My Uncle the Contractor...this guy knows how to do it all!!!

Everyone has that uncle, friend, neighbor or other kook who says "I can do it...probably even cheaper". Well, this post is for you, our special friends. The home inspection business takes me on an adventure daily into the minds of builders, designers, trades people and also our great and endearing uncle Frank and his cronies who have done a little of this and that.

All that glitters ain't gold. You know how the story goes, you can hope for two of three options in contractor negotiations. A fair price, quality product, timely execution. In a perfect world the Big 3 align and your chosen contractor provides an excellent service, at a fair price and is done on schedule. You should search out that unicorn, don't be discouraged. They do exist but will usually require a bit of research. Having recommendations from others who have used their services...even better.

Make a wise, informed decision and have multiple quotes whenever possible. You will pick up on some tell tale signs to be aware of. Some typical indicators of a nightmare in Carhartt could be things like being immediately available, asking for a large down payment and being unorganized. There are many other signs and of course these are not definitive, just some red flags I've seen.