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Frequently Asked Questions
1.
How do I get Started?
2. Do I
need a Contractor?
3. How
do I choose a Contractor?
4. Should I do
some of the work myself?
5. Should
I hire some of the work myself?
6. How
long have you been in business?
7. Will
you actually be doing the work?
8. What
sets Warren Carpentry apart from the rest?
9. Personal
information about the owner?
10. Do
you have references I can contact?
11. What
percentage of your business is repeat or referral business?
12. Are you
licensed?
13. How
should I prepare for a meeting with you?
14. Who
will be supervising my job?
15. What
are your hours of operation?
1. How do I get
started?
First - what is your objective? Do you need more space, an
update or do you want to get a bunch of little back-burner things
done?
One thing I must say about making more space, especially if you
don’t stay under existing roof and slab; you will probably not
recover your investment when you sell. You may need to consider
moving instead.
As far as the other objectives, I suggest searching the net, going to home centers and
bookstores, just immerse yourself with products and design ideas. Look through all the magazines
and books you can find to get the feel of what you want and what you
don’t want. Take your time and let yourself absorb the information.
Draw a plan on graph paper (1/4” = 1’) . Don’t limit yourself! Walls
can be moved, and things can be relocated. It’s easier to see the
possibilities with graph paper.
Contact me, I’m a resource. Let's visit and I'll answer your
questions.
2. Do I need a
contractor?
A Contractor is someone who has a reciprocal relationship with all
the different trades. While the Contractor offers repeat business
to the subcontractor and takes the responsibilities and some of the
liabilities away from them, the subcontractor shows preferential
treatment, through better prices, quicker service and there is an
agreed standard of excellence that goes into the work. It becomes a
project with less misunderstandings and the little bit you spend on
having a contractor is more than made up with the ease of getting
the project to turn out the way you want.
The contractor wants you as a life time client. The subcontractor
sees you more like a one job experience. Because of the relationship
of the Contractor and sub., a contractor has more pull with subs.
than home owners do.
3. How do I chose
a contractor?
Check references. Ask for a list of
clients from projects similar to yours and talk with them and
perhaps even go see the work. Ask if
the contractor was helpful, professional, timely, etc?.
Talking with past clients will answer many of your questions,
and can save you time, energy and money..
Of course the very best way to choose is through the referral of
friends and neighbors.
The following are additional points to consider:
- Appearance does count. Is he sloppy, attentive, is his truck
junky/dirty, is he friendly? (This is the time he is suppose to
be putting his best foot forward, if you aren’t impressed now,
you probably won’t be later).
- He should be able to give you an exact amount of the
project or a time and material arrangement, as well as an idea
how long it will take.
- Go with a company that knows they work for you, by way of
guarantees, prompt telephone call-backs, easy to reach, always
willing to take responsibility and work out problems.
- Does he use licensed Electricians, Plumbers, HVAC
technicians?
4. Do it yourself?
Doing the project yourself is one way to go in part or in full. If
you have the time, tools, and the expertise to make the finished
product an “A” job, then it‘s a good investment of your time. If you
don’t have that confidence, then you should probably try saving
money in another area.
5.
Should I hire some of the subcontractors myself?
Only if you are very comfortable with them and have worked with them
in the past.
Refer to “Do
I need a Contractor?."
6. How
long have you been in business?
I’ve been working in construction in Waco for over 20 years. Warren
Carpentry was founded 15 years ago.
7. Will
you actually be doing the work?
I will be doing the carpentry personally. Time permitting, I will
hang drywall, tape, float, texture and paint. I use licensed
Plumbers, Electricians, HVAC Technicians. The other non-licensed
tradesmen (such as, Masons, Painters, Tile Setters, Carpet men
etc.) are people I have worked with for years and we work together
to try to surpass your expectations.
8.
What sets Warren Carpentry apart from the rest?
When you use my company, you have the owner doing the work. That guarantees a consistent quality level. You deal with me from start to finish.
With bigger
companies you don’t know which guy you are going to get. Do you get an A+ guy with a C- guy or what? Does it matter?
I've been the A+ guy in that situation and the result is that the work suffers for paragraphs of reasons. I'll be brief. The
communication between the “A” man or the “C” man and the guy you
talked with originally (that may drop-in once a day) sometimes gets misunderstood. You'd be surprised how many times they send the C- guy to do things way over his head. Too many stories come to mind as a result of this. Sometimes they get me to fix it, sometimes they let it go because it's too costly for the contractor to do it over. He certainly won't bring your attention to it.
When you call, I answer. I always have my cell phone with
me. There are times of course when you reach voice mail; if you leave a message I will return the call quickly. Email is a great way to communicate with me as well - jwar@grandecom.net.
9.
Personal information about the owner?
My wife and I have been married since Feb. 1985. We have three
children.
We came to Waco from Houston in ‘87 so I could attend TSTC in the
building trades program. I worked with area contractors while in
school then went on my own for a few years. I worked for Pledger
Construction for 5 years as lead carpenter in the remodeling
division and had the opportunity to sharpen my skills with some
higher skill level work during that time.
I founded Warren Carpentry fifteen years ago and love what I do. I enjoy the
control I have with the products and subcontractors I use and enjoy
getting to know interesting people that I wouldn’t have the
opportunity to meet otherwise.
My hobbies are Chess, Reading, Scrabble and Lateral Thinking
Puzzles, in that order.
10. Do
you have references I can contact?
I would be happy to give references. I will supply references to you
of clients that I have done similar projects for. I won’t list them
here in respect of their privacy.
11. What percentage of your business is repeat or referral
business?
In this business you live or die relative to repeat and referral
business. That’s 90% of my business. Just like eBay, feedback is
gold.
12. Are you licensed?
Unfortunately there is no licensing in Texas for the Contractor or Carpenter. That's a big reason why reputation and longevity is important to choosing someone for your project.
My subcontractors have the appropriate licensing for their trade.
13.
How should I prepare for a meeting with you?
See: FAQ #1.
How do I get Started?
14. Who will
be supervising my job?
I will be supervising all the work done. I will act on your behalf with the trades. I
will need access to the area of remodeling during working hours
whether or not anyone is home.
15. What
are your hours of operation?
Starting time varies. Anywhere from 7 to 9 and ending from 4 to 6. I
want to be sensitive to when it’s convenient to you. You can call anytime.
Things you may need to do:
Do you have adequate ventalation for the roof, such as soffit vents and roof vents? Do you have guttering to protect the perimeter of your house from erosion or slab movement? Is your attic insulation thick enough. Is it time to paint before scraping is involved? As far as treating yourself I suggest Crown Molding to dress-up a room, very dramatic results for a reasonable cost. It may be time to replace the front or back door or maybe a storm door.
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