You know how it is when you are doing a home renovation, or update – you search Pinterest, blogs, and Instagram for months on end, finding ideas, information, and advice for your upcoming home project. Finally, when you find the perfect plan, you realize that you cannot do it yourself. How do you knock down walls, while keeping and adding more of the fancy trim that is already on ½ of that wall? How do you perfectly align hardwood floors? And most importantly, how do you pull off your dreams while making sure that it increases your home value?

The short answer to this is to find someone that is knowledgeable about home projects/renovations, but finding the right person is tough, too. I know so many people that have ended up hiring the wrong contractor and they end up frustrated, having to start from square one again (or worse). So, I wanted to help you all out and write a post about how you can pick the right contractor, the first time around. This will save you stress, frustration, and of course, extra time and money. So, let’s jump in:

Know What You Want
This will definitely help with your search. Before you start looking for a contractor, make sure you know what you want. Of course, if you are lost and do not know exactly what you want, a contractor can help with that because they are professionals, but try to have an idea of what your ultimate vision is. I say this because it is important to find someone that knows what they are doing when it comes to the project that you want done. It is fantastic if they have ten years of TV mounting services if that is what you want, but that won’t come in handy if you are trying to do a custom finished basement, or a kitchen remodel. Find someone that can do the tasks that you are needing help with.

Do Your Research
After you know what you want, or have ideas about what you want, you need to start your research. For starters, I would Google: Home Improvement, Construction Management, Custom Home Builders, and General Contracting companies. I would also look up the #1 general contractor in your area. For example, for me, I would look up “#1 General Contractor in New Jersey.” This should give you a great start to your list. Take down a few of those names and then dig even further. When you research a company, you need to find a few things. Reviews, Social media channels, information about the company (a video helps, too!), their design process, and of course, contact information.

On my search, I found Henn & Nardini Contracting. They are the number one general contractor in New Jersey and have fantastic reviews, which is a great start to my search. On their review page, I found that their number 1 priority is 100% satisfaction (and the reviews do show that they really concentrate on this!). Next, I looked at their social media channels. It was handy that they had them all listed on their website, for easy access. I could click directly on their Instagram button/link and I could see what projects they were working on and what the projects looked like.

Next step is information about the company! Co-owners, Kurt J Henn and Anthony J Nardini brought both of their many skills to the table when they started Henn & Nardini Contracting. Together, they are very skilled in demolition and restoration work, carpentry, flooring, and more. They have information about their design process and their contact information is easy to find, as well.

This is what you are looking for when you research companies. You want to feel comfortable with who you are hiring, so make sure you do the work to find out information about the contracting companies that you are looking into!

Feel Comfortable
You should ultimately have a meeting with the contractor that you choose before you start your project. This will allow you to meet them, hear their ideas, get pricing, and make sure you feel comfortable with them, the time frame, the price, and their work.

See Your Project Virtually
If this is possible with your contracting company, you should always request to see your project virtually, before the work is started. If you watch fixer upper, you will see Joanna ‘presenting’ the design to her clients before they get started (and close to the end, as well). I think this is so neat and it is a way to really understand the end result that you are going for. Henn & Nardini Contracting offer a service like this, as well. The third step in their design process is to sit down and go over cost, a schedule, what your project includes, and a 3D design – so cool!

I hope this helps you find the right contractor for your big project. As long as you do your due diligence and research who you are working with, you will be totally fine! Let me know in the comments below if you have any other tips to finding a contractor for home projects.