Submit Articles | Member Login | Top Authors | Most Popular Articles | Submission Guidelines | Categories | RSS Feeds See As RSS
 
 
   
Forgot Password?    New User?


Welcome to iArticleBeach.com - Free Articles for Reprint. Add great content to your web site today!

Articles » Home-&-Family » Home-Improvement >> View Article

By: C.J.Gannon
Just checking the list below can help to ensure that you are getting the right residential general contractor. These 3 areas can be broken down to much deeper levels. This will give the starting points to start your research. Choosing the right contractor is of great Importance because you are putting you life’s biggest investment in his/her hands. That is a lot of responsibility.

The first thing is to make sure that it is a Residential General Contractor. You need a contractor that specializes in the residential field. There are hundreds of contractors and you need to make sure they carry the proper license, Insurance or any other documents that are required by your Local and State Government. Once they are provided you need to validate the documents with a few quick phone calls. If you do happen to run across the wrong contractor, they may provide proof of Insurance and not even have an active policy. It is your Home on the line. Cover your bases.

Check with the better business bureau to see how many, if any complaints are on file. This is not suggesting that you make a decision based on the actual numbers of complaints, but rather the way the complaints were handled. Contractors are just like anyone else, I have never seen one walk on water and the same holds true for the consumers. There are 2 sides to every story. Take the time to find out how the issue was resolved and use some common sense when making a decision.

The final check is one that over 60 % of homeowners never do and that is to check references of the contractors that bid. This is a major mistake. Make sure that you get at least 5 references and check them all. This is the best way to find out how the entire process on other consumers homes went. This is not to say that all construction processes go 100 % trouble free because that is just not realistic. But to make sure that the contractor has the fortitude to persist and handle any roadblock that happens to get in the way.
You are looking for Quality, Professionalism, And enough grit to get the job done with High Standards and Ethics
--
C.J.Gannon is a Retired Residential General Contractor and now writes for several construction companies to educate buyers on the construction process so that consumers can make decisions with confidence about their Home Improvement Projects

See All articles From Author





Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:57:39 GMT Review: Soulo converts iPad into karaoke machine (AP)

This product image provided by First Act, Inc., shows the Soulo Digital Wireless Mic and App, a consumer electronics product that turns an iPad into a karaoke machine. (AP Photo/First Act, Inc.)AP - Karaoke lovers typically fall into two categories: Those who enjoy it, and those whose arms have to be twisted to get up and sing in public.




Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:53:14 GMT Lawsuit seeks to block Google's privacy changes (AP)
AP - A consumer watchdog group is suing the Federal Trade Commission in an attempt to prevent Google from making sweeping changes to its privacy policies next month.

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:35:55 GMT Lenovo 3Q profit up by half, warns of disk supply (AP)
AP - Lenovo Group Ltd., the world's second biggest personal computer maker, said Thursday that quarterly profit grew by more than half but warned hard drive costs would remain high amid a global shortage.

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:32:25 GMT Just Show Me: How to check your data usage on Android 4.0 (Yahoo! News)
Yahoo! News - Welcome to Just Show Me on Tecca TV, where we show you tips and tricks for getting the most out of the gadgets in your life. In today's episode we'll show you how to check your data usage on your Android 4.0 phone. Android …

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:27:02 GMT Far-out footage: Water droplets orbit a knitting needle on the International Space Station (Yahoo! News)
Yahoo! News - When NASA astronaut Dan Burbank left Earth for the International Space Station as part of Expedition 30 last November, he took along some knitting needles, but not for making a space sweater. The mission's commander brought them to make a point — …

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:19:11 GMT 'Bachelor' Contestant Courtney Gets Auto-Tuned [VIDEO] (Mashable)
Mashable - Fans of The Bachelor are all too familiar with this season's over-the-top contestant Courtney, who makes snide comments at the camera and likes to take off her bikini top.

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:10:29 GMT ESPN falls to third in online sports site rankings (Reuters)
Reuters - Yahoo Sports remained the most popular U.S. online sports site in January, but the most eye-catching news was ESPN.com falling to third place behind FoxSports.com.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:50:20 GMT McCartney to debut new songs live on iTunes stream (AP)

FILE - In this Dec. 5, 2011 file photo, musician Paul McCartney performs on stage during his 'Good Evening Europe' European Tour, his first since 2004, at the O2 arena in London. McCartney will debut the songs from his new album 'Kisses on the Bottom' in a free live streaming performance on iTunes. The performance takes place at 10 p.m. EST Thursday from Capitol Studios in Los Angeles where much of the new album was recorded. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, file) EDITORIAL USE ONLYAP - Paul McCartney will debut the songs from his new album "Kisses on the Bottom" in a free live streaming performance on iTunes.




Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:10:00 GMT Washington Footing the Cell Phone Bill for Millions of Low Income Americans (Time.com)
Time.com - Last year, a federal program paid out $1.6 billion to cover free cell phones and the monthly bills of 12.5 million wireless accounts

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:29:56 GMT Vodafone hit by weak southern Europe (Reuters)
Reuters - Vodafone, the world's largest mobile phone operator, missed quarterly revenue forecasts on Thursday as increasingly tough trading in Spain and Italy overshadowed solid performances in emerging markets and northern Europe.

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:07:59 GMT Glam Media launches social network for food lovers (Reuters)
Reuters - There are magazines, television shows and books about food. So why not a social network?

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 03:31:41 GMT Sony abandons PlayStation Vita UMD Passport plan in North America (Digital Trends)
Digital Trends - As reported by Kotaku earlier today, Sony is ditching plans to allow new Vita owners to download PSP titles that they currently own on UMD disc. Sony rolled out this program in Japan at launch during December 2011 and all Japanese owners can register their UMD titles on the Vita by paying a fee based on the value of the game, thus Japanese owners can avoid having to repurchase the titles at full cost on the PlayStation Vita digital download store. New PlayStation Vita owners in North America on February 22 will have to keep the PSP in order to access old titles or repurchase older games at full price to utilize the software on the newer handheld system. 

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:35:00 GMT Update: Path now lets users opt-out of sharing contacts (Appolicious)
Appolicious - Update: Path now lets users opt-out of sharing contacts

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:21:28 GMT Apple's patent plea: Stop Samsung and Motorola from holding us hostage (Digital Trends)
Digital Trends - The world of patent licensing often seems like a maze of twisty little passages, all alike, but every so often the industry stumbles into a new tunnel — or, at least, one that seems new at first glance. Such is the case with Apple, which has asked the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to establish a set of basic principles governing so-called fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing of patented technologies included in wireless communications standards. That sentence may make many consumers’ eyes glaze over, but it boils down to this: Apple wants rules saying that if a company contributes their technology to a standard, they don’t get to use that technology to beat up competitors who use that standard.

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:13:31 GMT Operator of radical Muslim site to plead guilty (AP)
AP - A Muslim convert from Brooklyn who ran a website that posted threats against the creators of the television show "South Park" for supposedly insulting the prophet Muhammad is expected to enter a guilty plea.

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:49:54 GMT German court says Samsung can sell reworked tablet (Reuters)
Reuters - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's reworked tablet PC does not look like a copycat version of the iPad, a German court said, affirming a preliminary assessment and dealing another legal blow to Apple Inc.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:54:00 GMT Gameloft releases new social platform app for Android (Appolicious)
Appolicious - Mobile game maker Gameloft is responsible for some of the biggest-budget, biggest-name games on Google’s Android operating system (as well as Apple’s iOS), which is probably why it has 7 million registered players in its proprietary gaming network. Today the company released a new app that lets dedicated Gameloft fans access that network even when they’re not playing Asphalt 6 or Modern Combat.

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:22:33 GMT The U.S. and China: A Duel to the Debt (The Motley Fool)
The Motley Fool - In this period of "exceptional uncertainty" (to quote Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke), where can investors turn for a considered perspective on the current environment? Produced to feed the beast of the 24-hour news cycle, the bulk of financial journalism and commentary today isn't worth the servers it is stored on. One notable exception to that rule is Buttonwood, the financial markets column of The Economist. Philip Coggan is the columnist -- arguably the most influential position in financial journalism (along with the head of Lex at the Financial Times).



Learn to profit from niche markets