H is for Home

 
This post is part of the annual A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. For more information on the challenge and its creator visit:   http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

... and my saga continues: Mr. Contractor promised my renovation list was a mere four to six week job. That was in March 2014. Daughter was getting married in August. Hopefully, prayerfully, we'd have our home finished for company. Didn't happen. In fact, the weekend of the wedding, we left a key for Mr. Contractor who said loudly and clearly, "I'll be completely by the time you get home." We left three days before the wedding (an hour away) and stayed an extra two days so Mr. Contractor had six or seven days to complete the project. Didn't happen. He never made an appearance. We walked into a house that was just the way we left it--very unfinished.

There were days we thought our home would never be completed. Days and days passed without hearing from the contractor or his workers. In this day of cell phones and texting, there's no excuse for NO COMMUNICATION.

How do you force someone to finish a job? You don't, and you shouldn't have to. Yes, we had a contract, but we were first class novices when it came to hiring a contractor or knowing what should be in a contract. We put complete trust in our contractor.

If you are planning a renovation, definitely have a contract between you and your contractor. Not only should you itemize what you're paying him to do, but have a begin date and a completion date. You should also add something about cleaning up as they go. Don't have a generic statement like--contractor will clean up. They could pile trash to high heaven and not clean up until they end the project! You'll definitely want them to clean as they go. Here's a sample renovation contract that you can tweak to fit your requirements. Read it carefully and make sure you tweak it in your favor!

Your home is ... well, it's YOUR home. Believe me when I say it's nothing but a job to the contractor. The Better Business Bureau is there for a reason. Angie's List is there for a reason. Protect yourself and your home. And do a lot of praying!