How To Pick The Right Builder or Contractor in Raleigh

One of the most frequent calls I get anymore is from a homeowner who has had a problem with a contractor who has done work on their home. These calls include anything from major defects in new home construction or a handyman who has made a mess of installing a kitchen or bathroom. Unfortunately for homeowners, these construction law issues in Raleigh, North Carolina are by no means rare and happen with alarming frequency. In order to avoid the issues with your contractor getting to a point where an attorney is needed, there are a few common sense actions which you can take at the start of your relationship with the contractor or builder in order to protect yourself.

1. The first thing you should do is to check the references of the contractor or builder. Ask for a list of satisfied customers from the Raleigh builder or contractor. Generally, most legitimate businesses will be happy to provide their potential customers with a list of happy customers. You should contact these people in order to assure that the builder or contractor has done a good job in their work.
2. The second thing you should do is to conduct an internet search to look for positive or negative comments. You can just go to www.google.com or www.yahoo.com to conduct a search. Use the company’s name and see what you find. Often times, there will be a pattern of negative comments on various websites if the company’s or individual’s work is deficient.
3. If the work which is going to be done on your home is in excess of $30,000.00, North Carolina law requires that you use a general contractor. A search can be done of North Carolina licensed general contractors on the website of the state board which oversees their licensing. The name of the board is the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors and the website address is www.nclbgc.org . On the website you can see if the company or individual has a license. If they do not have a license, do not hire them!
4. Ask for a resume of the individual who will be supervising the work done on your home. The resume should include the number of jobs which they have worked on before, their formal education (if any), and their experience level. This will give you an idea of how much experience they have and the more experience they have in construction projects, the better.

By following these simple suggestions, you can reduce the chance that you will need a Raleigh construction attorney to help you following a botched job by a builder or contractor. However, in spite of taking actions to protect yourself, sometimes there is no avoiding having problems with your builder. Once the problems have started, I would recommend closely watching the work and making demanding consistent updates on the work. Remember, it is your home and you have a right to check on the progress of the construction! Should you have a Raleigh contractor or builder law problem, please feel free to call me at 919-803-1516 or e-mail me at chris@anglinlawfirm.com at any time.