5 Things You Need to Know Before You Hire Drywall Contractors

If you are going to spend time and money to remodel your home, you certainly don’t want your walls to look like they are all bumpy, individual panels. When you want your drywall to be finished well that’s when you should consider hiring commercial drywall contractors to do the work for you so your walls will look perfect.

With so many contractors and companies out there who all are claiming to be awesome at drywall, it can be a real challenge to narrow down the field and be sure that you are hiring the right people for you and your home project.

When you aren’t quite sure where to even start in your search, there are 5 things you need to know to help you in making the decision in finding the right drywall contractor and making sure you are comfortable with your project and will be able to be certain your home will look great for years to come.

Know The Difference

You may be wondering why you should consider hiring a drywall contractor over a more generalized handyman. While it’s true drywall contractors have a more limited skill set, this doesn’t mean they’re incapable of completing other projects, it’s merely that they have opted to specialize in drywall. 

Drywall contractors may not have a college degree but they often have vocational certifications as well as completed apprenticeships to become masters of drywall and the art of putting it up correctly. Unfortunately, there is a trend towards a lack of qualified tradesmen so the skilled drywall contractors in your area may be limited, but their experience is paramount. 

Because they have superior knowledge of drywall and it’s installation process, drywall contractors are efficient with their project time and likely can get your drywall up and looking fantastic in less time than your average handyman could. 

Drywall is an element of a room that gets put up right in the midst of other ongoing projects so it is best to make sure the team that is installing it will do a good job. When the drywall is installed incorrectly or is damaged it can push back the timeline of the entire project to stop and have it repaired or replaced so choosing a skilled contractor will help you stay on task.

Finding A Good Contractor

Once you’ve realized the benefit of choosing a drywall contractor comes the harder job of tracking down the best one to take on your specific job. Have your neighbors recently had a drywall project done in their homes? 

Can you get a recommendation for the contractors that the used and liked? Honestly, even if they didn’t have a good experience with their contractor that is still pertinent information that can help you make an informed decision. 

Once you have a shortlist of contractor ideas go ahead and check them out on the business Better Business Bureau website to make sure but they are accredited and licensed in your area. The BBB we’ll also tip you off onto any potential red flags a specific contractor might have.

After you’ve checked them out online it’s time to schedule an interview and estimate. Most contractors offer free estimates on their projects but if you run into someone who doesn’t you can certainly opt do not use them because of it. 

Ask The Right Questions 

When you first meet with the contractors it is important to go into your meeting prepared to ask them the right questions in order to make a decision that you will be satisfied with. Your informed questions about a contractor’s process can be really helpful for you to get an idea of whether or not a specific contractor is going to be the right fit for your project. 

During your conversation with a prospective contractor, you’re going to want to ask questions that are pertinent to your project. And a good first question to ask is what their potential timeline for the project is going to be. 

For instance, they could be the best drywall contractor in town but if they don’t have any room in their schedule for the next 8 months that might not work with your timeline for the project. Asking when they anticipate a project begin and end is crucial to ensure expectations are met and you don’t run into being strung along without any information.

You also want to know whether or not a contractor has a dedicated crew or team working for them. Some contractors hire temporary employees and then the work will vary. For more consistent results consider a contractor who works with a committed and exclusive team.

It’s a great idea to ask how a contractor would like to be contacted going forward. They may have an excellent schedule an estimate form on their website but perhaps they prefer a specific phone number once you are an established customer and a project is underway.

It’s also important to make sure you understand the payment schedule a contractor requires. asking all of these questions will help you determine which business will be the best fit for you and your home project. If for whatever reason a contractor isn’t answering questions to your satisfaction feel free to look for someone who will answer them. 

Asking questions is meant to make sure that you’re both on the same page and protect you from getting involved with a contractor who’s less than reputable.

Understand Your Contract

Read everything carefully. Once you have an estimate and a contract you need to ensure that you understand everything you need to do going forward. if you’re meant to clear a room of personal belongings before the project begins and you fail to do that he can hinder the contractor from being able to start the work on time. 

Make sure that you and your contractor are in agreement with what the best materials for your project will be. With many options in drywall including mold-resistant drywall on the market, you will want to be sure your paperwork doesn’t have any surprises on the cost of materials or who is responsible for obtaining them. 

In fact, all of your paperwork should note any other requirements on your part including the deposit needed and when payment in full is due by. So long as you fully understand your contract there won’t be any surprises and your project will go smoothly. Plus you’ll have new smooth walls to show for it! 

Trust Your Gut

When you’re hiring someone to complete the drywall project you absolutely must trust your gut instinct on a person or company. If something seems like it’s too good to be true, it probably is. If one estimate comes in wildly different than others ask more questions to find out why? 

Remember this crew is going to be in your space, so if a contractor makes you feel uncomfortable or you don’t feel like they are the right fit for your specific project then absolutely feel free to go with a different company. You need to be happy with the process and the resulting wall, don’t run the risk of being disappointed.

Conclusion

As you keep in mind that a job well done is worth the effort, you can channel that idea into finding the exact right drywall contractor for your home’s project. The cheapest estimate might not be the best fit, nor could the most experienced option, only you can decide which company will be the absolute right fit and hopefully these 5 tips can help your decision-making process.