Author Archives: Mares & Dow Construction

4 Popular Tips From Home Remodeling Contractors About Room Additions

4 Popular Tips From Home Remodeling Contractors About Room Additions - home remodeling contractors - Mares & Dow

Whether your family is about to grow or you simply need more space to entertain and store things, adding one or more rooms represents a great way to meet your goals, without you and your family having to move. You also benefit from an increase in the value of your property. However, adding one or more rooms represents one of the most complex home improvement projects.

With that in mind, let’s review four popular tips from home remodeling contractors about room additions.

Start Deep Into the Ground

Every home addition requires the stability of a strong foundation to support the new addition, which means you must match the floor and roof lines to establish foundational stability. The foundation should go deep enough to penetrate the frost depth established in your area. What should you do with the displaced soil?

The answer is to spread it over your property and build one or more retaining walls to hold the additional soil in place. A team of properly credentialed retaining wall contractors can help you build one or more retaining walls.

Match the Exterior and Interior Finishes

The new room addition should match the exterior and interior designs of your home. If your room requires an extension of the roof, make sure the room matches the roofline in terms of pitch, eave depth, and rafter size. Then, ensure the new room exterior matches the design of the siding and other types of exterior finishes. Finally, the design of doors, walls, and windows should match the interior of every other room in your house.

Establish the Budget

The cost of most improvement projects can be high, especially when it comes to adding a room. You can expect the cost of a room addition to be at least 10 percent of your home’s value. After you create a preliminary budget that you share with the general contractor, you must determine how you plan to fund the home remodeling project. Do you want to take out a second home mortgage? Do you have enough money saved to at least finance a part of the project? Do you need to apply for a loan to fund a substantial portion of the new room addition?

You can save money by completing a few do-it-yourself projects, but make sure not to risk compromising the structural integrity of your house.

Hire the Right Contractor

The key to hiring the right contractor for your new room addition is to ensure the contractor has built a positive reputation. Ask for professional references from past clients, as well as read the review left by former clients on sites like Yelp and Google. You should finalize the budget with the right general contractor, but leave a little wriggle room to account for unexpected costs such as those associated with project delays. Set up a way to communicate deadlines and schedules, and make sure you put the work schedules in writing to hold the general contractor accountable for completing the home remodeling project on time.

The right general contractor explains the permits and licenses you need to acquire for each phase of the project. You also should understand how to make your project comply with local building codes, as well as any restrictions placed on your property by the homeowner’s association.

Mares & Dow

Contact your local skylight contractors at Mares & Dow Construction and Skylights today to transform your home. We have over 37 years of installation and consulting experience.

Are Commercial Skylights Covered By Property Insurance After a Big Storm?

Are Commercial Skylights Covered By Property Insurance After a Big Storm - commercial skylights - Mares & Dow

Wild weather has defined the start of 2023, from record snow levels in the California mountains to tornadic storms in the deep south to a nor’easter plaguing New England. Commercial property insurance can protect your assets against the damage caused by the wrath of Mother Nature. However, one question deserves an answer for commercial property owners.

Are commercial skylights covered by property insurance after a big storm? The answer in most cases is it depends on the type of coverage you have purchased for your business.

Business property insurance policies should always include a clause that describes in detail how a business can recover the financial losses generated by roof damage. Commercial skylights represent the showcase component of a roof and in most cases, business property insurance covers the cost of replacing damaged commercial skylights or repairing the leaks that have developed around one or more structurally compromised commercial skylights.

You installed commercial skylights to reap the many benefits associated with the property enhancements. Commercial skylights such as Velux Sun Tunnel Skylights invite much more natural sunlight into a room, which brightens the mood of the employees working in the room. Improved mood often translates into higher productivity rates. Commercial skylights also enhance the visual appeal of a business, which typically increases the value of the property. Finally, installing commercial skylights reduces energy bills by trapping heat in winter and preventing heat from entering a building during the warmer months of the year.

How Does Your Business Property Insurance Address Roof Leaks

Because of the potential for storms to cause roof leaks, your business property insurance policy should include a clause that specifically addresses the damage inflicted on commercial skylights. The key to determining whether your policy pays for roof repairs involves determining the cause of the damage. The most common types of extreme weather that damage roofs include hail, strong winds, and the development of ice jams. Every business insurance policy contains a section declaring the hazards that the policy covers.

Although your business property insurance policy should cover the most common types of extreme weather that impact your area of the country, you also should consider covering the more infrequent weather events. For example, many businesses in Texas did not insure their properties against ice and snow damage, which became a major financial distress issue after the polar vortex unleashed its destruction in February 2021.

What Are the Signs of Weather-Related Commercial Skylight Damage?

Identifying the signs of weather-related commercial skylight damage is an important item on your list of maintenance tasks.

Cracks

The strong impacts inflicted by hail and flying debris can cause cracks to form on commercial skylights, as well as the sealing agents used to secure the skylights on a roof. One of the first signs of a structurally compromised commercial skylight is the development of visible cracks.

Wind Drafts

Perhaps you cannot see the cracks that develop as the result of a big storm. However, you might be able to feel wind drafts, especially if the temperature of the drafts is in stark contrast to the temperature in the space where the commercial skylights provide natural sunlight.

Condensation

Skylight condensation forms when warm, humid air rises to the ceiling to interact with colder air filtering in from outdoors. The result can be signs of discoloration or even the discovery of one or more areas where a commercial skylight leaks.

The Bottom Line: Know What Your Policy Covers

Before the start of the severe weather season that defines your area, review your business property insurance policy to determine whether skylights receive coverage in the event of a severe weather outbreak. For example, if you operate a business in Buffalo, New York, ensure your business property insurance policy covers the roof damage inflicted by blizzards.

Mares & Dow

Contact your local skylight contractors at Mares & Dow Construction and Skylights today to transform your home. We have over 37 years of installation and consulting experience.

What Type of Siding is Best For My Home?

What Type of Siding is Best For My Home - siding contractors - Mares & Dow

When you walk around the exterior of your home, you should notice a protective layer of material called siding. Installing siding on the exterior of a house delivers several benefits, such as boosting curb appeal and preventing moisture from causing damage to your home. You can install siding to enhance the color of your home, as well as complement a more dominant design theme. To choose the right siding for your house, you should consult with a team of experienced siding contractors.

Architect Amy A. Alper summarizes the dual benefits of hanging siding. “From a functional point of view, siding gives you protection,” Alper said. “From an architectural point of view, there’s an interest now in using a variety of materials to highlight special features on a home. For example, using stone or Western red cedar to highlight an entry.”

You have several factors to consider before deciding what type of siding is best for your home. Factors to consider include price, durability, aesthetic appeal, resistance to moisture, and ease of installation.

Let’s take a quick look at the four most popular types of siding.

Wood

Wood siding offers a wide variety of appearances, from rustic charm like a cottage to rich tones that present a Cape Cod-type ambiance. If maintained correctly, wood siding can be highly durable, even in regions of the country that experience severe weather such as blizzards and hailstorms. By following the recommended maintenance schedule, wood siding can last from 10 to as long as 100 years.

Wood siding, which runs between $5 and $10 per square foot installed, is popular among home remodeling contractors.

Vinyl

If you are looking for an affordable siding option that offers design versatility and easy maintenance, then installing vinyl siding represents the best siding for your home. Although some residential designers do not like the plastic-like appearance of vinyl, the availability of several types of colors and styles should help you come up with an attractive design. With the ability to withstand strong impacts, vinyl siding lasts longer than any other type of siding. Since it requires few tools to install and is readily available at home improvement stores, installing vinyl siding represents one of the easiest do-it-yourself projects.

Brick

Constructed from oven-fired clay, brick is available in different sizes and textures to match your design vision. You can find brick siding in English, Tudor, and Colonial residential designs. Brick exudes both charm and panache, which makes it the most visually appealing type of siding if matched with the right home exterior design.

Because water can penetrate brick veneer, you have to install a membrane between the brick veneer and your home to protect the structure.

Fiber-Cement

Presenting an appearance similar to wood or stucco at a lower cost, fiber cement has emerged as one of the most popular choices of siding for homeowners. Fiber-cement siding is low maintenance, as well as the material resists termites and possesses a high non-flammable rating. The siding material can last as long as 50 years, with the average cost per square foot installed running between $6 and $12, and it also helps retain your home’s charm during a remodeling project.

Mares & Dow

Contact your local skylight contractors at Mares & Dow Construction and Skylights today to transform your home. We have over 37 years of installation and consulting experience.

The Best Locations for Skylights In Your Home

The Best Locations for Skylights In Your Home - skylight contractors - Mares & Dow

When you consider the options to increase the value of your home, you probably think about areas of your property that are located around you. For example, adding a flower bed at the front of your home represents an effective way to enhance curb appeal which we know directly impacts the value of your house. However, one of the most effective ways to boost the value of your home lies above you. We are talking about the roof of your house and the opportunity to have skylights installed by a highly-rated team of skylight contractors.

Residential skylights deliver several benefits for homeowners starting with introducing more light into your house. An increase in natural light improves the ambiance of your home, as well as the mood of everyone that lives in it. An increase in the amount of natural light also generates more warmth inside your home, which is an especially valuable attribute for homeowners who live in colder climates granted they install the right residential skylights that possess the insulation to trap heat. Residential skylights also reduce the need for windows, which gives you and your family much more privacy.

Although installing skylights delivers several benefits for homeowners, to maximize the many benefits you have to know the best locations for skylights in your home. We present a short list of the best spots to install skylights.

Kitchen

Your kitchen is the room inside your home that benefits the most from installing residential skylights. Additional light from a natural source strengthens the functionality of the kitchen by providing much more illumination to perform food preparation tasks such as peeling vegetables and slicing through raw meats. With the installation of one or more skylights in the kitchen, you can eliminate one or more windows to bolster the privacy enjoyed by you and your family. With fewer windows needed to welcome in the sun, you gain much more wall space to store items such as spices and cooking accessories.

If you opt for installing a couple of venting skylights, you can remove the scent of last night’s meal by increasing the amount of circulated natural air inside your house.

Dining Room

A team of experienced home remodeling contractors can install residential skylights to enhance the ambiance of the most social room inside your house, which is the place where you, your guests, and your family congregate to share meals. The dining room is the ideal room to increase the amount of natural light due to its relatively large size and the importance of maintaining an upbeat mood. Installing skylights also can help you illuminate attractive accessories such as paintings and sculptures. Increasing the flow of natural light in a high-traffic room like the dining room also generates more heat to ensure the comfort of everyone breaking bread together.

Living Room

Where do guests and family members go after spending time in the kitchen and dining room? The answer is the living room, which often represents the largest room inside of a house. Installing skylights improves the energy efficiency of a room that does the worst job of trapping heat because of its large size. If you install venting skylights, you can open up your home to more air circulation to increase the comfort of everyone relaxing on a chair or couch. More natural light accentuates the appearance of the décor of this high-traffic room, as well as allows you to remove one or more windows to ensure the utmost privacy for your family. Fewer windows open up more space in the largest room in your house.

Residential skylights installed in the living room also reduce moisture to prevent the development of mold and mildew.

Mares & Dow

Contact your local skylight contractors at Mares & Dow Construction and Skylights today to transform your home. We have over 37 years of installation and consulting experience.

Enjoy the Spring Breeze With Venting Skylights

Enjoy the Spring Breeze With Venting Skylights - skylight contractors - Mares & Dow

Did you know a team of skylight contractors can welcome spring into your home or office?

The signs of spring are beginning to appear everywhere. The days have grown longer, birds have started to arrive from their winter homes, and even flowers have started to bloom in areas of the Northeast. Installing any of the different types of skylights represents an effective way to boost the ambiance of your home and office, as well as help you save money on energy bills. However, is there a type of skylight that does more than welcome the warmth generated by natural sunlight?

The answer is yes, and it comes in the form of venting skylights.

What is a Venting Skylight?

A venting skylight opens to encourage the circulation of fresh air inside a home or office space. A continuous hinge helps you calibrate how much space you want to create. You can install venting skylights on almost every type of roofing material, even the glass used to construct greenhouses and sunrooms. An operable venting skylight can attach to an existing traditional type of skylight construction as a standalone unit on a roof.

What Are the Benefits of Installing Residential Venting Skylights?

Installing multiple venting residential skylights delivers several benefits for homeowners.

An Increase in the Exposure of Light

One of the most common reasons for installing any type of residential skylight concerns the addition of natural light into a room. Increasing the amount of sunlight that enters your home can be a significant factor in enhancing the ambiance of several rooms. Research studies have demonstrated the positive impact that light has on mood. Installing venting skylights does that and much more by allowing you to illuminate certain areas of your home that present visual appeal.

Welcome the Sounds and Smells of Nature

The rebirth of nature represents the best time of year to take in the diverse smells from all forms of floral. Blooming flowers emit a wide variety of appealing scents that converge inside of a room because a venting skylight has created the space to welcome nature. You might have noticed the commercials promoting apps that present the soothing sounds of nature. Instead of an app, opening a venting skylight allows you and your family to listen to the calming sounds coming from a diverse ecosystem.

Decrease Energy Costs

Installing venting skylights allows you to open each unit to increase the warmth in certain rooms of your house. Instead of turning up the thermostat to remove the cool air that entered your home overnight, simply open your venting skylights to warm up multiple rooms. Even if you leave your venting skylights closed, the sunlight that enters your home warms up even the largest room. In an era of soaring energy costs, venting skylights can take the edge off expensive monthly utility bills.

Reduce Moisture

Without a constant stream of air moving around your home, you might discover areas that develop moisture. This is especially true around doors, hallways, and windows. You also should be concerned about moisture build-up in the attic and basement because excess moisture encourages the development of unhealthy mold and mildew. Venting skylights increase air circulation, which in turn helps keep your house dry. With more air circulation that dries up moisture, you also should experience fewer encounters with pests.

Mares & Dow

Contact your local skylight contractors at Mares & Dow Construction and Skylights today to transform your home. We have over 37 years of installation and consulting experience.

3 Reasons to Hire Siding Contractors for Home Renovation

3 Reasons to Hire Siding Contractors for Home Renovation - siding contractors - Mares & Dow

Due to the abundance of helpful information presented in online articles and blog posts, a growing number of homeowners have assumed at least some responsibility for completing home renovation projects. However, some items on a home renovation do-to list require the expertise and experience of a licensed contractor, as is the case with hiring siding contractors to work on your home renovation project.

The satisfaction you feel after completing a do-it-yourself home renovation project might make it worthwhile to take the time and put in the effort to get things done. Nonetheless, some projects such as removing and adding siding require professionals to achieve optimal quality and durability. Although you might pay a little more for the work completed by a licensed and certified team of siding contractors, the work that you get should far exceed the quality of the work you would have put in to install siding on your home.

One of the reasons to hire siding contractors for home renovation concerns the big picture, which is increasing the value of your property. In addition to the big picture of an increase in home value, you should hire a team of siding contractors for three additional reasons.

Considerable Experience

No matter how easy a tutorial is online concerning the installation of siding or the fact that you have some experience installing siding, nothing compares to the extensive experience siding contractors bring to the table. These professionals go through comprehensive training programs to learn the different skills developed for the siding trade. The best contractors require employees to demonstrate a certain level of proficiency before giving them more on-the-job responsibilities. It takes years for a siding contractor to assume a leadership position to assume siding removal and installation projects.

Extensive Knowledge

Experienced siding contractors understand how to install panels that evenly attach to the side of a home. They also know how to ensure siding panels remain parallel to each other even during the worst weather delivered by Mother Nature. Siding contractors that have years of experience know how to install siding that prevents leaks, air loss, and the infestation of pests. They also can help you answer the frequently asked questions that pertain to siding projects.

You can watch all the tutorials online and receive advice from an expert working at the local home improvement stores and still never reach the level of knowledge possessed by a siding contractor.

Quicker Completion of Your Project

Home remodeling projects typically cost a lot of money to complete, with the value of materials representing the costliest expense. There also is the timeless saying of “Time is money,” which in your case refers to the longer time it takes you to finish a siding installation project than the time it takes for siding contractors to finish the same project. Instead of spending your weekends trying to finish a siding removal and installation project, you hire a team of professionals to get the job done right in a fraction of the time it takes you to complete the home renovation project.

Bonus Reason to Hire Siding Contractors

Where your home is located in the United States plays a significant role in determining the best type of siding panels, as well as the most effective type of roofing material to prevent leaks and heat from escaping. Although vinyl siding is the preferred type of siding because of its affordability, aesthetic appeal, and rugged durability, the siding contractors that you hire for your home remodeling project might recommend another type of panel or a combination of vinyl and another type of panel.

Mares & Dow

Contact your local skylight contractors at Mares & Dow Construction and Skylights today to transform your home. We have over 37 years of installation and consulting experience.

How Will Skylight Contractors Make My Home Feel More Spacious?

How Will Skylight Contractors Make My Home Feel More Spacious - skylight contractors - Mares & Dow

If you are looking to brighten up your home, installing more windows is not the answer to your illumination needs. Even if windows offer you a picturesque view of a meadow or hilly terrain, how many windows do you need to see the same thing? No, the answer to your illumination needs can be answered by a team of skylight contractors.

What Are the Benefits of Installing Skylights?

Whether you want to install skylights in a bedroom or the living room, completing this popular project delivers several benefits.

First, skylights welcome much more natural light, which significantly brightens up a home. Installing residential skylights immediately boost the ambiance of any room in your home, although skylights do the best job of enhancing the ambiance of your home when you install them in the living room.

Second, properly installed skylights trap heat in winter and cool air during the warmer months of the year. The result is lower energy bills, which helps the monthly budget. Third, skylights installed by properly credentialed contractors can make any room in a home feel more spacious. This is an especially important benefit for homeowners because the illusion of more space often boosts the value of a house.

The question is not do skylights make a home feel more spacious. Instead, the question is how can skylight contractors make your home feel more spacious?

How Skylight Contractors Can Create the Illusion of More Space

Unless you add to your home in the form of another bedroom or a larger garage, you cannot create more physical space. However, you can create the illusion of more space inside your home by installing skylights.

Creating the illusion of more space for your home by installing skylights follows a principle used by painters when they want to create the illusion of space for their paintings. For painters, creating the illusion of space starts by drawing objects in the background first before moving on to drawing objects moving closer to the front of a painting.

For example, a painter draws the tallest mountain peak first before drawing smaller mountains until finally reaching the foothills. In front of the foothills, a painter can include several of nature’s best features like trees, flowers, and water sources. The last step for creating the illusion of more space for a painting involves adding a structure such as a barn at the front of the painting.

Skylight Contractors Paint the Perfect Picture

Since skylights welcome much more sunlight, how do contractors create the illusion of more space by installing the home amenities? The most important factor is positioning. Where the contractors position skylights determine how much additional depth is created for a room. Positioning skylights to allow the maximum amount of sunlight in a room can illuminate different features to create the same illusion of depth as created by an accomplished painter.

For instance, a skylight installed near the edge of a ceiling can shine natural light on a mural hung on a far-away wall. A second skylight installed directly above the center of a room shines natural light on a closer object such as a dining room table. The mural appears to be farther away, which creates the illusion of more space. Where skylight contractors place skylights also determines the illumination received by accent pieces located at different spots in a room.

Another important factor to make a home feel more spacious involves the type of skylights installed, such as deciding between traditional dome and double dome skylights.

Mares & Dow

Contact your local skylight contractors at Mares & Dow Construction and Skylights today to transform your home. We have over 37 years of installation and consulting experience.

What Is the Suggested Care and Maintenance of Commercial Skylights?

What Is the Suggested Care and Maintenance of Commercial Skylights - commercial skylights - Mares & Dow

It is amazing what natural sunlight can do for an office.

Installing commercial skylights represents the most effective way to boost natural light, while reducing the use of artificial light. Artificial lighting sources can consume 40 percent of the total energy used to keep a building operating at full capacity. Installing skylights has the potential to decrease energy costs by up to 80 percent. Commercial skylights also enhance the ambiance of a workplace, which in turn boosts employee morale and productivity. Adding skylights also places less stress on the environment.

Your company made a significant investment to enjoy the many benefits associated with installing commercial skylights. Now, you have to take steps to preserve the performance of your new office addition by following a few suggested care and maintenance tips.

Follow a Regular Cleaning Schedule

Installed at the top or side of a building, skylights face several sources of dust, dirt, and grime. Pollen collects on skylights, as does the ammunition used by birds to mark their presence in the world. Following a regular schedule for cleaning skylights should be a priority, but you must follow a system that protects the integrity of your office improvement investment.

Use a soft, clean sponge or a non-metal squeegee to clean the surface of the skylights. Stay away from abrasive cleaners, as they can cause irreparable damage to glass surfaces. Instead, you should be able to get your commercial skylights clean by using clean, warm water. For more difficult stains to remove, use a non-abrasive household cleaner.

Eliminate Condensation

Depending on the type of commercial skylight, prolonged exposure to condensation can cause rust and corrosion to develop. If not addressed promptly, condensation can compromise the structural strength of a skylight. Unlike cleaning, which follows a regular schedule, you should take care of condensation issues on days when the humidity rises to an uncomfortable level. Keeping the office temperature at no more than 68 degrees Fahrenheit is another way to inhibit the development of condensation on your commercial skylights.

Frozen Precipitation

Ice dams can become a destructive problem for a roof and the same principle also can negatively impact the lifespan of commercial skylights. You must be proactive whenever frozen precipitation builds on the roof. Although a high-quality commercial skylight brand such as VELUX creates products that do a good job of withstanding the damage caused by frozen precipitation, you should be proactive and remove snow and ice from the roof immediately after it collects.

Maintenance

As with a regular cleaning schedule, you also should follow a regular maintenance schedule for your commercial skylights. Inspect the condition of the skylights every time the maintenance team inspects the condition of the roof. Hiring an experienced contractor to inspect your skylights ensures you receive a comprehensive inspection that includes examining the condition of the flashing to prevent buckling. After a severe weather event, hiring a contractor to conduct a thorough inspection of the skylights can detect any cracks or breaks that might develop into a serious problem down the road.

The Bottom Line

Installing commercial skylights represents one of the most substantial investments your company makes in improving the mood of the office. However, it is a worthwhile investment if your company takes the time to clean and perform maintenance on a regular basis.

Mares & Dow

Contact your local skylight contractors at Mares & Dow Construction and Skylights today to transform your home. We have over 37 years of installation and consulting experience.

4 Great Ways That Retaining Wall Contractors Can Create More Usable Space

4 Great Ways That Retaining Wall Contractors Can Create More Usable Space - retaining wall contractors - Mares & Dow

Enhancing the appearance of the landscaping on your property improves the curb appeal of your home, which in turn can substantially increase the value of your property. You have many options for completing visually appealing landscaping projects, but one project stands out as a highly effective way to get your property to increase in value.

We are talking about hiring an experienced and highly-rated team of retaining wall contractors to create hardscape platforms that create more usable space on your property.

Overview of Retaining Walls

As a landscape feature consisting of a combination of bricks, large rocks, and/or concrete blocks, a retaining wall contains soil in a designated area of your property to prevent erosion. Although retaining walls serve mostly functional purposes, creating one or more on your property also can boost the aesthetic appeal of your home. Considered one of the more affordable types of home improvement projects, creating a retaining wall can help you create more usable space.

One of the reasons why some spaces on a property are not usable concerns soil erosion, especially for parcels of land that slope downward toward your home. A retaining wall contains soil to prevent erosion, which opens up more space in four different ways.

Terraces

You can create a considerable amount of usable space with retaining walls by creating terraces. A series of strategically installed retaining walls present a visually appealing textured effect, as well as provide you with more landscaping space to work with for other home remodeling projects.

Terraces do a great job of highlighting outdoor features, such as a deck and garden.

Garden

Developing a flower garden is one of the most popular home improvement projects. However, developing a beautiful flower garden can be difficult to do if your yard experiences erosion because of the sloping contour of at least a part of your front or backyard. Installing a retaining wall that provides the boundary for a garden prevents the soil from eroding in the garden. What was once an unusable space on your property can increase the value of your house.

Outdoor Living Space

Entertaining friends and family members is one of the ways to benefit from a spacious backyard. Nonetheless, creating an outdoor living space such as a patio might be difficult to do if your property slopes enough to cause considerable flooding and soil erosion. Adding a retaining wall that surrounds a large space allows you to create an outdoor living space. You can locate your outdoor living space in the middle of your backyard covered by a stylish pergola or build it next to the back door for easy access to the kitchen.

Walkway

A walkway serves two purposes: Functionality and aesthetic appeal. You cannot reap the benefits delivered by either purpose if the soil where you want to build a walkway erodes or the area constantly floods even after light rain has fallen. Installing a retaining wall on both sides of a walkway serves the functional purpose to prevent flooding and the aesthetic appeal purpose of allowing you to add lights and other attractive features.

Retaining walls enhance both the functionality and visual appeal of a property, which is apparent in the four great ways that retaining wall contractors can create more usable space.

Mares & Dow

Contact your local skylight contractors at Mares & Dow Construction and Skylights today to transform your home. We have over 37 years of installation and consulting experience.

5 Professional Traits to Look For in Home Remodeling Contractors

5 Professional Traits to Look For in Home Remodeling Contractors - home remodeling contractors - Mares & Dow

You have put a considerable amount of time into planning a home remodeling project. Now, the time has come to hire one of the best home remodeling contractors in the neighborhood where you live.

Remodeling a home requires a substantial financial investment, as well as an emotional investment that can be nerve-wracking unless you hire a reputable general contractor to oversee the entire project. A general contractor that has compiled an impressive number of positive online reviews is a good place to start when pruning your shortlist of candidates to manage your home remodeling project. The general contractor that you hire also should understand how to retain the charm of your home.

However, online reviews by themselves are not enough information for you to make the right decision regarding the hiring of a home remodeling contractor. You should consider five additional factors starting with a general contractor’s level of experience.

Experience

You can expect to hear the phrase “experience matters” when it comes to hiring one of the best home remodeling contractors operating in the Bay Area. However, it is not just the number of years that defines experience. A general contractor might have amassed 25 years of experience, but the experience consists of an inconsistent record of completing quality projects.

Experience matters when it involves a home remodeling contractor that has compiled a record of success completing projects similar to the one you have planned. For example, if your project is about remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms, you should consider one of the highly-rated home remodeling contractors that have experience completing the same type of project.

Professional Credentials

When you review the names of general contractors, you should see one or more abbreviations following each contractor’s name. The abbreviations represent the professional certifications awarded by national trade organizations. Professional certifications indicate a residential general contractor follows the code of ethics established by the organizations awarding credentials. Examples of professional credentials include Building Industry Association (BIA) and Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR).

Cost Versus Quality

Basing a hiring decision for a home remodeling contractor solely on cost often leads to the completion of a home remodeling project that displays shoddy workmanship. A low bid for a home remodeling project might mean a company uses inferior quality materials and/or has employed inexperienced trade professionals.

Although you do not want to exceed your budget, it is an equally unwise financial practice to base the choice for a home remodeling contractor on cost alone.

Complies with Regulations

The regulatory shortcuts a general contractor takes can lead to the shutting down of your home remodeling project. Instead of saving time by cutting corners, your project can either stall or end before all the work is completed. Every general contractor on your shortlist of candidates must possess the proper insurance certificates, including workers’ compensation and property damage coverage. Make sure the certificates are current, as well as meet the legal standards established by California law.

Understand the Project Management Process

Communication breakdowns represent the number one reason why home remodeling projects turn out bad for all parties involved. A reputable home remodeling contractor should work closely with you, which includes explaining in detail the project management process. You should come to an understanding of how to communicate, as well as how often to communicate. There also should be a clear plan to address unexpected project delays.

Mares & Dow

Contact your local skylight contractors at Mares & Dow Construction and Skylights today to transform your home. We have over 37 years of installation and consulting experience.

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