A good general contractor?
Valerie asks via Twitter:
I have a few projects I need help with. Removal/replacement of deck, shoring up a porch, basement windows, kitchen counters. Also maybe wood window restoration and an indoor painter who can deal with removing lots and lots of nightmarish wallpaper.
If anyone is or knows a good general contractor please share. PLEASE.
This is a question that comes up all the time. And it's definitely worth asking around for referrals and talking with people about their experiences. A lot of contractors do a good job, but there are definitely some out there to avoid.
So, anyone have suggestions for Valerie? Please share!
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Comments
Unfortunately, a good contractor (who also shows up) is rarer than seeing Jerry Jennings without his orange glow. Or Sebastian without his camera. Or chatting with Daniel B and not talking about food.
... said abby on Jul 2, 2012 at 6:53 PM | link
Once again, I'll recommend Francis Lindop of Lindop Carpentry. Good, high quality work, honest, and reasonable prices. They've done very good work for me and for several friends, both interior and exterior work. 899-4418
... said chezjake on Jul 2, 2012 at 11:03 PM | link
My wife and I are in the process of trying to find someone for a few projects on our house, too. We got multiple recommendations for Bennett Contracting from neighbors, who said they were happy with Bennett's work on their houses:
http://www.bennettcontracting.com/
One of their guys came out for an estimate. He was very professional and thorough -- and open about the fact that they're often not the cheapest. We're still getting other estimates, but we were impressed by our first contact with Bennett.
... said Greg on Jul 3, 2012 at 8:05 AM | link
Jdh woodwork (slingerland) or Earth Safe
... said colleen on Jul 3, 2012 at 8:53 AM | link
I will second Bennett. Not the cheapest, but their work was great and they answered all our questions throughout the project.
... said Stink Fleaman on Jul 3, 2012 at 9:04 AM | link
We've always been happy with Eric McNulty of Homecrafters (393-7424). They rebuilt a garage for us and redid our kitchen. They did a great job, were a pleasure to work with, and stuck to their initial quote (even when the garage project was a much bigger one than they planned on).
... said Kerry on Jul 3, 2012 at 10:29 AM | link
We've used Bennett contracting twice. Both times we were very happy not only with the work they did but with the service we got. Workers show up on time, calls are returned, issues resolved immediately. It was a pleasure. The icing on the cake for us was when the building inspector came to look at our new garage and walked me through showing me the ways Bennett had done extra work above and beyond code requirements to ensure the garage was sound.
... said Mara on Jul 3, 2012 at 11:01 AM | link
Sounds like a broken record, but I'm also a part of the Bennett club. If you want a reliable, professional contractor with quality service, talk to Bennett Contracting. I hired them to build our back deck. Other contractors have burned us in the past, but since we started working with Bennett it's not a concern. They do the job and they do it right, that's the bottom line when it comes to my house. I found them on Angie's List, which is a great resource if you're serious about doing renovations.
... said Jenna on Jul 8, 2012 at 6:33 PM | link
Thanks to everyone here & on Twitter for suggestions. The estimator came from Bennett last night and we were really impressed. We had a variety of issues that we wanted to get quotes for and he was knowledgeable about all of it. He also gave us some options and ideas for saving cash and the best way to prioritize a number of projects and how to take care of some issues by ourselves.
... said Valerae on Jul 12, 2012 at 11:56 AM | link