I have been a painting Concrete Contractor Panorama City CA for 26 years and in that time I have heard more than one unique reason why customer choose a cheaper painter. On the other hand, I have also had many calls from regretful homeowners who realize they made a huge error. Several wish they had simply paid more for quality contractors. Still others are sorry they did not check out a contractor before deciding to hire them.
What I have noticed in my years as a painting contractor is that many homeowners simply do not know how to assess the abilities of painting contractors. Most will look for the cheapest bid not realizing that they will probably not get their money’s worth. The truth is a cheap contractor can often cost you more money in the long run.
Labor and materials are at such a high price that the painting contractor’s profits are already slim. Therefore, a cheap contractor is offering slashed prices for a reason. That reason is generally poor service or value.
Use the following 10 conditions to check out Marietta contractors before you hire them.
- Ask around and find out how long the contractor has been working locally. It is common to see instability in this field. Too many painting contractors will blow into town and do shoddy work for a few years, then they begin to feel the wrath of homeowner who is not satisfied with their work and they pack it up and move to the next city. If the contractor you are considering has, at least 10 years in your area this is a good indication of stability, not to mention quality.
- How are the painters on your contractors crew paid? When I began my painting business in 1982, I originally paid my crew by the hour. For about 7 years, I was less than happy with performance so I chose to change to a percentage based pay system. Quality of the painters work went up significantly and the projects were getting completer in half the time. Instantly my painters had a better mindset once they knew they would be paid on percentage. Their interests were now directly tied to the quality and timeliness of the job. Outstanding performance led to less double checking at the end of a project and a better bottom line for everyone involved.
- While you need to ask this question of your contractor, it is only a suggested method of business. There are a good number of painters that have a wonderful work ethic and are paid by the hour. After my success, I determined I would never again pay a painter by the hour. I can now give my customers a higher quality of service and most of it is due to paying my painters on percentage.
- What kind of contract is your contractor offering you to sign? Is it laid out well and specific about what the contractor will be responsible for? This will tell you immediately what you can expect from the crew. Contractors who are organized will most of the time instill this in their crew and on the job. Disorganization is something an organized person just cannot tolerate in people or work sites.
