5 steps to guarantee being a successful contractor.

[Rich Engelhardt]

1.) Return calls...call the customer to let them know when you'll be coming.....call the customer if there's a problem....and above all PROMPTLY contact the customer if they have a complaint...in this day of everyone having a cell phone or smart phone, not returning calls in not a valid excuse for anything. There is simply no reason why a customer - or anyone else - should be left dangling in the wind.

2.) Show up......extra point for showing up before noon.....extra bonus points for showing up on time.
Hand in hand with this is to show up prepared to work. All too typical today is to show up at 10:30, make a run to "pick up supplies" (of course, the entire crew has to squeeze into the truck and go along), figure since it's so close to noon, you might as well eat lunch, lunch from about 12 until about 1:30, return to job site, unload supplies (takes about an hour), by that time it's time for that afternoon break, finally, begin the job at around 4:00. Work well into the evening and constantly whine about never being home....

3.) If you don't know - don't guess & above all - don't assume nobody will know the difference. Nothing irks me to the point of almost committing violence, worse than being lied to. With all the information at everyone's fingertips via the internet these days, the very least you can do is a tiny bit of research. If you've never attempted to do something before, we can discuss it before you start. This also applies to any past acts/jobs/dealings you've had. Your website might show all sorts of nice words of praise from people and real pretty pictures,,,,,,but,,,the online court records, where you've been sued, convicted of passing bad checks and all sorts of other nasty things -- - tell a whole different story.

4.) Clean up your mess. Please don't assume the "job site fairies" are going to come along, pick up the junk and haul it away.

5.) I am your customer, that means I am the "boss". I sign your "paycheck". I'll only tell you your job if it's obvious to everyone, you don't know what you're doing - or worse yet - you're doing something illegal. I don't like "Big Brother" anymore than anyone else. Matter of fact, if I ever come up with a single valid reason that government lettered agencies have it within their power to ruin people's lives,,,,,I'll be sure to let everyone know. In the meantime, as a contractor, you need insurance - you need certifications - and you (may) need permits.


Notice - I said nothing about price or quality. There's a very simple reason for that. Few and far between are the contractors that follow the first five rules. Most never get past #1. Honest to God, in my experience, the sheer number of contractors that either are no shows or never bother to return a call for an estimate is - - staggering.
Even right now, what sparked this little outburst, was a phone call from a tree company. We need some limbs trimmed at one of our rentals. We finally got someone to come out and look at the job - after about a half dozen tries.
They were supposed to show up on the 20th at 8:00am. Fine. We can arrange to be there. They just called to say they have to move the date to the 18th. A minor problem, but, nothing we can't do.
Then they tell us - - they'' be there in the afternoon. What time in the afternoon? They can't say. We explain it's a rental, no one will be there and we aren't about to hang around in the driveway from 12 to 5. Why can't they just call us when they are winding up the other jobs they have and we can meet them?
Ohhhhh nooooo....they can't possibly do THAT......

That is - flat out ridiculous. These days even 5 year olds have smart phones. You mean to tell me, that not a single person at that company has a cell phone? Ridiculous.....

Anyhow - - this is my observation of the world of contracting. There's a few real sterling professionals that are simply a pleasure to deal with. My hat is off to them.

(FWIW - I'm sorry to say that - I work a lot with and for a contractor that,,ahem,,,,falls short of all 5 of these. What can I say, he's a good friend & he nearly always does a great job.....)

[Dave Anderson NH]

I feel your pain Rich. I've had similar circumstances over the years. I picked upon a good solution. The landscape contractor son of a man who did some work (on time and well) moved in down the street from me. He did a great job for me on a large patio. Since he went to school locally he has a network of friends who are in various trades. I get my referrals from him. So far various friends of his have done my roof, some outstanding tree climbing and removal, a new septic system and a few smaller jobs. He is fussy himself and so far every one of his recommended friends has done great work on time, on budget, and they even return phone calls. I am fully satisfied and think referrals from a contractor you trust is the way to go.

[Tim Bueler]

Rich your 5 steps were among my pet peeves when I was a custom home builder/remodeler. I must've been pretty good at it as my career allowed me to semi-retire at age 53. We sold and moved to another state where I found myself on the other side of the customer/contractor fence. OMG!!!! I knew my crew, subs and suppliers were top of the line, I wouldn't accept anything less, but I never realized until lately just how rare they all are/were. I don't even know how I ever found them but I can tell you NONE of their caliber exist where I'm living now!

[Julie Moriarty]

Rich, if you ever manage to figure out a way to drill that into the heads of the contractors, come down here. You will become a local hero. Contractors here do whatever they want. Most folks here just expect poor service.

[Mike Henderson]

I had a contractor tell me he had three rules for success:

1. Show up on time
2. Do a good job
3. Clean up when you're finished.

He has more business than he can handle. If I have a project, I have to get in line for him.

Mike

[Roger Nair]

Rich, point 5 is utterly wrong headed. The client is not the boss. The client does not get to site supervise the subs or employees of the contractor. The client talks to the contractor or the site super. The contracting agreement, the specs, the schedules and the plans are the boss, to which contractor and client must abide in order to bring off the intended project. The contractor will have spent valuable time and money into the development of the plan and agreement and any client who thinks they are arbitrarily the boss should be corralled by the contractor and be informed of their role as defined by agreement.

[William Adams]

And all this makes me even more anxious about my need to hire someone to repair and reroof my carport.

(I'd be willing to do it myself, except my son is off at college and that my day job has me staying late pretty much every night, and working weekends as well, and the house has vinyl siding which I don't have tools for and don't have experience working with)

If someone knows of a good contractor in the south-central/West Shore area of Pennsylvania, please send me a PM w/ your recommendation.

Alternately, how well do folks find the rating system at Angieslist to work?

[Yonak Hawkins]

Julie, a friend of mine from Florida reports to me that the phone of any contractor in Florida, who simply returns calls, shows up when they promise, and finishes the jobs they start, will never stop ringing, saying nothing about the quality of their work or their price. That's a stinging indictment of the low bar set by Florida contractors.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Rule # 6 for contractors. NEVER give a free estimate! Most who want them are phishing to see if they can scrape together the funds to do the job themselves. Maybe hoping get a FREE set of plans out of you. This happened to me once. Before customers gets set of plans, I am paid for them. Remind the potential customer that someone has to pay for your time and effort. If you don't get the job, then your next customer has to pay for their estimate. Plus, plans belong to customer, as they paid for them. Never under any circumstances, accept a down payment. If customer wants something that has to be special ordered, take them with you to supply house and have them pay for it. This way, you don't wind up with a $2000 entry door that you finally give to Habitat to get rid of as customer's circumstances changed. Stuff happens! When they give you the old "I can get someone to do it cheaper", remind them of the oats story. If you want fresh clean oats, then they will cost you. If you don't mind if they have already been thru the horse, then they are cheaper.

[glenn bradley]

We have been trying to get someone to lay pavers in the backyard at dad's for a couple of months. Most don't show up to give an estimate, the ones that do never supply the estimate. Yet there is plenty of complaining about there being no work. We truly have created a world where you "can't get that anymore" no matter what you are willing to pay.

[Bill Dufour]

Make sure the phone is a real phone not some bluetooth headset with massive background noise that the potential customer can not understand a word said.
Bill D.

[Mike Cutler]

I had a contractor tell me he had three rules for success:

1. Show up on time
2. Do a good job
3. Clean up when you're finished.

He has more business than he can handle. If I have a project, I have to get in line for him.

Mike

Mike
When I went in the Navy, my Uncle told me that to stay out of trouble follow these three rules
On time.
In the right place.
In the Uniform of the day.

Kinda like your three rules.

To the OP
I watch all the time the frustration folks have with contractors. So far, I've been lucky and the few times I've needed them, they've been right there.
I've also seen some of the nonsense contractors have to go through with people, and that's not good either. I had a co worker that used to routinely hire contractors for work, and before they had even finishes was already suing them. It was a like a game to this person to get the contractor to drop his price, or go to court.
I can't imagine what it's like to have to work for someone,that is already in the process of suing you, before you've even completed the work.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Rich, point 5 is utterly wrong headed. The client is not the bossRoger. my wife would vigorously oppose you on that. We had a guy finish off our half bath. He insisted on doing some tile work "his way", despite my wife's repeated demands he NOT do it that way. In the end, he did his thing, my wife - and I - deemed that "the final straw", and told him to just pack up and leave.

Also, one of the most common things I hear from contractors is that they "couldn't work for a boss, so, they went into business for themselves".
They just don't seem to get that, every job they go on, they are working FOR someone else - the customer.

I do see your point though - and I freely admit that it goes both ways - there's very little that's more irritating to a contractor than a customer constantly sticking their nose into things and being a downright nuisance - but - the customer is the one with the final say on things. Some times, as a contractor or a sub, you just have to bite your tongue, suck it up and be diplomatic about things.

[Julie Moriarty]

Julie, a friend of mine from Florida reports to me that the phone of any contractor in Florida, who simply returns calls, shows up when they promise, and finishes the jobs they start, will never stop ringing, saying nothing about the quality of their work or their price. That's a stinging indictment of the low bar set by Florida contractors.

I learned that very early after moving here. It's why I do any work I can around the house. After we moved in we wanted a circular driveway put in. I drew up very detailed plans so there would be no questions. The first day of prep for the pour, a guy shows up, probably about my age, and starts driving stakes and nailing 1/4" boards to them. He has no transit. He didn't stake the center of the circle and use it to lay out the perimeter. He didn't even take out his tape measure.

I walked out there with the plan and started asking him questions. The answers resulted in me leading the layout and him taking orders. He was happy as a clam. He said he would love to retire but has no savings, no retirement account, no pension. He's been scraping by all his life. Florida is known for cheap labor. The only ones earning a decent living are the contractors. Maybe that's why there's a worker shortage crisis in construction here.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

I am in south central PA. When I wanted a fence built, I called seven different fencing contractors. Only 3 showed up to see the job and give estimates. The one said something about the need to rent equipment. A fencing contractor that needs to rent a post driver? Of the other two, the one said look, you do not appear to be in a rush, I have a waiting list of jobs to get to. If you can wait to January, I'll give you ten percent off. That way, I have work for my employees in the off season. One third down when the materials are delivered, one third when the posts are up and the last when the wire is up. He got hired. Sure enough, he showed up January 3rd and did the work. One of his employees thanked me for allowing them to do the job in winter, it kept him from being laid off. (BTW, I had never seen a gas powered drill before this guy used it to dill any holes that were necessary. Looked like a weed wacker engine with a drill chuck on it)

[Stan Calow]

There's a point at which, if you want to be a professional, you can't just do all your business over your cellphone. You need an office manager or someone who will handle scheduling, take calls, return calls, call subs, etc. Phone tag is too uncertain.

[Rich Engelhardt]

You need an office manager or someone who will handle scheduling, take calls, return calls, call subs, etc. Phone tag is too uncertain.Ok agreed - - but - - in my case, allwe wanted was someone to call us when they were on their way.
The tree company has two other jobs scheduled for Tuesday. The best they could tell us was "sometime in the afternoon".

In this day and age - where everyone has a cell phone & phones like Trac are dirt cheap, an answer like "sometime in the afternoon" is unacceptable.

This is a rental house and there's not anyone home in the afternoon - - what do they expect us to do, sit in the driveway for five hours and wait for them to show up?

[Roger Nair]

Roger. my wife would vigorously oppose you on that. We had a guy finish off our half bath. He insisted on doing some tile work "his way", despite my wife's repeated demands he NOT do it that way. In the end, he did his thing, my wife - and I - deemed that "the final straw", and told him to just pack up and leave.

Also, one of the most common things I hear from contractors is that they "couldn't work for a boss, so, they went into business for themselves".
They just don't seem to get that, every job they go on, they are working FOR someone else - the customer.

I do see your point though - and I freely admit that it goes both ways - there's very little that's more irritating to a contractor than a customer constantly sticking their nose into things and being a downright nuisance - but - the customer is the one with the final say on things. Some times, as a contractor or a sub, you just have to bite your tongue, suck it up and be diplomatic about things.

My critique of your wife's experience is that there was a failure to reach an agreement before work started and likely an unqualified person was put on the task. It is up to the client to require and check references, license and insurance. Again it is the agreement that should rule the scope, detail and methods of work. If you can not reach an agreement, do not proceed with work, because in the end it is the client lives with the result.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Nope - we had a complete agreement of what we wanted. Agreements are not the problem. It's the total disregard of what the client wants that's the problem.

You are spot on though about him being unqualified....he was a total loser. His helper, that knew 1000 times more than he did, was under constant verbal assault by the joker from day one.

As far as checking references goes - - I'll defer to the other posts in this thread.....when you call no less than a dozen people and only one shows up, what else can you do?

If a contractor actually decided to grace a person with his/her presence, it's considered a miracle of the same magnitude of the Star of Bethlehem rising in the East..

[Roger Nair]

Even in the face of a sellers market, beggars can be choosers. You will need to go up-market in as far as contractors go, custom work costs more. Design ideas when placed higher up on the priority scale require drawing out in planning. I literally believe you did not have a clear agreement. The so-called Peter Principle governs, a person gets advanced to their level of incompetence, so beware.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I literally believe you did not have a clear agreement.Fine - believe what you choose to believe. It still doesn't change the fact that when it gets right down to it, "The customer is always right".....ergo, it's up to the contractor to be the one that does what the customer wants.

Mind you, that in no way means the contractor is under any obligation to do what the customer wants for the same price.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I've been on both sides of this one, there are some real jokers out there "contracting". The price of admission is pretty low to get rolling, so there isn't much incentive to make a real business out of the job for some. I'd amend the rules to just this one, it's a business, treat it like it is.

That means communicate, do bookwork, follow the laws (no matter how stupid), use contracts, and make for darn sure you have good guys associated with you (employees or subs).


As a contractor, it's fun to meet the customers, some even become good friends. That relationship can be abused easily by unscrupulous customers though, you have to be careful. I'd offer a contractors rule list for customers...


1. When you agree to the work, it's in the contract. If you change your mind, it'll cost more and delay the job. Contractors often get blamed a lot for customer caused delays and overruns.

2. Communicate, if you don't like something, say so before it's too late to easily change it. It'll cost a lot less to change something early.

3. Unless we're doing a huge project for you, like building your house, we will have other jobs going on. It helps us be more efficient to be able to spread the overhead costs out, which helps your rates be lower. Unless you want to pay for the whole crew to be there all the time, don't expect it. Trust the contractor to be managing labor and equipment resources the most efficient way possible.

4. Like it or not, construction can be like sausage making. Demo is never pretty, the project always looks terrible before it looks beautiful.

5. Because #1 is so important, I'll say it a different way - Have a clear idea and stick to it. Planning costs money, an evolving plan is way more expensive than a clear and concise one. We'll build what you want, just please know what that is BEFORE we start.

[Todd Bender]

I feel your pain Rich. I've had similar circumstances over the years. I picked upon a good solution. The landscape contractor son of a man who did some work (on time and well) moved in down the street from me. He did a great job for me on a large patio. Since he went to school locally he has a network of friends who are in various trades. I get my referrals from him. So far various friends of his have done my roof, some outstanding tree climbing and removal, a new septic system and a few smaller jobs. He is fussy himself and so far every one of his recommended friends has done great work on time, on budget, and they even return phone calls. I am fully satisfied and think referrals from a contractor you trust is the way to go.

Plus one.

I am a cabinetmaker and finish carpenter in deep south Texas close to the border. I do high end work for very particular contractors and clients and the list of fellow sub-contractors I'm willing to recommend to clients is very short. Poor work done by a referral reflects poorly on me, too. Not to mention, I don't want my clients ending up with poor quality work.


Of the other two, the one said look, you do not appear to be in a rush, I have a waiting list of jobs to get to. If you can wait to January, I'll give you ten percent off. That way, I have work for my employees in the off season. One third down when the materials are delivered, one third when the posts are up and the last when the wire is up. He got hired. Sure enough, he showed up January 3rd and did the work.

Completely agree....except for the 10% off part :)

I am a small outfit (me and my son), and I'm currently booked into next year. I'm very upfront with people about scheduling. Honesty works very well, and those interested in high quality work are willing to wait for it.

As far as poor quality work goes, it's easy to go to the pawn shop and buy a miter saw, compressor, and nail gun, then go advertise yourself as a trim carpenter. You have no idea how many times I've seen crown moulding installed upside down. :(

When it comes to no-shows and having difficulty finding contractors to show up and look at a job, most are busy trying to get and keep work with GC's and don't want to run around from house to house bidding small jobs for homeowners. I realize it's probably different in tree trimming and lawn care.

[Julie Moriarty]

When it comes to no-shows and having difficulty finding contractors to show up and look at a job, most are busy trying to get and keep work with GC's and don't want to run around from house to house bidding small jobs for homeowners.
You'd think most subs would prioritize the GCs over individual homeowners. If one of our subs told me they put one-time jobs ahead of ours, I would have fired them. Yet here, that obvious fact doesn't seem to ring true. One neighbor down the street waited for three months to get their roof done. The couldn't drywall until the roof was loaded. The builder told them their roofers are busy doing Irma repairs for homeowners. Our next door neighbor, who are builders, have been ready for the roof for over a month. Same deal. :confused: