As a contractor it really depends on how much you’re paying. Yes even a cheap contractor is expensive as hell but you really do get what you pay for.

We are basically the most expensive local option available for our trade so reasonably we get customers that leave and go with cheaper contractors all the time. They almost always come back to us. We regularly get called out to fix the issues caused by other budget outfits. Just last year one of our customers had one of our competitors install 5 brand new rooftop airhandlers for their grocery store. The airhandlers never worked after being installed and that contractor sent people back out 5 times to try and fix them with no success. The customer then called us out at which point one of our techs immediately found that the other company never moved the built in smoke detectors in the airhandlers out of the shipping position. Within less than an hour the problem was resolved and all 5 airhandlers were running perfectly.

The trades are incredibly short on workers right now so the tradesmen who are good at their jobs tend to get snapped up by the highest paying companies who just so happen to also be the more expensive ones. That leaves the budget outfits with the workers who tend to be less experienced/adept.

Yes. We bought cabinets and a new floor for our kitchen and the guy who installed them was an independent contractor old guy who worked with his son. I always stay away from the bigger companies. This was a case where he made money, we paid money, and we both walked away happy.

I’m paranoid enough about it (and also stingy enough) that I mostly do my own work. I hired somebody to fix my HVAC once or twice because I know very little about troubleshooting it and they satisfactorily replaced the compressor capacitor, but later when the blower motor quit working (and I was able to figure out the problem on my own) I replaced that myself. Everything else, including plumbing, electrical, drywall, etc. that’s been done to my house in the last decade and a half, I’ve done myself.

I need to replace my roof soon, which (being critical to finish quickly once you start) is not a job I feel comfortable DIYing, but I can’t bring myself to try to hire anybody either. It’s a dilemma.

We have an incredible contractor. A friend who used them to remodel two homes referred us, they modernized an apartment then remodeled a home to fit their several kids better. He’s super nice, super professional, can do almost anything or knows a guy who can. His two sons work for him and they’re also just so nice and pleasant. Everything they do is perfect or they make it perfect for free after the fact. I love our contractor and if anyone lives in the PNW who’s looking for an incredible contractor…. He’s not cheap but you get what you pay for and what he builds is built to last.

Due to a hail storm last week, I’m getting ready to put the 4th roof on my house in the 20 years I’ve lived here. The first time I had a storm chaser do the work and honestly they did a great job. The next was done by a local contractor because my wife wanted to change some colors and I wanted to upgrade some of the materials. The local contractor did a great job, the only real difference than the storm chaser was they took a lot longer. In the end though the job they did was really good.

Three years ago we had the basement finished by a local contractor. Very happy with the work and the few minor issues that were revealed during the final inspection were quickly fixed. The only complaint was with the plumber. They spec’d the cheapest crap for the bathroom and I missed it on the bid. I’ve had to replace the toilet and am getting ready to replace the sink faucet already.

I have found the secret to picking contractors for working on a house is asking people involved in the industry. The realtor we bought the house through is the wife of MY wife’s coworkers. She had decades of experience in the housing market in our area. So we asked her and she gave us several contractors she trusted. We then asked those contractors who they liked working with and so on and so forth. So now 20 years later I have a full list of contractors to do just about any type of work on the house.

It’s been great as the house ages. When the hot water heater failed, the plumber was out here with a new unit, installed it and was out the door within 8 hours. We didn’t even miss a shower. Just a note, this is not the same plumber that did the installation during the basement finishing. I would not go back to them.

Sure, yes. And even more often impressed with the work we got done ‘under the table’ so to speak - jobs we asked for done by people who did work on the side, we have an electrician who works commercial jobs but does side gigs, he put hurricane proof lights and fans on our back porch, it turned out exactly as I wanted and did survive a hurricane. We have a plumber friend who does side work on weekends.

Also the permitted and legally sanctioned work has been good. Happy with the guys who did the roof, and with our windows, happy with the work we got done when we moved in (moving walls and plumbing around).

I love to negotiate, in general, but absolutely do not when contracting for house renovations. I pay what they ask for. Might ask if there is a more affordable solution or do some of the work to help some if time permits, and do get multiple quotes on some of it, but with a couple of exceptions we have been so happy with the work done to our house. I have a clear vision and am able to communicate it, and I guess it has all been possible to do.

I just accept that nothing ever looks perfect and do as much as possible myself. Especially since covid and the labour shortages contractors are paid in gold bars.

Basicly the only thing I still really get professionals for when liability is a factor. Structural work, gas fed system, or more complex electrical work. Basicly anything that when it’s not done correctly it could hurt or kill people, i still don’t wanna risk cowboying myself.

Yep. Bought a home that needed work done. Found a great contractor through the guy we bought the new kitchen from. The contractor added an extension to the house, installed new floors with heated flooring system, AC, new ceilings with built in lighting, rewired the house and did all the prep for the new kitchen. He was fantastic.

Now, the guys who did our new bathroom on the other hand… The people who did the work were great. The ones who sold it to us and were responsible for planning and materials were awful. Wrong materials and bad planning meant several weeks of delay before we could move in.

Generally no. I feel like I’m always getting screwed. High price, rushed job because they don’t care/have to get to the next job.

One house emergency I’m dealing with right now (I have several) is that the contractor who installed a toilet and tile (paid by previous owner) half assed it and didn’t seat the toilet properly and didn’t install the tiles properly. So water leaked from underneath the toilet, traveled through hollow tiles, and reached my drywall. I got a mold problem now.

This is why I generally try to do things myself. I don’t trust people.

Guy did my tiling throughout the house 20 years ago and it looks like it was done yesterday.

But after 2020, contractors got addicted to price gouging and it’s been one scam artist after another.

Just had one set of subcontractors throw away material for other fixes… Lead group days that the ones involved are no longer a part of the project, so we’re on the hook for even more.

Surely that’s not how that works. Somebody owes you the money for that material, although you might have to sue to get it.

Every single time

The secret is to do a lot of research, read reviews from multiple sources, and shop around

No, not really. They are apparently 99% predatory scumbags or incompetent junkies who will fuck you over as soon as possible. They fill me with such rage that I have given up on using those lying assholes for almost everything except for roofing, some electrical, and some plumbing.

If you have to subject yourself to their bullshit: Always get at least 3 quotes from licensed bonded professionals. If they aren’t licensed and bonded, tell them to go jump into a wood chipper because it is 100% not worth the risk.

At a former residence, I had some good roofers, and I’ve heard since that - 20 years later - a descendant of the same company and one of the original roofers made a return visit to repair some storm damage.

Here, I’ve not really had need for long term work. The worst was a gas leak and that was seen to in short order by a couple of very capable engineers. Frankly, I was probably a worse customer than they were as contractors. (House is a mess. I had unexpected payment problems.)

On the flip side, I’ve had guys nearly come through a ceiling and have heard of a contractor straight up ghosting a relative after the contractor made a mistake they didn’t want to (or couldn’t) rectify. Also, the less said about some dodgy landscapers, the better.

Soo… the answer is yes BUT

1. I have hired dozens of contractors over the years (maybe as high as a 100) for everything from tree removals to bathroom remodels to driveway replacements. Hell I hired one rebuild a 100 foot bulkhead with a 75 foot pier.
2. I can count on one hand the number of times where that has not been a fucking pain in the ass at some point during the process. That has not always been the contractors fault directly, materials don’t show up, the permit was delayed… etc etc. many times it was because the contractor was fucking up.
3. The most frustrating ones have always been the kitchen and bathroom remodels as my family and I had to live in it 24x7.