Whether you are building or renovating a residential or a commercial property, or you perhaps need to have some landscaping work done, such as having a stone pathway or a patio paved in your yard, one thing is absolutely for sure. This is not something you will be able to do alone. Instead, you will need to hire a masonry contractor to do the work for you. to get some ideas on what to look for when hiring these contractors.
Now, naturally, your goal here will be to hire not just any contractor, but actually a great one. And, well, that can take some time. Not because there are no great professionals around you, as I am assuming that there most definitely are, but because we all tend to make these kinds of decisions without really thinking them through, which is not a good idea. In fact, which can only lead to making mistakes and then not being happy with the final outcomes.
So, what is it that you should actually do here? Well, put simply, what you want is to do your best to avoid those mistakes, and to, thus, ultimately wind up with a great contractor doing the necessary masonry work for you. In order to be able to avoid the mistakes, of course, you will first have to get acquainted with them, so that is what we are going to help you do right now, listing some of those common ones that people tend to make below.
1. Rushing Into Making a Decision
It is not uncommon for people to be interested in hiring these contractors as soon as possible, especially when their project is time sensitive for one reason or another. And, while I understand that, the truth is that this can result in them making the wrong choice, just because they are in a hurry. Since this is not precisely what you want, I would advise you to, instead, take your time to properly research the different professionals you’ll come across, instead of making a random hiring decision.
2. Not Checking for Licenses and Insurance
Now, a lot of people often remember that some kind of research is in order. So, they visit the official sites of the contractors they’re considering, possibly take a look at their experience levels, and the services they are offering, and then immediately proceed towards making a hiring decision. Not a good idea, though, as you have some more things to check, and you need to know which ones.
For one thing, you should never fail to check whether the companies you’re considering are properly licensed, as well as insured. Hiring licensed and insured contractors means getting some peace of mind, knowing that you are sure to get high quality services. And knowing, of course, that you won’t be held accountable in case of any damage or accidents during the project.
3. Not Taking a Look at Previous Projects
When you have a specific project in mind, you will communicate it to potential contractors and then check if they have any suggestions to share, and if they can commit to completing it at all. Yet, you should ask for more than that. To put it simply, when you are thinking of hiring A&A Masonry or similar pros, you should remember to have a look at their previous projects, in order to assess the quality of their wok before making a decision. The good news is that you will nowadays most likely get to find those past projects easily on the official websites of the contractors you’re considering, meaning you’ll be able to easily check out their work.
4. Choosing Based on the Prices Alone
We all have our budgets to worry about. And, when getting any kind of stone or brickwork done, you will also have to think about the prices of those services. This, however, doesn’t mean that you should choose your contractor based alone on those prices. Doing that could result in you hiring people who will do poor quality work for you, but charge you a small fee, which means you’ll need to rehire someone again to fix what’s not right. In the end, going for the cheapest option can turn out to be more expensive.
5. Or Ignoring Them Completely
The above, however, doesn’t mean that you should completely ignore those prices. Sure, you don’t want to hire based on them alone, but you also don’t want to leave them out of the equation. This is why you should always remember to get more quotes from more contractors, in an effort to compare them, but while keeping all the other important factors in mind and comparing them as well, so as to ultimately make a smart and informed hiring decision.
6. Paying the Full Amount Upfront
Some masonry contractors could ask you to pay the full amount for the project upfront, which is not a good thing. Sure, paying a percentage upfront is completely normal, and how much you’ll need to pay will depend on the actual contractor. But, what you should never do is pay for everything in advance, before the work begins, as that could be quite risky.
Perhaps this could also help you make your choice: https://sporting-goods-industry.com/how-to-choose-the-right-mason-for-your-home/
7. Not Inquiring About Warranties
Here is another mistake you should avoid. Not checking whether the masonry contractors you’re considering are actually offering warranties for their work. Reliable professionals should be ready to offer warranties, thus showing that they are confident in the quality of their work, and ready to protect their clients against poor workmanship, which is definitely a big deal.
8. Having Unrealistic Timeline Expectations
This particular mistake has to do with the actual process of working with masonry contractors, instead of hiring them, but it is undeniably worth mentioning. So, consider it a bonus if you will. In short, you should not assume that the project will be completed in a couple of days or so, regardless of its scope. Instead of forming such assumptions, you should actually discuss the timeline with the professionals you hire and thus set realistic expectations.
