12
May

How to Hire the Best Stucco Contractor

bank buildingHiring a stucco contractor is, in many ways, just like hiring a contractor to do any other kind of work. You want to find someone that is reliable, professional, and able to deliver quality work in a timely fashion – for a fair price. Since you are likely investing a significant amount of money in your contractor of choice, you want to make sure that you are dealing with someone you can rely on to come through in a big way.

When it comes to hiring for a stucco job specifically, you need to confirm that the professional you select actually has experience and knowledge within this field. Many contractors will say that they can do just about anything in order to win a bid, even if they don’t actually have any background in the work at hand. Stucco is a task that cannot be completed properly by a total beginner – you want to have experience on your side for this kind of project.

It’s a Process

Simply calling up the first stucco contractor you find in the search results and hiring them on the spot isn’t going to be a smart move. You should get at least three or four bids for your job before making a choice – generally speaking, you want to get more bids as the job gets bigger. It shouldn’t take too much time to contact a handful of contractors about the work you would like to have completed. The good ones will be happy to provide you with a free estimate, which will include both a projected cost and a timeline.

Know Your Stuff

Think about the process of hiring a professional in the same way you would think about hiring an employee if you ran a business. What questions would you ask? You should have some questions lined up in advance for any contractors that you speak with regarding this job. By learning a little bit about stucco ahead of time, you can ask informed questions that will reveal whether or not the contractor really knows what they are doing.

Never Pay Upfront

One of the biggest red flags you can run into in the process of hiring a contractor is a demand to pay upfront. A reputable contractor will never ask you to pay a large portion of the cost of the job upfront, so you should run away from any that do. It is common to have a contract in place that asks for a small percentage to get the job started, but you shouldn’t be required to pay any significant portion of the cost until work is underway and progress has been made.

As long as you are willing to take your time and do a bit of homework, it should be relatively easy to find a quality stucco contractor for a fair price. Remember, the lowest bid isn’t always going to be the best bid, so evaluate your options on more than just the cost of the work. Good luck!