On Home Improvement

As new home owners, my wife and I have recently become a bit obsessed with anything related to home improvement. One of our favorite new shows is Holmes on Homes, which is all about the world of shady contractors and the people that have been burned by them. I'm a TV junkie, what can I say?

I think the most shocking thing for many homeowners (myself included) is just how hit or miss the process of choosing the right contractor can be. You never know if you're getting someone trustworthy, or someone that's going to cut corners as he works on your home. Luckily, that wasn't the case with us.

When we moved in, we actually had a pleasant experience with a contractor who did some fairly extensive electrical work on our house, as well as a few interior and exterior touch-ups. Our current plans are to use the same people for some master bathroom upgrades we'd like to make in the future. You know, whenever we've got the spare money lying around. On second thought, that might be awhile.

What has your experience been with contractors? What home improvements have you made to your house? Answer with our survey!

Also, did you know that you can find home improvement services near you with WhiteFence? Check it out!

Comments

[BA]

Referrals, Referrals, Referrals !!!
I would rather do the research on finding a referral than on the actual businesses themselves. I heard once that a customer is the hardest person to please and if you can find a happy one then use who they used. It kind of takes the guess work out of things and chances are you will be happy too.

[Amanda]

Thank goodness my husband is extremely handy around the house, or we'd be in real trouble! Recently we came across something he couldn't fix - our microwave keypad. We contacted our home warranty company who outsourced our job to a contractor, as they always do. I could not believe when the guy came out and told us that our keypad was not working because I had cleaned it with a Lysol wipe (I've used Lysol wipes on countless other microwave keypads without an issue), then he proceeded to tell us it might act up when it rains. HELLO - I don't think everyone in Seattle puts up with not having a working microwave. After a week of waiting "to see if the keypad dried out" (remind me again how the indoor microwave keypad supposedly got wet when it rained outside?), we contacted our home warranty co again for help. It then took THREE weeks for them to actually come out and replace the keypad. I know this was the contractor's fault, but I now am weary of contractors AND home warranty companies. (Maybe I should have looked at the companies on WF rather than just going with what the seller of our current home set up for us.)