Best way to find a good contractor?

[Norminn]

What do you mean, "they just disappear"? Did you try to hire one? Perhaps they are very busy, or if you were vague about the work you want done they may have thought you were just price shopping.

First of all, I try to learn about the project and products so's I can ask intelligent questions...if you don't research, you are likely to be stiffed either in terms of product or workmanship. BE THERE every minute anyone is working on your home.

I like to get names from people I know who have had similar work done. If I can't do that, I find someone I know has been in biz for a serious length of time. You can probably get names, probably not recommendations, from suppliers who sell the siding or windows. Some mfg. co. have certification programs for contractors. Contact county or city licensing agency to see if they have license and any actions taken against their license.

You must have neighbors who have had same work done .. talk to them re products and contractors. When you know exactly what you want, then get bids specific about product brand/type, sizes, start/end, insurance, lien release. If you hire two contractors, they need to coordinate schedules and that should be in writing.

We had a bad roofing job done at our condo, before we moved in, and the contractor was working with us until one of the less pleasant board members got nasty with him. They should have sued him right away, but were too lazy..talked legal action after he had been back several times for major rework and ended up pissing him off. Sometimes being sued is more pleasant than working with a-------.

[Norminn]

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We had tile done by a local company. The owner does tiling himself, but actual work was by two of his employees. The owner made up the bids. The work was done by two young guys who also moonlight for HD. We could not have had a better experience and they took care of some issues that we would have made a mess of if we had tried to do it ourselves. They had another contractor who undercut the baseboards/trim .. one issue we were sure of before we started talking with contractors because we wanted the tile to look like original. HD or Lowes probably work with same contractors who are available privately.

A busy contractor might have delays because they have another job that is more critical, like closing up a damaged home, so if they have a waiting list it might be a good sign.

[jthread]

Thay said they would get back to me with a bid and never did.

Sound advice :-)

Everyone in this neighborhood has, or had, problems with the bottom of their siding. It wasn't installed correctly and for some reason a lot of houses don't have proper gutters on their roofs and that compounds the siding issues.

You're right about everything in writing. You've obviously been down this road before. ;-)

Lost you on the last part. Too bad about your roof. At least you gave him a chance to fix the problem. Going to court would be my absolute last option. More hassle than it's worth in most cases.

Thanks, good to hear from someone who has been there!