Introduction: If you are considering a home remodeling and you do not intend to do it yourself, it is imperative that you get a qualified and honest contractor. There are lots of home improvement contractors that will perform nearly any home remodeling task but you don’t want the first one that responds to you request.

You want a contractor that will give you an accurate cost estimate as well as do the job as a professional. After all, if you are paying top dollar you should get the best quality at the best price. This is easier said than done working with current building tradesmen.

How to get the best values for your dollar:

First you need a good idea of what you want and a plan for the finished product before ever contacting a contractor. After you decide exactly what you want then it’s time to get into pricing. You may have to scale down your project due to budget constraints but don’t start with a scale down plan. There are many ways to get the best buy for your money.

Long before you contact a contractor you should do your own research. Review magazines and visit show rooms to gather home improvement ideas for different designs that interest you. And while you’re at the show rooms get realistic price estimates. Many kitchen and bath show rooms have a list of contractors that routinely perform their work. This is also true for large home improvement stores such as Lowe’s and the Home Depot.

Using these contractors is a good idea because they must maintain high standards of work performance in order to stay as a preferred contractor. Chances are they have done the project you have in mind many times for many other customers. In most cases you pay a deposit and a final payment when the job is done, not to the contractor but to the company that is sponsoring them. This gives you protection from poor quality work. If you are unsatisfied with the completed project you take up the issue directly with the supplier, not the contractor.

The other advantage of using supplier referred contractors is that there is no markup on material supplied by the supplier. The contractor is limited to a reasonable fixed price to perform the job and there is no mark-up on the material from the supplier.

The next time you have a home improvement project that you don’t want to do as a DIY project, consider these suggestions on how to get accurate home improvement estimates. You will find that you will get the most out of your dollar and a completed job that you can be proud of.

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