Any suggestions? I'm in boston area. How do I find a reliable
contractor for kitchen remodling project? Where do I start and what do
I look for? I don't want to randomly pick someone from craigslist.

"Shivani" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Any suggestions? I'm in boston area. How do I find a reliable
> contractor for kitchen remodling project? Where do I start and what do
> I look for? I don't want to randomly pick someone from craigslist.
>

My aunt was just talking about this. I haven't done it myself but these are
some of the highlights I recall her discussing.

Go into the phone book if you have no other resources and pick 3. Get
estimates from all of them and then look into their licenses and credentials
via your local contractor's association or better business bureau. Compare
the estimates they give you. If any are exremely low, that might be a red
flag. If possible, get references. If they can't provide references that is
definitely a red flag.

Just a few very high-level suggestions. People with more first-hand
experience at this will probably have more useful ones.

"rmg" > wrote in message
. com...
>
> "Shivani" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> Any suggestions? I'm in boston area. How do I find a reliable
>> contractor for kitchen remodling project? Where do I start and what do
>> I look for? I don't want to randomly pick someone from craigslist.
>>
>
> My aunt was just talking about this. I haven't done it myself but these
> are
> some of the highlights I recall her discussing.
>
> Go into the phone book if you have no other resources and pick 3. Get
> estimates from all of them and then look into their licenses and
> credentials
> via your local contractor's association or better business bureau. Compare
> the estimates they give you. If any are exremely low, that might be a red
> flag. If possible, get references. If they can't provide references that
> is
> definitely a red flag.
>
> Just a few very high-level suggestions. People with more first-hand
> experience at this will probably have more useful ones.
>
>

This is good advice. Also check the Better Business Bureau for complaints.


--
Peter Aitken

rmg wrote:

> Go into the phone book if you have no other resources and pick 3. Get
> estimates from all of them and then look into their licenses and credentials
> via your local contractor's association or better business bureau.

You have the cart before the horse. Check their credentials out before
inviting them into your house.


jim

I think you need to stop beating this subject to death. Find out what
the CC& Rs are for your condo complex and work within them.

``````````````````````````

On 28 Jun 2005 21:01:01 -0700, Shivani wrote:

> Any suggestions? I'm in boston area. How do I find a reliable
> contractor for kitchen remodling project? Where do I start and what do
> I look for? I don't want to randomly pick someone from craigslist.

Whoe, I did not see that other long long thread about this.

"sf" > wrote in message
news
> I think you need to stop beating this subject to death. Find out what
> the CC& Rs are for your condo complex and work within them.
>
> ``````````````````````````
>
> On 28 Jun 2005 21:01:01 -0700, Shivani wrote:
>
> > Any suggestions? I'm in boston area. How do I find a reliable
> > contractor for kitchen remodling project? Where do I start and what do
> > I look for? I don't want to randomly pick someone from craigslist.
>

On June 29, 2005, sf wrote:

>I think you need to stop beating this subject to death. Find out what
>the CC& Rs are for your condo complex and work within them.

I don't see that it has been beaten to death - yet. Nor do I see that
beating a subject to death is a big issue in this group.

The CCR's for my condominium were rather light in terms of remodels and
contractors. They basically said:

1. prior Association approval required for anything "major" with
"major" undefined;
certainly anything structural and probably anything that required a
permit;

2. No exterior changes w/o prior Association approval - so I needed and
obtained approval for patio surfaces, exterior door hardware and
screens, landscaping in the common area adjacent to my units and
removing sliding doors;

3. No work on weekends or major holidays;

4. No work before 8 am or after 5 pm;

5. Common areas must be cleaned promptly after the end of each work
day; this usually meant that you had to vacuum the common hallway,
remove any debris from the patios, and - on Friday afternoon (tidy
Friday) - thoroughly sweep and hose off exterior walkways;

6. No propping of exterior doors and gates - this was a big issue; if
OP hasn't done this before, he'll quickly learn that significant time
is devoted to bringing tools, supplies and materials in and out;

7. window coverings had to be white/neutral to the exterior;

8. our rules said that the contractor "should" (not "must" - "should")
go through a brief orientation with the on-site property manager; this
was waived in my case because the contractor had done other jobs in the
same development and was found to be "satisfactory" by the management.

In article .com>,
"Shivani" > wrote:

> Any suggestions? I'm in boston area. How do I find a reliable
> contractor for kitchen remodling project? Where do I start and what do
> I look for? I don't want to randomly pick someone from craigslist.

Prior to his retirement, my dad was a contractor for several decades.
Far and away the best way to find a good contractor for any home
construction project is to ask people who you trust and who live in your
area for a recommendation. Talk to neighbors too. A good contractor
stays in business due almost entirely to word of mouth. My dad used to
publish an add in the yellow pages and each year, he debated not
renewing the ad because almost all his jobs came from people who he
either knew from previous jobs or from people who were referred to him
by his customers.

Stan Horwitz wrote (6/29):

> Prior to his retirement, my dad was a contractor for several decades.
> Far and away the best way to find a good contractor for any home
> construction project is to ask people who you trust and who live in your
> area for a recommendation. Talk to neighbors too. A good contractor
> stays in business due almost entirely to word of mouth. My dad used to
> publish an add in the yellow pages and each year, he debated not
> renewing the ad because almost all his jobs came from people who he
> either knew from previous jobs or from people who were referred to him
> by his customers.

Point well taken. Of the people I talked to, no one was in the Yellow
Pages.
I looked. Somehow, having a listing seems to lend legitimacy.

Stan Horwitz wrote:

> Prior to his retirement, my dad was a contractor for several decades.
> Far and away the best way to find a good contractor for any home
> construction project is to ask people who you trust and who live in your
> area for a recommendation. Talk to neighbors too. A good contractor
> stays in business due almost entirely to word of mouth. My dad used to
> publish an add in the yellow pages and each year, he debated not
> renewing the ad because almost all his jobs came from people who he
> either knew from previous jobs or from people who were referred to him
> by his customers.

My father should have been a contractor. His father had been one ( a jack of
all trades but master of none). He could do woodworking, plumbing, welding,
masonry, electrical and he worked fast. One year we moved on Dec. 1. into a
brand new house. He painted the living room, dining room, halls, three
bedrooms upstairs, papered two bathrooms and the kitchen, tiled the basement
floor, drywalled and painted his work shop and laundry room and built a rec
room. It was all finished by Christmas. The year he retired his first
project was to remodel the kitchen. He installed pull out shelves, new
range hood, new countertops, sink and taps, wood floor, and he finished the
job in less than a week.

That would have been a lucrative business for him to get into after
retirement.

In article >,
Dave Smith > wrote:
>
> My father should have been a contractor. His father had been one ( a jack of
> all trades but master of none). He could do woodworking, plumbing, welding,
> masonry, electrical and he worked fast. One year we moved on Dec. 1. into a
> brand new house. He painted the living room, dining room, halls, three
> bedrooms upstairs, papered two bathrooms and the kitchen, tiled the basement
> floor, drywalled and painted his work shop and laundry room and built a rec
> room. It was all finished by Christmas. The year he retired his first
> project was to remodel the kitchen. He installed pull out shelves, new
> range hood, new countertops, sink and taps, wood floor, and he finished the
> job in less than a week.
>
> That would have been a lucrative business for him to get into after
> retirement.

Take it from one who knows, doing carpentry and home repairs can be fun,
but it is frequently backbreaking, especially for someone who's
retirement age. I know of what I speak from personal experience.

I worked for my dad when I was age 5 until midway through my college
career doing work such as installing dry wall, plastering, installing
kitchen cabinets, and painting. My dad and I did a lot of home
remodeling jobs for families where the husband THOUGHT he was Joe
Carpenter, but after a short time, Joe Carpenter's work fell apart, not
that I am suggesting your dad fit that category.

Despite it being hard and dirty work, I enjoyed working for my dad most
of the time. I really only hated doing insulation and I always enjoyed
painting the most. I also really enjoyed seeing the finished product and
the look of happiness on each customer's face when the work was over and
their lives could get back to normal.

Shivani wrote:

> Any suggestions? I'm in boston area. How do I find a reliable
> contractor for kitchen remodling project? Where do I start and what do
> I look for? I don't want to randomly pick someone from craigslist.

Surely you know someone - or know someone who knows someone - who has
had major contracting work done recently (say within the last 2 to 3
years) - friend, neighbor, relative, work colleague. Even in your own
development?

I interviewed 6 contractors and saw samples of all their work. I
eliminated 3 almost immediately because I sensed that we would never
get along - basic chemistry. The remaining three got to be a tough
choice. One was eliminated because he had limited structural
experience, and my engineer was uncomfortable with him. The other two
were a coin toss. I was happy with the guy I picked, but - for all I
know - I might have been as happy or happier with the other guy.

Shivani wrote:

>Any suggestions?

<snip>

Also, since you're in a condo, think about your parking arrangements
for contractor and subs. In my town, I could reserve 2 metered spaces
and had 3 additional spaces in the garage. Two metered spaces cost me
$160 per week for close to a year. At the time, you placed a locking
red leather hood on the meter. It had a good sized sign that said "NO
PARKING - blah, blah, blah." There was a phone number you could call if
somebody violated the parking restriction. We had 17 cars towed during
that year,