The Divas know finding the perfect contractor for your renovation is not an easy task. Good contractors are hard to find for a reason, but nothing makes or breaks your remodel experience like a contractor. Here is our list of ways to ensure you pick the right contractor for you. We LOVED our contractors. The only problem is that the good ones are always booked well in advance. Below are some hints and tricks on how to have an effective working relationship with your contractor.

Book Early: Plan on booking someone months before you are ready to go. We booked ours in January and they started in May.

Get Referrals: Get as many personal referrals as possible. Ask those folks questions about the work and the process. Was their contractor on time? Did he/she stay in budget? Were they clean? Make sure they really loved their contractor. You will be surprised how many folks referred contractor to us that we later found out were not really happy with their work.

Interview Your Referrals: Interview at least 2-3 contractors. You want to understand how they work, what are your expectations compared to theirs. You will have to live with these contractors for several months. Make sure it is someone you can communicate with and trust.

Bid the Project: Compare bids between several contractors. Make sure the bid spells out exactly what is included in the cost. Ask as many questions as possible. Are they contracting out some of the work or doing it all themselves? Are they including their friend who offers “kitchen design” work in their bid? Are they including tax? Do they have a “contractor mark-up” on materials even after they take the discount? A good contractor will know your budget, understand your budget and will either be familiar with or become familiar with the materials you are using.