major improvements

Working with contractors is a great way to get home repairs and improvements done professionally and effectively. If you thinking about having some work done, here are some articles with tips and information to help you understand and manage the project.

What Do You Want to Do?

You've been thinking about the work, but have you thought it through? Have you collected some photos or illustrations to show what you have in mind? Most importantly, have you written down what you want, step by step? If you're considering any significant amount of work, you should probably draft a Scope of Work and set of specifications. This will help you clarify the project in your own mind, and give you a clearer basis for interviewing prospective contractors.

What you need to do before you contract for home repair or home improvement work.

There are two steps everyone should complete before contracting for any home repair or improvement: writing out a Scope of Work and a set of specifications. These two related documents should be complete before you talk to any contractor. Some people even do these, in rough form, before starting a project they think they will do themselves. That helps them get a better feel for the amount of work involved and for whether they might hire someone else to do it after all.

• Scope of Work: You already have a vision of what you want done, but writing it out should help to clarify it - for yourself and for your contractor.

  Example: "The roof is to be replaced."

• Specifications: List the details of how you want the work done. This is a good place to "brainstorm" at first - throwing in as many points as you can think of. You can organize and streamline the list later. As the name implies, be as specific as you can.

  Example: "The old roofing is to be removed and hauled away, the sheathing is to repaired or replaced with..., new 15 lb. felt underlayment and new green three-tab shingles are to be installed."

With your initial version of these two documents in hand, you can show a contractor what you need clearly and quickly. You can also discuss the project from a starting point which you have made more clearly visible. For a job of any real consequence or complexity, most contractors will have comments, questions and suggestions to offer as they look over what you have proposed. In general, that's good. Try to think of your initial effort as a working document, keeping your fixed points --hauling away all the debris -- and your flexible points -- which shade of green the shingles should be -- firmly in mind. As your discussion proceeds and as your selection narrows, rewrite the documents and offer them again for agreement. At the end of the negotiating process -- i.e., when you sign the contract -- the Scope of Work and Specifications need to become part of that agreement. For a handy example of how this is done, look at your homeowner's or automobile insurance policy. Most such policy have a simple agreement with "Declarations" attached and referenced. Those insurance declarations are analogous to your Scope and Specs.

Do It Yourself or Hire a Contractor?

Do you think you might want to do some or all of the work yourself? Maybe you can. But you want to be sure you're ready to do all the work that requires before you start.

To DIY or Not to DIY?

How do you know whether the job's one that you can do or one where you'll be better off calling in a professional to do the home repair or home improvement work? Here are some questions to ask yourself.

Code Requirements

Do local codes require that a licensed professional do the job? This varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In some places, for instance, you can replace the wax ring under a toilet yourself. In other jurisdictions, you must have a licensed plumber do the job.

Be Realistic About Your Abilities

Are you able to do the job? Be realistic -- don't underestimate or overestimate yourself. Read the directions carefully, and visualize each step (a helpful first step in any case.) Use the search box on this page to start your search for those directions. Look for how long the job takes, whether you can visualize where all the parts are, whether you have the physical strength to do the job. Will you be able to do as high-quality a job as a pro -- will the flooring you lay be done to your own quality standards?

Don't underestimate yourself, either. Just because you haven't done it before doesn't mean you can't do it this time -- everyone starts somewhere.

Compare the Real Costs

A contractor charges for materials plus more for labor and profit. If you do it yourself, all you have is the cost of materials, right? Well, what if you don't have the tools on hand, and you weren't going to buy them right now? Add in the cost of those tools. Also, a contractor has some of the materials on hand in bulk and can use just a bit of them. Will you have to buy more materials than you'll need, just because they're only available in larger quantities than you need? While most contractors mark up the cost of the materials, to cover the expense of finding them, bringing them to the job and fronting the money needed to do that, they also purchase them at a discount. The final cost to you may not be much more than what you would pay at retail.

Do you have the work gloves, goggles, cleaning rags, and supplies like penetrating lubricant or plumber's tape that might be needed? Consider all these costs when comparing the contractor's price to what it will really cost you after a few trips to the hardware store to get all the tools and materials you'll need. When you pay a contractor, you're paying in part for the use of the tools and materials that contractor already has on hand.

Do You Have the Time?

The time question cuts both ways. In some cases, you don't have time to call a professional -- for instance, if your water heater is gushing water into your basement home office, you'll want to figure out quickly how to turn the water off safely and assess the problem. You may decide as a later step to let someone actually install the new water heater, however. On the other hand, if you can make better use of your time watching the kids or working, while you let a professional do the work, and you can afford to hire the professional, then you may want to go with a contractor instead of going the do-it-yourself route.

Consider Doing Part of the Job

With water heaters, you'll be doing the initial shut-off of the water valves and you may choose to have a professional install the new heater. When we bought a new dryer, and decided to convert from electric to gas, I decided that my part would be to take the old dryer out, to extend the gas line to where the new dryer would sit, and to install the new vent. I’m letting the vendor arrange for actually installing the new dryer and checking its function. Be creative -- and remember to do your part in such a way that it saves time for the professionals, rather than creating problems for them to fix.