Hiring a Contractor: 9 Things You MUST Know

[@imout671]

I'm not a contractor and I've got no employees. I do all my own work. Occasionally I bring in electricians or plumbers and I explain to the home owner and the tradesman I'm not profiting on their work and the homeowner pays them separately. I just do drywall, stairs, doors, int/ext painting, bathroom updates, concrete patios.... all kinds of small stuff. I get 50% up front and the rest the day I finish. I always got more work than I can do. You can make a very good living being and honest man and doing good work...I never understood the crooks when many could do better doing honest work. I really appreciate your channel. Wish I had time to watch more. Ya'll be blessed

[@JW-mx3qg]

@imout671 Not sure where you are located, but asking 50% up front to do work is in itself against the law and therefore illegal (aka dishonest) If any contractor would ask me to give $$ up front, what guarantees me that this person would not just run off with the money?

[@InspiredCraftsman]

@JW-mx3qg why is it illegal to ask for 50% up front? Isn't that just a deposit for the work?

[@R_B62]

As a semi retired contractor of 25+ years. If I Don t know the customer, they will pay a materials deposit up front with several scheduled draws for larger jobs or balance on completion for smaller jobs. I will provide references, bank and trade references. But why should I front all the materials and take all the risk? If I have $5,000 to $20,000 in a project and you Don t pay, Im out of the money, not you.

[@imout671]

@@JW-mx3qg always have. Covers the cost of materials. Only ever had 1 lady decline to pay anything up front and so I went to the next family on my list. My reviews and word of mouth recommendations pretty much speak for themselves. I don't take deposits ahead of time, I just give them an approximate start date when I book their job. I give them a day or 2 notice before I show up and I collect the day I start. I'm not talking about 10s of thousands of dollars, most of my jobs are 3 to 7 days so its usually only a few thousand bucks. Everyone needs skin in the game.

[@dauraktv]

California code won’t allow us to ask 20% of bid or $2000, whichever is less

[@moparcasey3135]

My grandfather told me the more you can do for yourself the less you’ll have to depend on other people, I try to live by that.

[@matthewtaylor2185]

I've all but given up on finding a mechanic who can do more than change oil in a 20 or more year old vehicle...or even our newer minivan. Gotta just do it myself even though I'm slow and hate doing it. I'm holding off now on getting my hvac looked at because we really need a new system, but I don't want to duct tape a new unit to 40 years worth of cobbled up junky duct work that needs to come out and get redone. Gonna have to do the prep work myself because I don't trust anyone at any price to do a thorough job.

[@mrwaterschoot5617]

my brother suggested if you want it done correctly do it yourself. mike rowe does voice overs for discovery channel of deadliest catch. and of course he is the star of dirty jobs. work is the beauty of the beholder. everyone has a different way the job gets done. if you wanit it done your way do it yourself. then you take all the responsibility for the mistakes and it was done like frank Sinatra sang i had regrets yet to few to mention and i did it my way.

[@matthewtaylor2185]

@mrwaterschoot5617 I am particular, but it's not just about my way. if I drop a vehicle off at a mechanic and leave detailed description of the problems a with say a hood latch, and all they do us reassemble the broken one and don't even check to see if it works, there is a serious disconnect. I'll be happy to pay for parts and time, just fix it. I'd rather be doing something else. This is a 2011 Toyota guys, it should be a common fix, and it is a safety issue if my hood won't stay latched. If they want to charge me for replacing the same backup light switch I already replaced twice, but it keeps blowing the fuse and the switch, I don't think the switch is the problem. You're a mechanic shop, track it down...but they don't, and won't.

[@focusedfowl8981]

Same thing from my grandfather, the greatest generation were the epitome of “jacks of all trades” honest, charitable ….I aspire to be the same.

[@cbucha]

Ain't that the truth 💯

[@cristianstoica4544]

Long time ago I've learned that the project is not the project. The project is finding the right people to do the project

[@twestgard2]

As a contractor, I love working for people who have done their background research because they understand what they’re buying. The problem jobs are the ones where the customer doesn’t think through what they’re asking me to do, and then they don’t like the surprises that come from their own ignorance. One minor example happened to me yesterday. I’m replacing a deck in a back yard and the customer was surprised and upset that I expected to have access to an electrical outlet. “Don’t you have a generator?” Well, yes ma’am, but you’re literally the first person in decades who thought I just drag it to every job.

[@LifeontheMoose]

Or those homeowners who have watched too much HGTV..😬

[@broad_cat]

My sister when building her home was upset about the heat duct layout in her basement because she wanted to put up a wall there at some point in the future. I asked if she ever told the contractor that, and she said 'no.' I was incredulous; How could you expect them to just read your mind like that? Literally, what way could they have had of knowing? Doing residential anything has always struck me as a nightmare of unprepared, expectant people.

[@trevoraboussafy6900]

All my quotes say that the customer is to supply power, water, and access to a bathroom. I’ve been burned by this same “shock” before. I could spend $15 on fuel running my generator all day, and ad wear and tear to the motor, and spend time loading and unloading it, but the the customer has to pay for that. Or, they could just eat the $1 in electricity i am going to use from their outlet.

[@twestgard2]

My generator is so loud that it causes psychedelic experiences. I can’t stand to be near it running for more than about two hours. So they might prefer to just provide the outlet. 😂 IME, the vast majority of residential customers are really easygoing and reasonable BUT I spend a lot of time asking what result they want and consulting with them on how best to build what they actually want. So I proactively seek out these problem areas up front. I also show them what I’m doing and I don’t skimp or cheat anything, so every time they show up, I’m showing them the high quality they’re getting. I also try to sense PITA customers. I’ll offer a high quality but simple build if they don’t have a lot of money. The instant they’re asking me to compromise quality work, I just end the conversation and walk away. I don’t have the time, money, or energy to deal with building things I’m not proud of. The people who will jack you around up front are the ones who will do it again later. Best to learn the lesson at the beginning.

[@Garth2011]

What an idiot homeowner !

[@fong.justinm]

4:18 1. finding the right person 5:01 2. how to interview these guys 7:21 3. learning to read between the lines on the bids documents 7:49 4. when it's time to make an agreement, don't be in a hurry 8:01 5. be a little bit careful about negotating the bottom line 9:10 6. beware that your actions can slow down & hurt your job 9:25 7. money is your only muscle 10:39 8. fast, good, cheap i missed a few, but i tried.

[@Kaizen747]

Legend!!

[@marya4717]

You sure did, and thank you!

[@markjohnson5562]

This is 100% the truth. I am DIY guy...wanted a retaining wall built....got multiple contractor quotes between $30k to 42k. I couldn't swallow the cost so I built one myself...$5500 in materials, another 9k to buy a skid steer and plate tamper and I was still less than 50 of the lowest quote....and I still have the skid steer and tamper to sell. I'll be in it 20 to 25% of the lowest quote. KZbin videos were golden!

[@wayneswonderarium]

Of course, your time is the majority of the cost. Assuming 100h then maybe you got paid $200/hr... From yourself 😅

[@KJ110813]

​​@@wayneswonderarium sounds like that guy might actually enjoy doing that type of work (excited about having his own bobcat and tamper) though. If that's the case, I get it. Save some money, maybe develop some new skills and respect for that type of work, and hopefully do a halfway decent job. It's the people who take on big jobs themselves that they could pay for or don't really need purely for the cost "savings" aspect that I shake my head at. One of the more hilarious instances I witnessed was from a neighbor. Neighbor:"I need to replace some of the subflooring in my house but these contractors are trying to rip me off because I looked into it and can do it for 10% of what they want" Me: "yeah bro, you can do it. You gonna take a couple weeks off work?" Neighbor: "No, I'm going to demo this weekend, do the subfloors after work during the week, and put down new laminate flooring next weekend" Me: "sweet! Can't wait to see the results!" Two months later... Neighbor: "finally got the subfloors down and I'm never buying building materials from the home depot again! They're already squeaking!!!" Me: "really? Did you glue them to the joists?" Neighbor: "no.... I used screws."

[@slynn5138]

Wow, that’s incredible they would charge that much for labor. Even you lived in a very expensive area like New York the labor should be no more than double that of the materials for something simple like a retaining wall.

[@JW-mx3qg]

Here is my take (being a GC for 30 years) I pick who I want to work for. There are too many people (perspective clients) that I would never work for. It is the ones with attitude, cheap, and just difficult to work for. No money in the world world would give me the satisfaction for working with a client who doesn’t appreciate a good quality product without cutting corners and being honest.

[@imout671]

Another great comment. I know exactly what you mean. I've been to many homes that smell so bad I wanted to burn my clothes when I left. They are not my customers. Too many jobs available to deal with difficult people.

[@richardbell3738]

@@terrillmel Yap its a 2 way street . People on average hate dealing with contractors because there way to many that are flat out rip offs

[@christiansantos8904]

Trade gap. My Supervisor started electrical 15 years ago at $14/hr. I started 6 years ago at $14/hr. My appretince is making $16/hr nowadays. Companies.....are....cheap.

[@frenchmontana961]

Join a union if you can

[@mannymalcolm800]

Work for yourself then….

[@frenchmontana961]

@@mannymalcolm800 you have to work for someone else for years until you can get a license

[@joshuat1973]

@@frenchmontana961 Yep, it always feels to me there's "gatekeeping" if you want to become licensed in electrical, plumbing, etc. I think the system is rigged to provide cheap labor for the gatekeepers. Even if you can afford to live on entry level wages for years, once you become licensed you mostly know one skill set and maybe make as much as a solid handyman.

[@lindacgrace2973]

Yup. I agree wholeheartedly. I assessed my skills: (1) I know a LOT about designing houses from years as a commercial interior designer and working with my husband flipping houses, (2) I'm good with languages, (3) I'm a 5'3" retiree and unlikely to do any significant amount of the work myself. Venn diagram intersection: brush up on my Spanish and hire contractors from Mexico (I'm building in Arizona) who are here on a green card. Create my own plans and build models of the tricky bits. In my experience, once you have one great contractor, when you ask for referrals, they are very careful to give good referrals so as no to upset the goose that lays the golden eggs. My trick? I start from the top down. Who knows the best foundations companies? Framers! So ask them for referrals. Who knows the best drywall crews? Painters (it's their job to cover up any of the mistakes the drywall crew left behind - trust me, they know). Etc. Works a treat. Love your content - Keep up the good work! 🤩

[@613kc]

Thanks for Your comment, enjoyed! Who pays the workman's comp? Cost? Thanks

[@Goalsplus]

That's smart.

[@lindacgrace2973]

@@613kc I do, unless it is a proper company (many of them are family operations) that already carry the insurance. The one I try to get a proper licensed company is roofing. The WC insurance is astronomical for that!

[@markdoumert]

@@lindacgrace2973 You dont need to provide workers comp as an owner, if they are unlicensed and do not carry a wc policy on their employees then they are the ones taking the risk of something happening. If you are a gc employing them then you do have some obligations but as an owner its up to them to provide all that, and if they dont and an accident happens its their responsibility to deal with it.

[@ncooty]

Brilliant tip about getting recommendations from the people who deal with the consequences. :)

[@CorwinBos]

The trade gap is real... But here's the issue, everyone complains about not finding younger generation people that actually want to work. Then they turn around and say they only want to hire people with experience. My son has been a victim of this. He wants to be an electrician, lots of local places all looking to hire, but none want to hire a 19 year old kid and teach him when he is willing to learn. I went thru this when I got out of the USMC in '96, but it is far worse now largely because I think that the current generation of workers has gotten a bad name for themselves.

[@twestgard2]

Right, and we got rid of all the training programs too.

[@Tigenraam]

YES thank you! How can you complain there's no one willing to work when you wont hire and TRAIN new guys! Everywhere wants a 2nd year apprentice. I don't think the issue is as cultural as most people seem to think, the solution is dead easy. Pay them well, be willing to invest in their training, and don't expect them to ruin their bodies for your bottom line and you'll have plenty of young guys working for you.

[@CorwinBos]

@@Tigenraam I think alot of the younger generation has some pretty thin skin which isnt doing them any favors either. Someone says something they dont like and they quit because feelings got hurt. Toughen up, expect to get hazed by the guys that have been doing it for 30-40 years, because thats how we came up too. Once you prove it to the old guys, they will bend over backwards to teach you everything you need to know, otherwise they are just wasting their time. Im NOT saying the older generation has license to be A-holes, because I have seen that push people away as well, and that is an employer/employee problem that needs to be fixed. I am of those guys that worked in the trades for 20 years, and I know how to teach people, but I still will not tolerate screwups and laziness. Im here to get work done and teach people like I was taught. Ive since moved on from working in the trades, but I teach people, including my kids, in the same manner I did for all those years.

[@CaitFalconer]

@@CorwinBos They don't tolerate blatant hatred and have the self-respect to walk away rather than sit and waste their time taking some old guy's verbal dog shit. The time spent being an asshole would be better spent educating the younger people and Hey! actually working.

[@chadpilled7913]

Getting the job is easy enough usually, but then if you want to learn its like they keep you in the dark on purpose or are so busy getting the job done that they just dont bother to show you right way to do things. Not always tho. Some good employers/supervisors, but so many cut throats too

[@davidsawyer1599]

Retired Electrician here. Do not let the amount of time someone has been in business be a factor. Many high quality trades people go out on their own. You might be customer #1. You might be customer #10. As stated as long as they are licensed, bonded and insured. You're more than likely good to go. I don't know if this was covered. Trades people know who they like to work with. Ask the electrician the name of the plumber he likes to work with. The cabinet guy probably has a favorite tile guy. So on and so forth. There is a lot of great trades people out there. Appearance?! That's another thing that can throw people off. Just because someone looks like a model doesn't mean they are worth your time or money. Do they answer their phone? Had a plumber come by he looked like he woke up in the weed patch. He always answered his phone. He never squirmed,gave excuses. He was polite and respectful. He wasn't cheap either. Had a problem with his work. He was back before the day was up to rectify the issue. No extra charge. He was a word of mouth contact.

[@BradBehr2707]

R&R are absolute gold standard! Thank you for shouting them out!

[@frattman]

I'm primarily a tile guy (20 years) - bathroom, kitchen remodels. I have never advertised besides the shirts on my back that my wife designed and my business card. This is really good advice. I've never signed a contract - ever. I've worked on million plus dollar houses. Trust is key, trust is best achieved by a reference from a friend. It helps that I work by myself, and, now, I do all of the work myself. There are no subs, there are no employees. I almost never ask for money up front, and most of my jobs are paid in full at the end - I've been screwed over twice and I've had less than 10 call backs in 20 years. Honesty and respect among contractor and homeowner is essential.

[@mr.g937]

My #1 tip to people looking for a contractor is to find a local owner-operator. You want the guy with the knowledge on your job site but you don't want to be paying for the overhead of salesmen, secretaries, and marketing.

[@johnirwin1837]

My Dad worked like you his whole life after returning from WW11. He more often than not turned down more work than he could do and it was all by word of mouth. No cards. He raised 3 boys on a small family farm and mom was a stay at home mom. Now at 77 and with health issues I need a good handy man to do a few things for me. Gonna be hard to find.

[@frattman]

@@johnirwin1837 I feel for you trying to find a handyman, and you're dad seems like he was a hell of a guy. I learned the trade from my uncle and my grandfather, who continued to do small tile jobs and other jobs around the house into his early 90's. He taught my uncle and I more than just how to tile, but how to live well. I only hope I can stay as active in my old age as I'm only 42 now.

[@handymadness]

Respect.

[@songswithryan]

I'll concede that most contracts won't hold up in court, god forbid something should go wrong with the job and you're stuck with a litigious client. But especially for large jobs with long timeframes, deposits/payments required, etc. contracts are great for clarity. It's easy for clients to lose track of the details. Anything that adds clarity is a plus.

[@BradFess-jo8to]

I’m a Builder and this is all great advice. I use the “Good, fast, cheap, pick two” example all the time. Also, great advice on how hard you negotiate up front. The good guys are just looking for a client to be fair. Not trying to rip anyone off, but do want to be compensated fairly for the knowledge we bring to make your project go quicker and be built better. Thanks Internet Dad!

[@lheigert]

I found good contractors are busy and in demand, if you are not in line with thier timeline, costs or other needs, they move on quickly to the next customer.

[@canigetachannel]

You are one of the nicest men that I don't know. I have been listening to you for quite some time and have gained so much hope for society. To know that there are still such men as us alive is encouraging. Good young men have been so difficult to find. Be blessed and thank you. Sincerely

[@Centercreek]

One of my red flags, as a contractor, is hearing a potential client say, “I saw this on KZbin.” Lighting, editing, tools, appropriate codes, and so on…all put aside in the mind of the client for the sake of getting it done how they saw it on KZbin. DIY is a flimsy term. I prefer self-sufficient. Often, being self sufficient means knowing when to give me a call. Perhaps your piece of mind is more valuable than chewing up your time trying to make it look like KZbin. I love these videos. I learn so much.

[@bry2k]

That's kinda ignorant. There's a million things on KZbin, and people are watching it to get ideas about how to do a job, and to see how a job might best be done. What are you gonna do, service only the people who don't have internet access?

[@HandleHandle123]

As a younger guy I’m always told by older guys that I have all the knowledge of the world at my finger tips, but those same old guys won’t give any advice or they get pissed at you. In the mean time anything you learn on the internet is not good enough for them. You older guys need to actually want us to learn like we want to learn or at the least stop criticizing us for trying.

[@johnsrabe]

Great advice. I’d just add a couple corrolaries: - Do not be cowed by a contractor who won’t give you references, says “you don’t really need a permit” for a big* job, or won’t give you a detailed estimate. Tell them, “that won’t work for me,” and move on. Good contractors are happy to do those things and will prefer to work professionally. - To save money, can you do the lightly trained monkey part of the job? Like demo’ing the concrete slab, or removing the kitchen cabinets and tearing off the drywall? *Here in LA you “need” a permit to do lots of minor and medium jobs. Whatevs. But yeah, pull a permit for a new roof.

[@ncooty]

You nailed a lot of it in the intro. After we bought our first house, we had nothing but frustration and disappointment trying to find competent or decent contractors. Nearly every one we considered was just a salesy jackass pretending to be a pro as part of their get-rich-quick fantasy. They'd talk a big game, but didn't know what they were doing and tried to use incompetent, exploited laborers to do the work. We gave up on them. The industry doesn't police itself and resists regulation and accountability, so I just bought a bunch of books and tools, and learned to do it all myself. The more I've learned and done, the more I've valued the REAL pros (truly) and the more I've despised the jerks who just call themselves "pros"... and there are just too many of the latter to bother with it. Heck, even many of the competent guys cut a lot of corners and do sloppy work if I'm not there babysitting them. When the industry acts like a group of professionals that works to police itself, it'll be worth considering. Until then, no thanks. I'd rather have it done correctly.

[@disgracebook5708]

Unfortunately that’s how I feel. Had a roofing company replace my 25 yr old shingle roof. Contractor that did the work was a GAF Certified Gold Installer & contractor, confirmed with GAF their certification. Roof was replaced 2 yrs ago, now there’s a leak. Paid an inspector, turns out the ridge vent was installed wrong. Inspector had to contest the contractors initial assessment, even though all had the same pictures. It cost $150 for the inspector to look out for my interest, but worth it.

[@twocoolnerds4628]

Just a quick comment Scott...I've never been one to suggest that someone can't do something...I'm proof of this over and over again. But a DIYer better do their homework especially when they may feel there's none or little to be done...yes, someone can stick a tile to a wall, floor, or countertop but there are many critical details to the preparation of the substrate that will make or break an installation's durability. I have taken many jobs over the last thirty years where I was asked to redo what a homeowner tried to do first. It usually begins with "Can you fix the grout that's cracked?" They were unaware that this was a result of deflection, aka improper prep work. Fill the joint again and it will crack again in a couple of weeks. I've fixed showers that leaked into an adjacent room or a floor below due to improper prep work. Aesthetically, experience helps as well when doing tile layout. "Everyone's a painter"..."every carpenter is a tile setter"...these are often said upon the frustration of a second round of doing the same job someone did without the needed knowledge or attention to detail. Elitism is a bit much and self serving but it's good to be very aware of where we tread as we take on something unfamiliar. Thanks for the videos. I will spare you the things said by tile setters about concrete guys!😉

[@613kc]

Is there a Contractor niche to be filled; mentoring the DIY'er? I can build things; but getting plans approved through County I'm a big "0".

[@susiek8475]

Agree, I was a bit dismayed when he went on about DIY. I’m a new widow and there’s a few things I’ve tried myself that haven’t ended up well and it is so frustrating. I can’t even tell you to screw stuff up and have to rely on someone else. I hired, a father son who came highly recommended and it’s unbelievable how they treated me and they just skipped out on $1500 worth of work, I stupidly paid them upfront because of my trusting attitude. Also, I don’t know why he says you have to pick two out of the three. Maybe I am naïve but when one goes to work, they’re expected to put out quality work on an expected timeline to get paid. Why are contractors exempt from one of those or it’s unreasonable to expect all of those three?

[@jakes.5591]

In my experience the only benefit to diy over the sketchy "handyman" is you didn't pay him. A large portion of my work is fixing substandard work performed by sub knowledge individuals.

[@brianlittle3452]

The Morning After: The morning after the contractor and sub-contractors leave, or the morning after the warranties expire, or the morning after your contractor retires - now what do you do when you have a problem? Who do you call? It might be useful to have a show that covers the Morning After problem. One answer is keep track of the subs so you can hire them the morning after. DYI is another. I am sure there are more solutions.

[@mechengineer-sv2ei]

References: before you start giving out your customers' phone numbers, ask first if they want others to contact them as references. They may be completely happy with your work but want to remain private and I don't blame them with all the lunatics running around.

[@wayneyadams]

Thanks!

[@timothydillon6421]

Thank you for including that they need to be a good customer. If they are not they will never find a good contractor.

[@michaellandreth1392]

I was told one time to watch for the guy who says "I wouldn't worry about it" when you ask about something your worried about that's being done. He said of course he wouldn't. He's not gonna live with it for the next 20 years. You are !

[@wildmanofthewynooch7028]

DIY has saved me more money that I can calculate. I learned how to fix my cars do my own brakes, tuneups, oil changes, I was a Steamfitter So I know how to do plumbing and basic electrical work. Unless I can not physically do it myself. I will do it myself and save money.

[@JPNixon-hu2jd]

Always a pleasure to learn from you, sir. Thank you.

[@mmbodnar]

Appreciate it.. I worked as a helper for a general contractor in the summers for the last few years of high school and a little after high school finished.. Then I went off to university.. now almost 20 years later I have a career from the degree but highly value the skills I learned on the job back..

[@richiesavino9653]

Truly brilliant information as a young guy who works in the the trades and also has a house and family. Guys like you are who guys like me need, I have an old mentor that reminds me so much of you. Thank you 👍 been subscribed for a while love your content . Keep up the good work!

[@powersonic6255]

This man is just genius , and technically on another level . Thank you for all your videos .

[@scottwalker3212]

Carpenter in Australia for the last 15 years. Thank you for this. Honesty, and quality is so difficult to find.

[@dnk4559]

Thank you. I’m about to hire a contractor for a bathroom remodel. This video was helpful.

[@leokelly1671]

Hi, my wife passed away 41/2 years ago & I never had time to complete many projects . Wanted to redo 2 bathrooms & a kitchen . As my skill levels improved I was able to complete those 3 . A friend who was a Carpenter helped me with the bathrooms & I did the entire kitchen myself . I have remodeled my entire home on the inside & resided my house on the outside with the help of my carpenter buddy 2 years ago. Planning on remodeling a deck by myself from start to finish with a 10,000 dollar material cost . 12 X 12 PVC deck with treated lumber frame . After receiving a (high) 28,000 quote , I decided to complete the job myself . There are 3 lessons i have learned . First it will cost more than u think , take longer than you plan , & the project will be a much better quality because u have a much higher investment in doing it right !!! Thanks to KZbin & educating yourself , knowing your limits & do not change any major electrical work , you don't get a second chance with any mistakes in that area !!!

[@disgracebook5708]

Solid advice from a DIY guy, out of necessity.

[@anchordownhomestead]

Nicole and I call Scott the “God father of construction” because he is the one true gentleman that can move mountains with wisdom, experience, and his amazing speeches!! Another great video. 10:26

[@mikelight2965]

This video is awesome! It takes an experienced person that doesn’t talk bs to inform everyone. Thank you.

[@danielelse3914]

Just my 2 cents about college degrees vs the trades. I see no inevitable conflict between them. Wouldn't an education in, say, business, accounting, or even engineering lead to a deeper understanding of carpentry, plumbing, or an electrician's work? And you come out of college with a Plan B in case the trade doesn't work out. I advocate for the same financial support for vocational training that already exists for "traditional" college.

[@greb3212]

I was talking to someone about the fact that you need to learn how to a job, even if you're hiring someone else- just to know if they are doing the job right. I'm a more advanced DIYer. I have done almost every diy job a house can have. Having said that, I often take longer than the wife prefers. So I wasn't surprised when she hired a contractor to get some jobs done. I was less than impressed with his quote (insane even for today's prices) and even more so when I looked at his personal Facebook page. Long story short, after I talked to him about installing a window for us that included taking a load bering header out, but he didn't plan on supporting the roof, I knew we were in trouble. I made sure to be there for the install and had to correct several issues as he and his workers installed the window. In the end, I had a list of 10 different things he did wrong, not including the mistakes I corrected. I talked to my wife and we fired him for the rest of the projects he was hired to complete. Used the saved money to buy a tractor. 😊

[@steveg665]

You a very eloquent and your advice is invaluable.

[@LifeontheMoose]

Communication is key, like any other relationship. What does each party expect, need, want? When I started contracting on my own 30 years ago, showing up on time for the initial interview won more bids than a low estimate number. I learned quickly that THAT was usually most important. Great video!

[@johnsrabe]

EXACTLY. I asked one contractor why his estimate was so much higher for putting on a new (flat) roof than another estimate. I asked honestly and politely, and he said “Probably because I pay workers comp insurance, and the other company is family run and doesn’t.” He had enough work already and wasn’t miffed and I learned something. The family co asked me upfront if I wanted them to pull a permit (many people here in LA don’t because of the hassle and expense). I asked him the pros and cons (time) and then had them do it. Again, an open conversation. The roof was done right, btw. And if they WON’T answer questions, you know right away they’re not for you.

[@613kc]

@@johnsrabe You were not concerned w/ the lack of Workman's comp?

[@johnsrabe]

@@613kc Not at the time. But now that you mention it …

[@johnsrabe]

@@613kc to be exact, I never asked them if they had workers comp. That was just speculation on the first contractor’s part. They were licensed. maybe they charged a lot less because it was a family business and they had less overhead. But, it’s a fair question.

[@613kc]

@@johnsrabe The older one gets the more it matters. imo.

[@don_chuwish]

DIY is great because you own your failures & shortcomings - can't blame the pro you didn't pay. I've also reflected before on the fact that I'm much more tolerant of my own imperfect work than I am of the imperfect work provided by a paid professional. That said, it's pretty rare for me to find a pro with my same level of nitpickery. DIYers have time to spend, pros don't have that luxury. If the job is way beyond the realm of my DIY abilities then communication is critical - set your expectations with the pro so that they can plan and set appropriate cost expectations. If they feel that they need to hit a low price point then some level of quality will have to suffer.

[@613kc]

Yes and no...

[@dharley189]

Hi Scott. A lot of those principles go into finding a car mechanic (My field for 45 years). Don’t rely on fancy ads. Rely on “Word of Mouth”. A good tech and a good contractor require very little advertising. Just address and contact information mostly. Also concerning big jobs , we need to consider our age. Neither of us are spring chickens. It’s hard to let someone do things we’ve done most of our lives. And for those younger people out there you need to stress the importance of saving your back, knees and shoulders. You’re not much good when you wear them out early. Ask for help on heavy items. What a blessing it was to meet you on the Alaska cruise. I’ve enjoyed a lot of your videos. Del from Kentucky.

[@disgracebook5708]

100% truth.

[@BrittCHelmsSr]

Good insight into today's residential construction environment and suggestions on how to weather the storm that it can be if you're not careful.

[@Peter-od7op]

I have your black smith class love it. I think God is smiling on you as you help out so many people. Thank God for men like. I no we all are not perfect but head in that direction

[@nathaneley6486]

You and Mike Rowe should combine forces and make a handyman/diy series. You could invite in other KZbinrs for specialized episodes also… AVE for metal work, Steve’s small engine saloon for home equipment repair, Austin Ross for welding etc….

[@bnwww]

AvE and This Old Tony for metal work. I only recently found Steve and his videos are great. Essential Craftsman + MikeRoweWORKS would be epic.

[@Omniverse0]

Mike Rowe is a hack.

[@LR316]

This was great can we get the opposite end... How to be a great contractor!!

[@herbschneeberg7685]

This is good. Property development now(own properties), prior custom builder/remodeler-additions. Prior to that union carpenter working for union custom builder in Wisconsin.

[@kiabig89]

Ive been watching your content for years now and i would love to work alongside you greetings from new Zealand

[@bernardhernandez2396]

I've always enjoyed your videos I like the fact that your real thorough the way you explain things it's a good learning curve

[@doublem7812]

Hire a contractor that’s going to be there every day with his bags on. Avoid paper contractors.

[@andrewcroce8177]

These are some useful tips for a GC looking for subs as well.

[@EverettWilson]

I don’t know if it’s worse than other parts of the country, but here in Vegas the contractor situation is incredibly dire. One family I know paid a _lot_ of money for a very nice kitchen repair/remodel in an expensive house, and the contractor ended up “finishing” the job with broken appliances and cabinetry partially attached. A non-profit I know got epoxy flooring done, and the GC had to deal with the first subcontractor pouring epoxy that never hardened and the second skipping town halfway through the job (and leaving their equipment!) Maybe this town will be part of a DIY renaissance. I’m certainly trying some things I don’t really want to, since the hassle of finding a reasonable contractor seems so much worse.

[@theoh6260]

I wish I could say I didn’t have to bring someone in and rip out and redo anything. It’s a horrible feeling when you realize you hired the wrong person. Thanks for the advice….

[@dholmes3307]

The single biggest thing you can do in hiring a contractor is know what you want before you dive in. How can someone you hire deliver a great product to you if you don't know what product you want? Plus, every change adds time, frustration and cost to you project no matter who is doing the work.

[@RoninCC]

This. Contractors want to know the EXACT details so they dont have to do the thinking. Thinking = more time spent trying to solve the problem. Stroking the ego of a contractor is to get him the best money for the fastest time possible and pre-design solves the time equation.

[@loranutritionist]

This is exactly what has happened to me… I can’t find someone to help me. If they do come, they’ll come and look at the job and promise to give me a quote, and then I never hear back from them. So just like you said, I’ve watched yours and so many other channels like yours of similar quality and learned buckets! I’ve done so many things I never thought I could do (tiling,construction, even plumbing!). I’ve gotten the tools and the beginner skills… but most of what I need done now that I’m in the city and not in the rural county… requires a license and permits (understandably). I don’t have one and can’t get one because of experience required/time on the job (full time) in that field - I already have a full time job and at my age and skill level, I’d never get hired as an apprentice nor could I afford to work at apprentice pay rate at this stage in my life… (not playing victim… ) just learning from you what to do now. How to get them to quote and do the job!

[@JDM_MSK]

this is excellent, thank you

[@joelx77]

If you have money and time, you can DIY big projects. I just finished putting my own pump in a new well I had drilled, and plumbed it to the pumphouse that I had built and wired. It just took me a ton of time and required some help from good neighbors now and then.

[@Kim-ek2mt]

It is going to be a massive issue I just retired from the trades Everyone at work is 55 + years of age Very few young people are getting in the trades

[@FarmsteadForge]

Thanks for the advice.

[@NickAndTech]

Perhaps the SF Bay Area isn't typical but getting a halfway responsible contractor to even reply is a chore on its own. Demand is high, the quality of the work is mixed at best, and it seems like all of the best contractors are heavily engaged by the most affluent homeowners. The most luck we've had was with a deck built by a contractor whose truck we happened to see in the neighborhood. On the positive side I have gotten into handyman-type work since the pandemic. Those bigger projects though (roof replacement, window replacement, gate-building, whole-house painting/repair) are beyond my time and skills, especially with elderly and disabled relatives in the mix. Just bought the ebook.

[@eileenheitman4351]

Are you bonded/insured/licensed? No? Than your customers aren’t protected. Dave Heitman dba Dave The Carpenter for 43 years. 50 years in the trades.

[@thelight3112]

​@@eileenheitman4351Those bond/license/insurance requirements are a large reason that it's difficult to hire a decent contractor. They serve as significant barriers to entry, limiting the competition to these crappy (yet licensed) contractors.

[@dagwood1327]

I’m not much of a mechanic. If I have an auto problem I will search KZbin on multiple channels on how to change out a part. Because I have good internet and more time than money I have become a better mechanic. If I can do that I believe anyone can become efficient on personal residential construction.

[@jkbeaudoin]

... Or a helicopter pilot. You know me and you know I started with about 2% experience as a builder, and now I'm building my own steel building and I love it. Before that, I had once built a short fence and once built a tree fort. Thanks for your help and advice. I'm slow, but I'm cheap and most of the time, I'm doing it right.

[@jaymiepobanz8801]

Thank you so much for your helpful tips, my husband and I would have no idea how to go about it. My husband does have several friends that he knows that are trades professionals or just damn good at their tasks. Husband just had a friend/ coworker do an rv electrical uprade for us...came out great!

[@noahpowers1513]

RR Builders shout-out? Is it my birthday?! Lol thanks for all the amazing information you give to us 👍🏼

[@pegleg1972]

great advice scott. sometimes the same can be said for properly vetting potential customer history with past contractors. there may be unsavory contractors and unsavory customers just as well

[@stankrajewski8255]

T(ime) and M(aterials) and P(rofit) and P and P and P. When your contractor gives you an estimate go ahead and ask the question--you expect materials at_______, time at _______...subtract the materials from the estimate and calculate an hourly rate for the remainder of the estimate. If you are comfortable with a guy with a tool belt at $400/hour please enjoy your new golden whatever. I like the contractors who are billing two or three times a prevailing wage in your community.

[@curtissharris8914]

Go see the last 3 jobs including one they are working on and remember good enough is the standard unless the contract specifically states the standard. Equal and better than mfg installation guidelines is a good start.

[@Kralphrn]

What a great, encouraging video

[@BigSarnt]

I didn't know how to do a lot with tools as a kid. Once I joined the army, I became an electrician. And I can tell you one thing, if you like the trade one trade leads to another trade. And a man can never have enough tools

[@DFord-qw8ci]

You always hear about bad contractors but you never ever hear about the terrible customers. As a contractor for over 30 years I've been privy to all aspects of subbing out to bad contractors bad customers and bad employees. The one thing I keep getting are some people I do work for and they get the money bug and want to sell me to make a piece off the top as if they are a GC

[@americanangler94559]

Good episode

[@tsheejkoo]

Thanks for the video. Im very handy but am not in the trade. My issue is understanding and building to code. Ive skimmed IRC for specifics and its extremely hard to follow

[@donbangert]

Doing proposals for generator installations, this video is a "cheat sheet" of sorts on how to present your services to customers. These concerns are universal for anybody calling for a bid.

[@simplyputviewstv5655]

Thoroughly explained 👊🏾

[@dannybordelon2494]

There are licensed bonded scammers out there also!

[@SDandRnRoll]

9. Must.

[@RetrieverTrainingAlone]

We got 4 quotes from 4 different contractors. One that we did not accept wants $500 "for his time". Should we pay for the unaccepted quote?

[@Cubic5]

Family friend, staunch member of this small community, good Christian. I have been waiting for the past ten years for him to do what I paid him to do.

[@sparky80266]

Because none of those things speak to their professionalism. It is common to hire "good" men only to find out they can't keep a schedule, handle finances, etc. In all my years as a GC, I learned to train my brain to hear, "oh he's a great guy" and ignore it, because it is generally irrelevant to how they work/operate a business.

[@dinglesdingler1211]

Dude if I came at any contractor in southeastern PA with this list of requirements, not a single person would ever come back to do the work.

[@thehilltopworkshop]

Therein lies the problem.

[@Garth2011]

Society does have a huge problem in finding skilled and experienced labor. Also, there are too many "licensed and bonded" contractors out there. Another problem is payment. Too many contractors believe they are entitled to do a job on the customers payments vs. their own resources. When I see profit and markup on estimates that tells me a contractor will be footing the costs for materials and labor until a certain stage of the job is completed. Then, they will receive a draw against the agreed amount. Many "contractors" believe they should be paid regularly as if they are an employee and regardless of job progress, should be paid every week or every third day etc. Those are the contractors who are fools and likely haven't got a pot of money to fill their truck with fuel in between jobs.

[@R_B62]

Tell that to the calls i get everyday since I semi retired from contracting after +25 years. I have people begging me to come look at there job, a few are prior customers and others are people that got my phone number somewhere.

[@Garth2011]

@@R_B62 Yes and many folks out there want "A,B,C" work but fail to understand the cost in doing it that way. A DIY job is much different than a hired job will be however, the advantages are many in having experienced people on site as they are familiar with the turf, on location or in the supply houses (not Lowes, not Home Depot).

[@MarcusMussawar]

sparky dave is a good point for Australian new zeland electrical

[@joeolejar]

I've potentially been had by a contractor. Needed some sagging floor joists raised and supported. Got 2 estimates. One was 3X the other and unable to commit to a schedule. #2's price and plan made sense. Bracing is in place and 3 visits to raise the floor came and went. Then the wheels came off. Only option is to engage a lawyer and pay him/her what it might take to engage someone else to finish the job. Lesson learned a bit too late.

[@banjotramp1]

I worked in the trade full time for about 6 years and built a house largely solo. I probably have done at least $100k work on my house between renovations, installation and repairs over the years. Your advice to people to do it themself if they can't find a good contractor is good. KZbin can be a great resource but it needs to be combined with common sense esp. for folks who can't read a rule or cut a straight line and want to tackle a major renovation. That said, I've seen some pretty sorry work done by contractors. An unskilled homeowner can improve. And maybe I've been lucky but almost all the contractors I've hired or worked with or for have done good work.

[@LifeontheMoose]

…and just to test the sense of humor of the homeowner, as a bidding contractor I would always close my initial interview with, “when it comes to work, I may be slow, but dang am I expensive.” 😂

[@woodrowwilliams1812]

The sting of a badly done job lasts way longer than the pleasure of it being done cheap.

[@planetvance]

13:57 The most important thing!

[@ChristmasLightsTonight]

Great shoutout to Perkins Builder Brothers!

[@fuegoman45]

Love this!!!

[@ajones8008]

I was a welder for a several years, Loved it, great money but it was hard some days. I work as a design engineer now and have a desk job, it's way easier and I have much more leeway as far as workflow. No boss breathing down my neck, overtime when I want it, not required. And make way more money. The conditions for other trades are probably worse then my experience. If the money isn't there and conditions suck there really isn't that much incentive to work in the trades now a day. Blue collar workers deserve much more, they have built america, and required to keep our nation strong.

[@johndavenport7281]

I endorse the comments about DIYers tackling smaller jobs before starting their big project and often failing. They will discover for themselves what their own capabilities are and then choose to either develop them or step back and look for a contractor. We have the same problem with shortages of skilled tradesmen here in the UK too; made worse since retreat from the EU, and have relied upon workers from Poland in the recent past. To make matters worse the regulations that dictate what the DIY guys can do are becoming quite restrictive, for example window installations now need certification and are demanded by home buyers. Gone are the days when I replaced all of our windows myself.

[@josemarquez86]

My father says you are always going to be "self reliance do things on your own!" Well most of the time for my case it's a plumber and electrician I need.😂

[@LifesASong00]

Hiring a contractor is really not all that different than commissioning an artist. There's more at stake, and there's more details, but at some level you're just hiring a person with skills.

[@barnyardbrio7597]

no, I just like listening to your advice

[@tonyn3123]

I worked for over 45 years managing large govt construction contracts, so I have a little experience here. Your comments are sound and true. Since buying my retirement home, I have contracted with a guy (I knew his work) I knew for two expensive projects/upgrades on my home. Even though I knew the contractor, to protect me, I made myself responsible for purchasing all the materials. The quote was for labor only. A clear dimensioned sketch was provided for the work I wanted. I also asked for approximate time allotted for the construction. When I thought it was reasonable, we proceeded with quality results for both of us. My additions to your comments are 1. For small additions or upgrades to your home, do not give the contractor money for materials up front. Only labor at the end of each week's work. Make sure that is understood by all and have an idea how many hours vs the labor contract amount is correct for the hours they worked. In short, do not overpay a contractor too early in the project. 2. Do not be in a position that you cannot walk through the project every day to see what was accomplished and the quality before it is covered up. If you do decide to make a change in the original project discussions during construction, be prepared to compensate the contractor for any tear-out and re-work. It's only fair! Ok, I have one more reiterating your comment: 3. the lowest price is not the best route to go in most instances! An epistle was not intended when I started the comments. Thanks.

[@volkswagendriver9892]

I went to hire a masonry contractor the guy has no limp, his phone was on, no criminal record, his truck was clean I said "there's no way I'm hiring this guy"

[@organogold8]

Truck clean and all his tools looked organized 😂 you're funny!

[@tommywilliamson2103]

What you do when you have a list of contractors that others have recommended. Then when you reach out to that list you only get one to call you back and come out to actually look at scope of your project. How do you deal with that?

[@twestgard2]

I’m a contractor. I try to call everyone back but sometimes things get dropped. Here’s a list of things you can do: 1. Try calling again. I think it’s a mistake to read too much into one phone call not getting returned. Overall success is going to require you to be proactive, so this is just the start of a collaboration. 2. Give a solid chance to the one person who did call you back! Ultimately you only need one person (or GC) to do the work, so make contact with the person who showed interest and see if they’re the solution. 3. Review what you’re putting out there. How does your message sound from the other side? Are there any red flags in your messages from the contractors’ perspective? Maybe you don’t have the background to know what the red flags are, but it’s worth a minute to think about it. 4. Hire them as a consultant first. Leave a message saying you want to pay for an hour or two to review, discuss, and design the project. Architects, interior designers, and GCs are especially good for this but practically anyone in the trades is worth consulting with if you’re starting from zero knowledge. Hope this helps.

[@topofmindwithterri]

Cheap is relative to each person. If you pay for services and the contractor agrees, then they are obligated to complete the job well for the agreed upon price in a timely manner. If they want more money, contractor needs to ask for that or extend the deadline.

[@Laguna2013]

this reminds me of the Waltons...in a good way

[@rickyboi2.030]

I am a young man (21yrs old) I like to use my hands. I think I want to enter the trades, but I have a bad back. Maybe with time I can strengthen it but at the moment I need to be careful. What trade could I get into in which there is not particularly heavy lifting? I could use the advice.

[@joeshomeshop]

I spent a year fixing the lousy construction of my workshop…even after doing my homework and interviewing 3 contractors.

[@michelangelosalmoiraghi2227]

Being from Hawaii, it's great to see Scott showing a "Shaka" sign on the thumbnail pic 😆