Before you hire a deck builder/ contractor –read this!

25. May 2009 by admin.

Before hiring A Deck Builder / Contractor in Massachusetts or Rhode Island — Read this!

Choosing your deck contractor in this economy can be a daunting task to say the least. As of late, you hear horror stories on the 6 o’clock news of unlicensed contractors burning homeowners over and over again - especially in these times. We’ve all heard the term “If it’s too good to be true” than guess what? It’s not a good bargain! Hiring a licensed & insured contractor insures you’ll have a properly built deck, and worry free. However, hiring a unlicensed contractor can carry some heavy fines on the homeowner. We suggest you go through our list of recommended questions to ask your contractor.

1. How many years has your company been in business? If the contractor doesn’t have at least three years experience building decks he may not be able to perform the job to a professional level. Your contractor may lack the skills to keep the business afloat. What will your warranty be worth if your deck contractor goes out of business? You should feel comfortable with the integrity of the company and not just the sales person or carpenter.

2. Do they have a business license? If your contractor doesn’t have a business license, then they haven’t completed the appropriate paperwork to obtain one. These are companies that you may not want to do business with for liability reasons. A business license is important because it validates the legitimacy of the business.

3. Do they have proper insurance? Proper insurance includes general liability and workman’s compensation insurance. This is very important for your protection as a homeowner. If the contractor does not hold these insurances, you may be liable for property damage and worker injury on your property. Some areas of the country do not require contractors to carry workman’s compensation insurance. In most cases its because a company has too few employees and can provide a waiver of homeowner-liability instead. Ask to have a certificate sent to you by the insurance company or call the listed agent on the certificate to see if the contractors insurance is paid up to date. 

4. Do they have references? You should ask for a list of at least 3 people that the contractor has worked for. You should ask their past customers a few questions such as: When did they work for you? Would you hire them again? Did they respect your property? Were they persistent with a daily schedule? Was the quality of work good? Could I see the work performed?

5. Do I get a written quote? This means a solid figure that the contractor will commit to in the contract to finishing the work, not an estimate. You would like a detailed quote on the specified work. If the contractor isn’t willing to put in the time as a professional up front by providing a detailed quote, then they may not be professional with your project. The quote should contain the following details at a minimum:

Construction details: Grade of materials, size of materials, type or species of materials, joist and beam spans, connectors (screws, nails, bolts), foundation sizes, specified construction for railings, benches and stairs.

Payment schedule: No deck contractor should ask for more than half the amount of the project up front before starting the job. Most ask for a deposit when the work is first started. You should pay your contractor within 24-48 hours of the contract completion. These are not large corporations, and many contractors can go out of business if too many of their customers withhold payment. The success of their business depends on a positive cash flow.

A drawing of the project: You should get at least a two dimensional drawing of the proposed deck to scale. You’ll want to make sure they are on the same page as you with what you are wanting to have built. You definitely don’t want any surprises at the end of the project.

Parking & Deliveries: It will be important to determine where the contractors will park and where the material deliveries will be placed. You may not want a truck to drop the lumber package on a new driveway. If the lumber will be set on your lawn, you should know that if a lumber package sits on a lawn for more than 4-5 days the grass will start to die. You’ll also need to determine which side of the house you want the contractors to carry the materials around to the project. Also important is to let the contractor know if they can park or drive on the lawn if this type of access is needed to get to the project.

Utility Repairs: Make sure you and your contractor know what utilities run inside the house behind the deck connection to avoid any major problem such as water lines, gas, sewer drain, and electrical damage. Determine who will deal with the utilities if they are cut or broken during construction.

Permits: Your contractor should be willing to pull all permits for you. If the job is started without a permit, then the fines are usually doubled and in some cases the structure has to be removed. Don’t take any chances even if this is a rare occurrence in your area.

Clean Up: Make sure the contractor includes the cleanup of all scraps and excess materials when the job is finished to complete the contract.

Communication: Make sure that you have the phone number of the person in charge of the job. The job foreman should keep the homeowner updated daily on the progress of the job.

Here is a link to a unlicensed contractor sting, here in Rhode Island: Click here.

If you’re in the market for a new custom deck or home improvement, click on the highlighted link below and get a online quote today - Deck builders - porch contractors - home improvements MA & RI


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