Hiring a Plumber

Do you want to hire an plumbing contractor? Here are some tips for you to avoid any trouble.

If you need any plumbing work done with regard to drains, water heaters or anything dealing with pipe lines, it is advisable to hire an plumbing contractor to do it for you. Even on a small do-it-yourself project, you could make a mistake on the plumbing that would lead to a disastrous outcome.

Here are a few tips to consider before you hire one.

• Set a Spending Limit for Your Plumber
  Get an idea of just how much you want to spend for the entire job, including any parts and all labor costs. This can be an estimate budget since you will need to wait on estimates to get an exact figure. Always leave a little cushion amount to go over, but not to exceed your budget by no more than 15-20%.
• Do background research
  You can do a pre-screening of the potential contractors to help make the best decision. Call the plumbing contractors to get a bit of information before you even schedule them to do an estimate. Write down all the information you receive from them. Some screening questions to ask are:
  • How long has your company been in business?
  • Can you guarantee all work that you do in writing?
  • Are you bonded and insured?
  • Are you licensed and carry the right certifications?
  • Can you give at least three references?
• Check each reference
  The contractor should have no problem giving you any references. Most times, people do not check the references which is a big mistake. You want to follow up with the references to find out the quality of the contractor’s work, or if the contractor gave them an accurate estimate.
  Find out if the contractor performed all the work as scheduled, and if they had a good work ethic. More importantly, find out if they would hire the contractor again.

Finding people that you can trust is always a challenge in life. However, let their reputation give you a whole lot of information about them. That way you know you’ve got the right plumbing contractor.