HOME IMPROVEMENT Contract success comes by work

Check for licenses, insurance and skills before hiring a contractor.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Someone recently tossed a $40,000 deck-building job into Sean Brady's lap. Although Brady would thank the donor, he's in no particular hurry to learn the source of his windfall.
The reason? The contractor who landed the work reneged on the job. So the customer turned to Brady. And Brady knows this won't be the last such "gift" his company will receive.
"I get a minimum of two calls every week from homeowners left high and dry by contractors who didn't show up, didn't turn in a bid or left a job undone," said Brady, a Midwest contractor with 20 years of deck building under his belt.
"I appreciate the business, but man, it creates a ton of bad impressions for me and other contractors. It seems we're just below used-car dealerships in the number of complaints."
Brady's circumstance -- taking on work by default -- isn't unusual for experienced contractors with sterling track records.
But it points out the problems faced by construction entrepreneurs who start a business with nothing more than a pickup truck and a cell phone.
The issue is just as thorny for homeowners. Do they delay a project until experienced help is available or roll the dice on someone -- anyone -- just to get the job started?
Most national organizations, including the Federal Trade Commission, caution homeowners to stick with entrenched contractors with plenty of experience.
Learning the trade
Brady says up-and-coming contractors have a steep learning curve ahead of them. Good craftsmanship skills are just one part of the success equation.
He suggests de facto apprenticeships of up to 10 years in a narrow range of related trades before workers venture on their own.
His curriculum would go beyond workmanship to communication, respect for the homeowner, and empathy for the stress home improvements bring to a household.
Would-be contractors also need to polish back-office skills in business finance, accounting, billing and promotion, although the latter is taken care of by a combination of good work and a good reputation bolstered by a history of promises made and promises delivered.
Brady often sees fresh faces in the business who profess to be jacks-of-all-trades but in truth are masters of none.
When poor work, tardy scheduling or miscommunication runs afoul of homeowner expectations, the results serve only to hurt the public impression of the home-improvement profession.
"Fly-by-night contractors are a poor reflection on our business," says Brady.
"Every time I go out on an interview, I have to battle this stigma of either the crooked contractor or the no-show. It's a constant battle. Every good contractor or good doctor or good lawyer has to fight this stigma."
Protecting yourself
Homeowners can short-circuit bad contractors by making sure the contractor has the licenses, financial wherewithal, insurance and specialty skills before signing a contract. A check for the Better Business Bureau for complaints is a must.
For Brady, his one Better Business Bureau complaint still haunts him and is a reminder that a contractor is only as good as his or her most recent, successful job.
"I still wake up at night trying to figure out how to take care of the one complaint ever filed against me," he says.
"It just means you learn something new on the job every day."
As for the contractor who bailed on the $40,000 project, Brady is philosophical.
"I'd like to say 'thank you,' but I can only stand here and wonder if he learned a lesson," he said.
"It's not the way I like to get jobs, but if the other guy goofs up, the good guy is going to get the business."