What Should You Look for in a Bathroom Remodeling Contractor?

There’s no secret or special knowledge involved in choosing the best among all the bathroom remodeling services available to you. The tips below are basic starting points and can be used as a good base when you’re excited and planning a dream renovation.

We’ve outlined a simple three-step process to make things crystal clear and help you avoid frustration, headaches and sleepless nights. Here’s what to look for when picking a good bathroom remodeling contractor.

Good Referrals, References, and Reputation

Ask trusted neighbors, friends, and family for recommendations and referrals. This is the best way to find your ideal bathroom remodeler because it takes advantage of an established personal network that knows you well. Plus, you can ask to see the finished remodel projects for yourself.

If no one offers a referral, search online for reputable contractors in your locale. A good indicator of a reputable bathroom remodeling company online is a strong online rating on search and social sites like Google & Facebook Pages. Tree Trimming and Removal

Remember that remodeling is a service industry, and that customer satisfaction depends on more than the finished product. You are looking for quality skilled work, not just quality materials and an impressive marketing strategy. Once you have a shortlist of contractors, do your research on each candidate and make sure you get several references for each.

Verified Credentials, Capabilities, and Communication Habits

Eliminate lackluster contractor candidates by assessing their credibility. Check their official websites and overall online presence. You may even call them directly and make an informal inquiry.

Above everything else, the bathroom remodeling services on your shortlist should have all required state and local licenses. Ask about earned certifications, as well as designations from organizations such as the National Association of Homebuilders, the National Kitchen & Bath Association, or the National Association of The Remodeling Industry. Realtor Lead Appointment Setting

After confirming your contractors’ credentials, the next step is to look up or ask for their references or reviews. Prepare pertinent questions to ask the contractor: How do you handle communications when there are issues? Is the initial estimate more or less the same as the eventual bathroom remodel cost? How do workers conduct themselves while on the job?

Don’t forget to ask about communication issues. How does the contractor handle delays or problems with materials? Do they prefer email or mobile messaging? You need to make sure to establish communication expectations with the contractor.

At this stage, you should be able to weed out contractors that aren’t a good fit. For example, some bathroom remodeling services may have a reputation for being efficient and fast, but don’t have design teams to help you fine-tune your renovation plan to make it more efficient and economical. If you want more help in a particular area, you should choose a contractor that includes it in their services.

Professionalism with a Personal Touch

By now, you should have your list narrowed down to about three choices. It’s time to make formal inquiries and set up face-to-face meetings. You may ask for a price quotation at this point.

The goal here is twofold: to find out how you feel about them, and to assess their professionalism when it comes to work-related appointments and communications. Both are important because bathroom remodeling happens indoors and in close quarters.

If you’re not completely comfortable welcoming the contractor in question—as well as their crew—into your home, you won’t be able to relax until the renovation is done. Trust your gut but do keep an open mind.

Are they transparent about business matters? Does their estimate seem fair based on your independent research? How does their paperwork look like? Keep a keen eye on everything, even after you think you’ve made your final choice.

Any legal agreement for a bathroom remodel should include a payment schedule attached to a formal bid price. Don’t tolerate any vague language and insist on specific statements about the project plan, scope and task sequences. Look for change-order, warranty, and dispute resolution clauses, too.

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7 Essential Benefits of Home Additions

What’s even better than the house you’re living in right now?

Answer: a bigger house.

It’s true, bigger isn’t always better. But home additions aren’t just to impress the neighbors and your friends with your home’s size. There are many practical reasons to get an addition too.

Let’s build on 7 benefits of adding on to houses…

Specialized Space

Perhaps you want a room just for your music equipment, or a home office that just doesn’t work anywhere else. Instead of giving up a bedroom or living space, you can consider room additions that serve a dedicated purpose.

In the example of a music room, you can also opt for extra insulation and soundproofing that might not be as practical in another room with another use.

You can also add a home office to shorten your commute if you’re using another location to work independently. Or perhaps you can convince your boss to let you take your desk job home!

Another popular addition is a sunroom, which as the name suggests typically has large windows for basking in the sunlight. These are great rooms for reading in thanks to natural light. They also make suitable playrooms for kids. Professional Carpet Cleaning

Perhaps you have a very small front foyer, and there’s always a traffic jam when multiple people arrive at once. Adding a front or back addition can give guests and family a place to put their shoes and coats comfortably before coming into the main space.

Increased Storage

Do you have a ton of stuff that you actually use, but doesn’t seem to have a permanent home in your existing space? This could be sports equipment, musical equipment, clothing, boots, children’s toys… the list goes on.

By building an addition, you now have a place to put all of these items in one place without it cluttering up other spaces that you’re trying to enjoy. Not only will you know where to find this stuff more easily, but having a less cluttered home has even been tied to better mental health. Realtors Learn Lead Generation

Consider shelving or custom cabinetry in your new addition to make organizing even easier.

Accommodating Family

Perhaps you have two younger children that have now grown up a bit and want their separate bedrooms. You can listen to them bicker into the night while you’re trying to get some sleep, or you can do something about it.

An addition can be a great way to create a new bedroom for existing or growing family. You can also consider house additions if you have inlaws or elderly parents coming to stay with you for extended periods of time (unless you don’t mind sleeping on your couch.)

And who knows, a child who moved away a long time ago might want to come back and take their old room (it happens more these days than you might think.) But you’ve already made it into your crafts area, so…

Extra Income

Always wanted to be a landlord, but just don’t have enough of a down payment to buy an income property? No problem. By adding on an extra room and maybe even a kitchenette and bathroom (or opting to share that space), you can turn your family home into a money maker.

You can also provide a separate entrance for your tenant so they’re not coming in the front door. There are many people out there looking for one-room rentals, so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding one. Just make sure you do your homework when crafting a lease.

Moving Alternative

So you’ve decided you’ve outgrown your current home and want to put it on the market. But there are many costs associated with listing your home such as minor repairs, staging, real estate agent commission, lawyer fees, and so on.

And then there is the hassle and expense (think moving companies) of finding a new home and community to settle into. You may feel homesick soon after moving into a new house.

Perhaps you love the home and the area it’s in, but haven’t yet considered just adding on to it. It might not just be the space you’re worried about – perhaps you want a dream kitchen. Instead of finding another home that has one already, you can bump out your existing one a few feet or remodel it entirely.

Added Value

Bigger is sometimes better if you decide to sell your home down the road. But that depends on what the addition is for. If it’s not a space that most families would use, it may not be a selling point.

However, there’s another advantage to upping the value of your home, and it’s not just tied to selling. It can boost your home equity if you want to take out a loan or line of credit for a dream vacation or something else you’ve been wanting (like a bathroom renovation.) Home equity is the assessed value of your property minus what you owe on the mortgage.

Modify Spaces

Home additions don’t necessarily always mean you’re building onto the house. For example, if you have an open front porch or back patio but want a bit more privacy, you can choose to close it in with screening or windows to create a new room.

Perhaps you have a basement that isn’t being used to its full potential, or an attic that could be modified to become another bedroom. With the right contractor, you could convert places in your home that you assumed was unusable into your favorite new sitting spots.

Home Additions Make Sense

Before you give up and decide to put your house on the market, you should have a conversation with a qualified contractor about the benefits of home additions. They can be a cost-effective alternative that lets your family stay in the same place (if that’s your goal.)

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Additions can solve your living space or storage problems, and they can also increase the value of your property (not to mention your happiness.)