MorningGlow
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Thu May-28-09 06:00 PM
Original message |
Need advice! Saga of two contractors... |
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I met with a bunch of contractors to get estimates for a job we need to have done on our house. Two stood out. Both seem decent. Roughly the same (reasonable) price for the job, just about the same description of how they would do the job in their estimates. Both prompt in returning e-mails and phone calls, both courteous, both willing to explain specifics. One gets an A+ on the BBB site, the other gets an A-.
How in the WORLD should we pick which one to hire? :shrug:
Halp! I swear, I'm about to flip a coin to decide. (And I can't go on looks--I haven't seen either one yet. Wife came to gather info for one, father came for the other.) :rofl:
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malta blue
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Thu May-28-09 06:03 PM
Response to Original message |
1. sounds like a coin toss to me |
MorningGlow
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Thu May-28-09 06:08 PM
Response to Reply #1 |
2. Gah! I was afraid of that... |
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I suppose I could be in worse situations besides having two good contractors to choose from, though! :D
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mwooldri
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Thu May-28-09 06:09 PM
Response to Original message |
3. Price. Simple as that. |
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If Contractor A is $5000 and Contractor B is $4990, then Contractor B.
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MorningGlow
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Thu May-28-09 06:11 PM
Response to Reply #3 |
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You would ignore a vibe to save ten bucks? :rofl:
These guys are about $100 apart.
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KitchenWitch
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Thu May-28-09 06:47 PM
Response to Original message |
5. Call their references. |
MorningGlow
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Thu May-28-09 06:53 PM
Response to Reply #5 |
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But I am a bit skeptical, as they can just give you the contact info of the people who really liked them. I know that all the locals approve of one of the contractors, but I haven't heard anything specific about the other (two good reviews online, but who knows who really posted them, you know?) I drive through a town where they had their work sign in the yard of one house, and I've been trying to notice if the people are ever outside--I am SO the type of person who would stop and ask them about the contractor!--but I haven't seen them yet. I'm THISCLOSE to knocking on their door, though!
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ScreamingMeemie
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Thu May-28-09 06:58 PM
Response to Reply #6 |
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I'm a real estate appraiser and I often knock on doors of the neighbors around houses I am appraising or using as comps, just to get the skinny. Do it.
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MorningGlow
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Thu May-28-09 07:06 PM
Response to Reply #9 |
12. Do you? That's interesting--I didn't know appraisers did that |
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Precedent is good! Plus the house I am coming close to approaching is a very well kept one on the main road in a busy village--it's not like I'd be walking up a quarter-mile driveway way out in the country or anything.
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Shell Beau
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Thu May-28-09 06:54 PM
Response to Reply #5 |
7. Yep. And if that doesn't work, go with the A+! |
MorningGlow
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Thu May-28-09 07:04 PM
Response to Reply #7 |
11. Mr. MG is leaning that way |
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My jury is still out, for some reason. I think I'm just chicken about picking one, in case I pick the wrong one! :crazy:
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NMDemDist2
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Thu May-28-09 06:58 PM
Response to Original message |
8. schedule?? which is available first? n/t |
MorningGlow
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Thu May-28-09 07:03 PM
Response to Reply #8 |
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One's available starting the week of 6/8, the other one week later. This is maddening! :rofl:
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handmade34
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Thu May-28-09 07:08 PM
Response to Original message |
13. my gut says pick the one whose Father came |
MorningGlow
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Thu May-28-09 07:10 PM
Response to Reply #13 |
14. Always go with the gut! |
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I'm just bummed that my gut is being wishy washy! But that's the one that Mr. MG is leaning toward. Hm...
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handmade34
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Thu May-28-09 07:27 PM
Response to Reply #14 |
16. if your truely flummoxed |
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Edited on Thu May-28-09 07:28 PM by handmade34
dowse it... use a pendulum edit for spelling
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MorningGlow
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Thu May-28-09 09:05 PM
Response to Reply #16 |
17. I am also planning on doing that |
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but not till Mercury Retrograde is over with on the 30th. :hi:
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BrotherBuzz
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Thu May-28-09 07:25 PM
Response to Original message |
15. It's a buyers market and you hold the cards. |
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Play your cards straight up and tell both contractors you whittled the field down to just two contractors, and the one that resubmits the best (not necessarily the lowest) bid gets the job.
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MorningGlow
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Thu May-28-09 09:08 PM
Response to Reply #15 |
18. I do have something like that in mind |
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Both contractors' bids are very reasonable as they are, but we have a LOT more work we need to have done. One contractor (the A- one) does a lot of painting, and they wrote up a separate bid to paint our whole house, which is also very reasonable. The other contractor (the A+ one) does a lot of tile work, and the upstairs bathroom is on our list of things that NEED to be done (the walls are bare in the tub area and the vinyl squares on the floor were in their prime 25 years ago). So we could use "future jobs" as leverage for both. I honestly want to keep both of them around, because we can use both their talents in the near future.
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