Englishmum

Well, I returned to New Jersey after spending the past 10 weeks in Singapore and after getting out of the car at our house I noticed that our 60 year old house is looking really tatty and seriously needs some repairs.

The exterior needs to be repainted, the driveway needs resurfacing, we need a new hot water heater and it needs lots of minor things doing, but I haven't a clue about DIY and I don't have a handyman with the spouse now resident overseas...

Anyway, I'm having a couple of painting firms coming out to give a quote next week. Any tips on what I should be asking them? Is it the norm to tell them that I'm having other quotes done? If so, should I let them know the price to see if they will match it or come in a bit cheaper, or just not tell them what the quote is from a rival company? I really feel uncomfortable dealing with tradespeople...

I know nothing about technical matters and often wonder if I'm getting ripped off (for instance I'm aware that in the UK- maybe also in the US -women drivers often get overcharged when they take their car to a mechanic, in comparison to a male driver whose car has a similar problem)

Bill_S

Ask for a quote that includes all prep work (loose paint removal, masking of windows and doors, etc) and cleanup. Make sure the contractor has a license to work in your city/town. Make sure he has adequate coverage for liability and worker's compensation. Have the quote specify a high quality paint (Shewin Williams, Pratt & Lambert, Benjamin Moore). Specify that you want no mess left behind (no paint spilled on driveway, no spatters on shrubs, etc.) Ask for references - houses that he has painted in your area that you can go and look at.

I've never played the game of trying to get one contractor to match another's price. Things might be different in NJ, though... but I wouldn't do it unless it's known to be a common practice there. I just look at quotes and pick. We don't always pick the lowest quote, either. When we had the house painted a few years ago we went with one of the higher quotes. Why? Because we were impressed with the contractor. He gave several references, had a binder full of photos of previous jobs, showed us his insurance and worker's comp info before we could ask about it, and he does all the work himself (doesn't hire crews to work for him). We made a good decision; he did a great job and we're very pleased with the result. Good luck.

CelticRover

That just about covers it.

AmerLisa

I've heard Angie's List is a good place to check on tradespeople. Although I have no first hand knowledge.

Bob

It used to be....now you've got to pay to see the reviews and it's a little sketchy.

One thing might be worth doing, just go around the local area and see signs in drive way of who did the work, well they do that down my way at least.

Sally Redux

Ask around neighbours etc, get a number of quotes and be very clear what is included.

I prefer someone who has a clear quote, not trying to undercut someone else's price, but it depends if you're good at that.

If you live in a nice area, they bump the price up, we've also found the prices have gone up enormously lately, presumably to try to make up for the lack of work.

Angie's List was recommended to me but when I tried a name from there for my bathroom they were extremely expensive - like double the price - and seemed to be all hot air.

Jerseygirl

We had our house painted a couple of months ago. We obtained 3 quotes and went with the contractor who impressed us the most...gut feeling and all that.

We also had our driveway repaved and chose these people http://www.harringtoncontractors.com/paving.htm. They lay a lot of roads and drives around here.