End Your Search for an Expert Contractor with These 3 Easy Steps

Finding an expert contractor today is much like prospecting for gold.

The gold could be anywhere. People scour the earth to find it. Then, once word gets out that gold has been found, everybody flocks to that area until there’s no more.

Contractors are the same way.

Once a good one is discovered, they are scheduled out for months at a time and become unavailable. It is much like digging for gold when searching for an available, expert contractor. 

It doesn’t have to be as difficult, though. For years, we’ve worked out methods to find the “gold” and we’re ready to share them with you. Take advantage of Five Star Bath Solutions’ 3 easy steps and find yourself an expert contractor. 

Step 1. Find a Contractor Who Can Take The Job

This may seem self explanatory, but it makes your search much easier. There are hundreds of licensed professionals who are capable of doing the job, but only a handful are available to do it.

Don’t waste your time researching companies that can’t do it anyways. Five Star Bath Solutions will always be available to take your job, the rest are a toss up. For Step 1, there are a few things you should know:

How far out are they scheduled?

• Contractors tend to get busy. Find one that can start and finish within your necessary time frame.

How are their reviews?

• Never discount available information, especially when it comes from people who have personally worked with the contractor before. Your experience will be similar to theirs. So, if the reviews don’t sound pleasing, don’t choose them. 

• Look for reviews in your specific area. Five Star Bath Solutions makes their reviews specific to each location. You’ll know exactly how well you’d be treated by the actual people doing the work. 

What materials/designs do they have available?

• Before hiring, make sure your contractor has the materials/designs you want in hand. There’s no way to guarantee a new shipment. Therefore, there’s no way to guarantee a job finished by the deadline if materials aren’t ready to go. 

• Five Star Bath Solutions will always have these designs/materials available due to a national presence and overall spending power. Our warehouses are full and the material is ready to be customized. 

Where are they based from?

• If you can find a contractor near you, your chances of a good experience dramatically increase. The contractor is more likely to: 

1. Be on time to appointments and job sites
2. Respond to calls if something goes wrong
3. Finish on time due to proximity of materials and tools

• While it’s not always possible to find someone close, it’s equally important to keep the search radius limited. They don’t have to be close, but they shouldn’t be far. 

• That’s why Five Star Bath Solutions is spread across the country, with each location being locally owned and operated. Find our nearest location to you by following the link.

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Google Local Packs are a quick and easy way to accomplish this. Just search “bathroom remodeler near me,” for example, and a pack of options will come up. You can sort these by distance and filter them by review ratings.

It will also lead you to their respective websites and give you the contact information necessary to find their availability. 

The list of possible contractors should go from the 100’s to about 10-12. That’s where you want to be now. Online research and basic phone calls will get you the information necessary to make the cut.

Expert Tip

Another good way to start online research is through home affiliates such as:

• Home Advisor
• Houzz
• Porch
• Thumbtack

These companies are built to give you quality contractor options for any renovation job. They verify all the licensing and insurance of contractors for you, plus most will run background checks. 

Home affiliate services will also verify all reviews. Meaning, each review you read about the various contractors is guaranteed to come from a past client of that specific contractor. 

These services are completely free for customers and come in handy when looking for availability. It’ll put you in contact with contractors in your area available to work.

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Step 2. Find a Contractor Who Can Do the Job Well

Finding someone who is available to take your job will only get you so far. You’ve narrowed it down to 10-12 contractors. It’s time to contact each and find 4-6 who have mastered their craft.

If you use a home affiliate service, contractors will reach out to you via phone, email, etc. You’ll already have answers to a few of the questions listed below and that’s okay. Be prepared with the remaining questions when they call.

If you completed your own research, you’ll want to call each contractor you found. Get answers to the following questions to determine who can do the job well:

How many years have you been in business?

• If a contractor has been in business for several years, it would indicate there’s no shortage of work or clients. Both point towards good, quality work.

Do you have any past clients you could refer me to?

• If a loved one or friend didn’t refer you, be sure to ask for referrals from the contractor. Speaking directly with people who have worked with them before is wise.

• If the contractor won’t give you referrals, it’s not a good sign and should be considered a red flag.

Are you licensed and insured for this particular job?

• The licensing system for contractors is set up by each state to ensure competence with the job. If they aren’t licensed and/or insured, that poses more red flags.

• Each and every technician at Five Star Bath Solutions is licensed, insured, certified, and trained by seasoned professionals. We believe in a job well done, and we train our technicians to make that happen.

Do you have before and after pictures I could see?

• A picture is worth a thousand words, and finding a contractor is no exception. They each have individualized styles, find the one that suits you through photos.

• The photo above is a good example taken by our team at Five Star Bath Solutions. Browse our before and after gallery to see more.

How often do you do this particular kind of job?

• Many contractors specialize in a particular area. While they can do the job you need, they might not have as much experience as you would think. Ask about your particular job to find a specialist in what you need done.

• We work solely on bathrooms at Five Star Bath Solutions. We’ve found being laser-focused on one area increases the quality of the work, the efficiency of the technicians, and the expertise of the crew.

• Focusing on just bathrooms is why we can guarantee 100% satisfaction, promise a lifetime warranty, and still finish in as little as 1 day.

The answers to these questions will narrow the search further. The goal is to find 4-6 contractors that have proven they can do the job well. You should go into Step 3 confident that you’ve found the best of the best.

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Expert Tip:

Phone calls are riddled with hints of how contractors do business with typical clients. Pay attention to these four things while on the phone to gather more information:

• Do they answer?
  • It can be frustrating when people are difficult to get a hold of. If they don’t answer now, they won’t answer then either.

• What’s the common response time?
  • Contractors are busy and can’t always answer. However, if they take upwards of a week to respond, or don’t respond at all, it’s time to move on.

• Are they confident in what they’re saying?
  • You’re asking easy questions. If it’s difficult for them to answer, be concerned. Watch for filler words being thrown around like “um” and “uh” as well. You want a professional, and these signs indicate lack of knowledge.

• Are they polite?
  • You’ll be working with this person for a long time. Find someone who’s nice that you can get along with easily. 

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Step 3. Find the Right Contractor for You

Of the 4-6 contractors you’ve narrowed the search down to, set up face to face meetings with each of them. This will give you a chance to get more detailed information and establish a first impression.

First Impressions

Body Language

• Roughly 55% of communication is done through nonverbal cues. Watch for these red flags to identify a lack of confidence:
  • Avoiding eye contact
  • Weak handshake
  • Bad posture

• While it’s easy to spot red flags, it’s just as important to look for positive signs:
  • Smiling
  • Leaning in

• You will never see a Five Star Bath Solutions professional nervous or scared. That’s why they’re the perfect example for these pictures of confidence.

Vehicle Cleanliness

• For home service professionals, their work vehicle doubles as an office. Pay attention to it, and you’ll learn a lot about how contractors will be treating their workspace (your house).
  • Is it well organized? 
  • Is it clean?
  • Is there a company wrap with logo, contact information, etc.?

Detailed Information

At this point, you know whoever you hire is well-qualified and capable of doing the job. It’s just a matter of preference, and how each question below is handled:

• Where are the supplies going to be stored?
  • It’s beneficial to know ahead of time if they are planning to leave supplies at your property. If the job lasts longer than a day, this could be the case.

• Do you offer a warranty?
  • If they offer a warranty on their work, you’re set. They’re confident in their abilities and aren’t worried about a mishap. Should problems arise, they respect you enough to take care of them.
  • The fully transferable lifetime warranty offered by Five Star Bath Solutions holds the greatest value in the market. It is locally serviced and fully covers all parts, material, and labor. Should home ownership change, it is also the only warranty that can be transferred.

• Is your bid an estimate or final cost?
  • Many contractors will place a bid and realize the job is more extensive than originally thought. Find someone who will stand by their bid so you don’t get caught over budget. 
  • At Five Star Bath Solutions we have a “No Surprise Guarantee.” The cost you get with your free in-home estimate will be the final cost, guaranteed. 

• What precautions will you take to protect my property?
  • Accidents happen when remodeling. See if there’s a plan from the contractor to prevent damage before it happens.

• How do we handle mistakes or disagreements?
  • If something goes wrong, it’s important to know how to deal with it. Is the contractor willing to come fix it? Are they going to charge extra to do so? How will you get in contact with them?
  • Our fully transferable lifetime warranty will take care of any problems that arise. They would be handled by our local technicians at no expense to you

• Timeline for completion?
  • At this point, they should know roughly how long it would take. Get an established timeline to hold them accountable to.

• What is the payment schedule?
  • Many contractors offer payment plans. Find out what payment schedules they offer so you can know what to expect once the job is completed.
  • Five Star Bath Solutions is no exception to this. Schedule a free design consultation to see what smart pay financing options are available to you, including $0 down.

• Will I have a dedicated team?
  • Many people don’t like strangers in their house. It can also be hard to pick up on a job where someone else has left off. Find out if you’ll have a dedicated team to avoid these problems. 
  • We have a dedicated project manager assigned to each job to ensure a job well done.

• Do you clean up afterwards?
  • Nobody likes dust and scraps lying around. Find out if there’s a cleanup plan afterwards.

After all is said and done, you’ll know which contractor is the right one for you. Between availability, capability, and first impressions, you can’t go wrong with Five Star Bath Solutions. 

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Expert Tip:

Don’t base your decision off a budget. You’re looking for high quality work that will last, not the cheapest solution to a serious problem. A lower price upfront typically means heavier costs on the backend. Ultimately, they balance out rather quickly and in the long run cheap prices cost more. 

If they’re cheap, it’s a sign that they either don’t know what they’re doing, cut corners in installation, or use low-quality materials. All of which would lead to recurring problems down the road.

If they’re expensive, odds are they’re unavailable and out of budget. That’s okay, you don’t need to hire the most expensive contractor to ensure a good job. 

Using our 3 easy steps, you’ll find a good contractor that falls within your budget.