How to Find Trust Worthy Contractors

The Remodeling Industry has a definite stigma when it comes to trustworthy contractors.  It seems that they are few and far between... or so most people think!  Thankfully there are several small businesses that are locally owned and take great pride in their name and reputation!  If you ever do find a trustworthy contractor, ask them who they would recommend for your different projects. Usually, contractors who hold a higher integrity, tend to work or have relationships with other contractors who hold the same standards.

Another good way to find a trustworthy contractor would be to find someone who is certified for their industry. In the flooring industry here in Kansas, it is not state law to be certified. Any person can come up with a business name, some tools and convince others they are a professional floor refinisher, installer, etc. It is very simple to pull pictures off of the internet and show them as "jobs completed". I have even heard of family/friends pretending to be past customers as referral sources of these fly by night, rent-a-tool contractors. We are a small business and do not have a huge marketing budget. However, where we do spend the extra dollars is training and learning so our work will speak for itself. It is hard to believe with all of the wood floor companies popping up and appearing on internet searches, that we are still the only company certified through the National Wood Floor Association for installation, sanding and refinishing, as well as wood floor sales!

There is usually some sort of association with any industry. Research to see if your new contractor is a member, but then even take it a step further to see if they are certified by the association. Remember nobody must be certified normally, however the few that take the time to take the classes and then physically prove their standards to become certified are usually the people you want in your home working on your projects.

Reviews, reviews, reviews. Do your due diligence and research how others have reviewed the company. Type in the company's name and "reviews" into a couple of different search engines to see what you come up with. Don't always trust the reviews on their actual business website either. I was on a business' website last night that I have been hearing several complaints about for the past few years because of their craftsmanship and customer service. According to their "reviews" listed on their website, they have over 300+ reviews and have an almost perfect score. However, if you search them online in a generic search and read actual reviews on Google, FaceBook, etc. the picture isn't so pretty.

Let me say this though, not every project will turn out perfectly. Even the best companies in town cannot be perfect 100% of the time. But how do they handle those situations? Do they listen to the customer? Do they find a solution that will please the customer? This is what you want. So even if a customer gave someone a 3 or 4-star review, read about what happened. Maybe there was a hiccup that no one was expecting, but what does the customer say about how the company handled the situation? I would still give a contractor my business with a review of a hiccup happening, but then they did everything in their power to fix it. To me, that says a lot about the integrity of the business and that I will be able to call them in the future if anything else arrises.

My last piece of advice is to be patient. The good contractors out there are usually pretty darn busy. If they are booked out for a few months, figure out what will work best with your schedule and make it work. Remember, there is a reason why they cannot start on the job today, and it's usually a pretty good reason.