind of insurance is connected with a !eneral liability insurance "olicy. It is not re%uired for a contractor to have one, and if he does not, he should inform you ri!ht away so you can decide whether you can shoulder this e0"ense of not. Ideally, you will already "rovide your contractor with a sum which includes com"ensation for his wor(ers, so there should be no need for sub5contractors and em"loyers to demand "ayment directly from you. <. Can you !ive me a written lien waiver ri!ht away,

$his will ensure that all laborers and em"loyees on the "ro&ect are e0"ectin! to receive their com"ensation from your contractor, since he is the one whom you "ay and he will be the one directly in char!e of them. 1 written lien waiver will "rotect you from com"laints from un"aid wor(ers and such. It is the contractors &ob to ta(e care of "ayin! sub5contractors and wor(ers. @. /ho will ta(e care of the buildin! "ermits, 1 !ood contractor is familiar with securin! "ermits and will usually ta(e care of this "articular "art of the remodelin! "rocess. therwise, he should be able to !uide you accordin!ly throu!h it. 'uildin! "ermits are necessary in order to avoid untoward claims while your remodelin! "ro&ect is on5!oin!. A. Can I e0"ect a !uarantee, 1s( for at least a one5year !uarantee, because this is the minimum amount of time that the %uality of a contractors wor( should hold u". 1 wor(manshi" !uarantee is necessary so that dama!es not related to disasters or normal wear and tear can still be fi0able at no e0tra cost. B. /ho will oversee the "ro&ect on5site, Cind out if your contractor is hands5on. will there be a foreman on5site, How often will he visit the site, -our home mi!ht be vacant durin! the ma&or "art of the construction, so your contractor should be readily liable to oversee the security of your dwellin!. D. Can I as( for some written references, -ou can as( your contractor for his "ersonally sourced references if you cannot find any. Contact these "eo"le and in%uire about the wor( your contractor did for them. E. /hat are your "ost5"ro&ect "rocedures, 1 contractor is measured not &ust by his buildin! s(ills but with by how well he cleans u", too. In%uire how his methods are for "rotectin! lar!e furniture and other valuables durin! construction. 1s( if his wor(ers ta(e care of cleanin! u" and tidyin! tools after each wor(day and after the whole construction "rocess itself.

Have a list o% guidelines to %ollo& be%ore' during' and a%ter construction $here are many thin!s you need to "re"are for in order for the remodelin! to be done in the fastest time and in the best %uality. $a(e note of these necessary thin!s to do so that you will not encounter misha"s durin! your home remodelin!. 7. 'efore $he Construction - Establish !ood communication with your contractor. 2et to (now your contractor well before you si!n a contract with him. )ore often, his "ersonality and rece"tion to clients will reveal how he will move about durin! the construction. Is he "olite, 1 !ood listener, 8oes he bra! about all his "revious wor(, 8o you notice him re"rimandin! his em"loyees shar"ly, -ou will be wor(in! with your contractor for at least several months, so it is essential to determine how well you will !et alon! with him. -ou do not need to be drin(in! buddies with the contractor, but he should be someone whom you could at least res"ect and "rofessionally !et alon! with. -our contractor should be able to "rovide you with a detailed "ro&ect "ro"osal. He should be able to !ive you an estimate of how everythin!, bro(en down, will cost so that you can "re"are the necessary funds without hassle. 1 contractor with a com"rehensive "ro"osal indicates his attention to detail and %uality wor(. It will also save you from the nasty shoc( of havin! to "ay for tools or materials which you have not (nown to be needed. )a(e sure that your contractor can "rovide you with a timetable and a definite schedule ri!ht before construction starts. $his will ensure that he is deadline5oriented and that somethin! can be accom"lished everyday. 8etermine whether his "ro"osed schedule will ta(e too lon! or sounds im"ossibly fast. 8elays can be &ud!ed a!ainst the timetable in order for you to determine whether they are reasonable or not. )a(e sure that all "ermits are le!itimate and in "lace. 6hould you need to file insurance claims to anythin! that ha""ens durin! construction, "ermits are essential in order for these claims to be a""roved by the com"any.

#. 8urin! Construction - -our contractor should be someone who corres"onds and re"lies "rom"tly, and (ee"s you u"dated on the wor( "ro!ress re!ularly. -ou should be able to feel li(e your contractor (eenly understands your concerns and is earnest to loo( for ways to be able to solve them. +et your nei!hbors (now that you are !ettin! your house remodeled. 1 door5 to5door a"olo!y will not necessarily mute down the ruc(us you will be ma(in!, but it will !o a lon! way in lessenin! !ossi" and e0tendin! your nei!hbors tolerance. -our local county should also be duly informed. $here mi!ht be several restrictions re!ardin! construction in your area, it is best for you to (now and to com"ly with these a""roved restrictions. +ar!e truc(s mi!ht need to come down your street, and nei!hbors may disa""rove of them. 'e sure to have "ermits and an a"olo!etic smile ready when com"lainants start showin! u", &ust in case.

Havin! your house remodeled will mean sli!ht chan!es in your daily lifestyle. -ou mi!ht need to stay in an a"artment or with relatives for a while. If only an area of the house is bein! remodeled, you mi!ht have to be "re"ared for thin!s li(e orderin! meals instead of coo(in!, or slee"in! in the livin! room instead of the bedrooms. 'e "re"ared for these (inds of incidents. If there are (ids in the house, e0"lain the situation to them in advance so that they will not be u"set. Have funds ready &ust in case the contractor needs to ac%uire more su""lies. $his is e0"ected, but it does not hurt to in%uire e0tensively as to where the additional cash will !o to. Remodelin! &obs really re%uire lots of funds, es"ecially if you have commissioned a total home ma(eover. 1 contractors initial estimate is always the 3best "riceF4 the actual cost can !o beyond or under that. 'e "re"ared to chan!e "lans even durin! construction. 1 desi!n "ro"osal is always created with !reat consideration, but as it is bein! e0ecuted, it is natural to have a li!ht bulb moment and to want a redesi!n. -our contractor should be o"en to these decisions, and you should be "re"ared to carry the e0tra cost * but your ultimate satisfaction with a "erfect remodelin! "ro&ect will be worth it.

3. 1fter Construction - Clean u" is essential. )a(e sure that no debris, e0tra materials, or tools will be left han!in! around. Curniture and house fi0tures should be unwra""ed and "olished. Cloors and windows should be wi"ed clean. $he !arden may need some waterin! and swee"in!. 8o a com"lete once5over of the finished wor(. )a(e sure all attached fi0tures such as li!hts, electrical outlets, or faucets will be wor(in! "ro"erly. Cabinets and doors should o"en and close "ro"erly. +oc(s should be in "lace and (eys should be available. 8o accountin!. If necessary, hire someone to hel" you balance all the costs with the out"ut. -our contractor should have (e"t recei"ts of every sin!le thin! "urchased durin! the construction. He should also have co"ies of chec(s or recei"ts which he has !iven out for his wor(ers and subcontractors "ay. 1ccountin! is necessary to ensure that all your money has truly !one into your remodelin! "ro&ect, and not into someone elses "oc(ets.

1lthou!h it loo(s li(e a lon! list, these "recautions are actually very sim"le and usually considered as common sense and !ood instinct. $a(in! all these !uidelines and reminders into consideration will definitely !o a lon! way in ensurin! the success and the "erfection of your remodelin! "ro&ect. If you follow the !uidelines outlined above, you will find a !reat contractor that can handle any remodelin! "ro&ect you throw at them.