Tile we installed on a floor for a builder in Pennsylvania

In an industry where anyone can become a contractor, how do you know who is reputable, and who is a fraud?

As a contractor, I love what I do. Don't get me wrong though, I definitely do get frustrated often. I wanted to share some insight about myself so you can get a better idea of why I feel you will find valuable information on these blogs, I mean, they are here for you! I am a very passionate person at what I do. I care a lot about the product I give you. I know you want to make sure that your hard earned money is spent right and I agree with that. I am a person that gets frustrated mainly when I see shoddy work, or things done poorly. I feel that you deserve the absolute best. 

Does your contractor treat you the same, feel or think the same? When someone works on your house, do they do so with pride, or are they there just to make a quick buck? Will they do the extras that are necessary for a quality outcome, or will they do whatever to get out as fast as possible? I have seen pictures where so called tilers put tile in a shower right on drywall, and they probably used mastic too! I read a comment from that installer that wrote, "lol, Don't need it when your professional". I cringed 2 times! Once when he wrote professional, and I am sure you can guess the other. 

I believe it is important for you to do some extra research on who does work for you. I know we (contractors) all start somewhere, but that doesn't excuse poor workmanship. There are so many imposters out there and you have really no way of knowing. The best things you can do is ask questions to answers you already know, and see progress pics of work. These imposters are hurting the industry and your trust in us. I personally think that you should hire someone with a credible background. 

A buddy of mine sent me a video on Instagram showing me a laminate job being done by a "contractor" and right away I saw a few problems. For one thing, the laminate had the seams of where each new piece meets with the other at least 2 to 4 inches away from the one above or below it. Not only that, but the contractor finished about 6 feet worth (about 22 rows) and the seams were not even in uniform. The whole floor had no flow to it. I am willing to bet that you would want a nice aesthetic look to your project. Honestly, that was the main concern to my friend. Even though theres no rule about that, the contractor did break some rules, and that was, seams must be at least 6-8 inches apart. Another concern was that with this type of floor, you need to complete the row above before you complete the row below it. This guy left out the pieces by a door way. With this system, it would be impossible to put in the missing pieces without damaging the laminate. All flooring installers know this, but clearly, this contractor didn't. Do you want to know what the craziest thing is? This contractor charged $4 a square foot to put in this laminate floor!  That is a premium price, and at that price, they better do the best job ever or buyers remorse kicks in. 

I guess I am getting tired of seeing people claim to be a handyman, or a contractor of some type, and cannot do a proper job. It actually blows my mind, especially when the product comes with instructions. That is the absolute astonishing thing. How can anyone provide a warranty or quality when they don't follow the manufacturers recommendations? (Oh, that's right, they don't, but we do!)

I believe it is easy to get into construction. No diploma is needed, or a license required for some contractors. I actually thought it would be hard to make a name in the industry. As I get older, I have been in thousands of homes, and I have seen beautiful work, but mostly, awful work. I mean, how hard is it really to follow instructions? I believe some things are skill over instruction, such as spackling, faux painting, finding a proper layout in a complex room. But so many contractors do things so wrong, and we don't understand it. We think it's so easy to do what we do because we follow recommendations. We do not put cardboard under tile to "shim it up". We do not install hardwood flooring without proper expansion spacing, or until the company says its ready to install (wood needs to acclimate to the room/home). We use levels to install pocket doors so the door has a parallel line to the trim and jamb that's put up plumb. 

I am not going to lie, I really thought that everyone does it the way we do it. I thought all contractors go into a persons home wearing foot coverings. I thought that everyone installs tile that is meant for the walls on the walls, and not the floor. I was so sure that contractors install kitchen cabinets with hidden screws behind the doors, and, I thought that all contractors glue their miters to all wood. 

I hope that you find someone you truly can trust to give you your money's worth. There is an expression in my industry, "if you think it's expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur". Just because they are competitive in their price doesn't mean that they are no good, and just because they are expensive doesn't make them great. I personally don't like the expression "you get what you pay for", I think if you don't do the proper research, you may get taken advantage of. I only listed 2 separate instances of 2 different homeowners getting taken advantage of. 

If your contractor decided to lower their price for you, that doesn't mean that the quality should lower. They made a decision to take on your project for less than the original price. There is no standard. We charge what we think we deserve, as you pay what you think it is worth. It is a hard trusting relationship, but when you find a contractor that takes care of your home, you should realize how lucky you are. 

I hope that when you are ready for a person to work on your home, that you learn as much as you can about that person. Too many friendships have been broken because a friend said they knew what they were doing, and the job was done wrong. Don't hire someone because you feel like you have to. Never do that! Make sure you are confident with your decision, because you work hard for your money and your home deserves to be treated with respect. Don't let just anyone knock out walls because they think its not load bearing. Don't let anyone tile your bathroom unless they truly understand water penetration and how to properly seal up the perimeter. Don't let anyone on your roof without understanding how to properly install it. Trust your gut.

I hope this helps you! I hope you can leave some feedback too!

Check out my podcasts on https://anchor.fm/preferredcarpentry/episodes/Preferred-Carpentry-Pilot-e208ga