Recognizing The Tell Tale Signs Of A Cowboy Builder
Nov 6th, 2010 Posted in home | no comment »Deciding to upgrade your home with an extension or repairs always mean spending a lot of money. Because of that, it is important to know who you are hiring and choosing the right person to do the work. A small minority of builders today are considered cowboy builders. They are ready to offer unsolicited services on unsuspecting people who later regret hiring them. There are ways to protect yourself by learning how to spot the tell tale signs of a cowboy builder.
Cold calls are the most common sign of a dodgy builder. This is when someone knocks at the door looking for work. They come prepared and will show you where your roof or driveway needs to be repaired, and offer to do it for a small fee. This type of solicitation is unheard of in the construction industry. Reputable builders and companies are far too busy to knock door to door looking for work; they are busy working and allowing people to search them out.
It can be hard to tell if that knock at the door is from a genuine qualified person looking for work or a cowboy. He will appear confident and friendly, which can make it hard to judge and hard for you to doubt their abilities and promises. So take a look at their vehicle, it should have a professional sign on it, even if he is a self-employed worker. Don’t let emotions get in the way, they are not stopping over to do you a favor, they are trying to take your hard earned money from you.
Always be wary of any builder who insists on cash only. They will insist on taking cash with one reason or another on why cash is better than a check, usually trying to convince you how you’ll save in taxes by paying in cash. Most will also ask for the money upfront. Along with the insistence on cash, he’ll also refuse to sign a contract insisting that paperwork is unnecessary.
References are a big part of your decision on who to hire. A reputable builder will have his list on hand and be able to direct you to local places where he has done work. But a cowboy will be unable to produce such a list, telling you that they forgot it and not to worry as they are locally known.
If good builders are too busy to make cold calls, they are also too busy to start work immediately. Usually there is a waiting list of several weeks so they can finish one project first. However a dodgy builder has no problem in starting immediately. In most cases they’ll want to start right away or ask to start the next day. If someone wants to start immediately, you need to do some research on them before hand because that is a suspicious sign of their qualifications.
A lot of money goes into upgrading your home and building projects, and no one can afford to just throw that money away. Do research on the builders in the area before selecting the one to work for you. Protect yourself from those dodgy builders by learning the tell tale signs of a cowboy builder so you don’t get caught in their trap.
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