How to Hire a Home Improvement Contractor without Getting Chiseled FROM OUR EDITORS
How to find a contractor, finance the project, negotiate a contract and payment schedule, and make sure the job is done right. Describes dozens of projects. B&W illus.
ANNOTATION
Nothing is more frustrating to homeowners than the cost and aggravation of home improvement or repair. Noted home specialist Tom Philbin teaches consumers how to hire help and get a good job at a fair price. Photographs and diagrams help readers understand and supervise every step of the job, and questions are anticipated and answered candidly.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Newly updated and revised to reflect the latest prices, materials and consumer-protection information, How to Hire a Home Improvement Contractor Without Getting Chiseled is must reading for anyone who plans to embark on a home improvement project.
Tom Philbin, a home improvement expert offers sage tips and reliable advice on the steps you need to take to ensure a good job at a fair price. Topics covered include:
planning a project
soliciting bids
selecting a contractor or architect
obtaining a loan
preparing a contract
supervising work
settling disputes
and staying in control of the money
Complete descriptions of dozens of actual home improvement projects show you how the jobs are done and how to detect and avoid ripoffs and faulty workmanship. More than one hundred photos, charts, and diagrams follow projects from blueprint to finish.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Philbin, coauthor of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores ( LJ 3/1/89), seeks to help consumers from being ripped off by home improvement contractors. In the first section he deals with contractors; he explains, among other things, how to plan a project, get multiple bids, find the right contractor, and supervise that contractor. In the second part he discusses kinds of contracting jobs, such as electrical and plumbing, and the areas of the home, such as kitchens, where most work is performed. He includes a sample contract and glossary in the appendixes. There is a lot of interesting material, but Philbin tries to cover too much ground; it is difficult to become educated about ceramic tile or showers in three to six pages. While consumers will find more information from do-it-yourself magazine articles or by talking to the people in the lumberyards and hardware stores, this book may still serve as a handy resource in public libraries.-- Patty Miller, New Hampshire Technical Coll. Lib., Laconia
Home
