Hiring a Home Contractor

Home remodeling: welcome to the money pit. As I write these words, we are currently in week three of our one-week bathroom remodel (replace old bathtub with Jacuzzi, sheetrock and repaint, and lay down new vinyl floor). Although the job is actually going well in most respects, my wife and I failed to nail down a time schedule with our contractor before the remodel began--one of the suggestions found in the latest Better Business Bureau-sponsored consumer education program Hiring a Home Contractor. Hosted by builder/contractor Rosie Romero, this combination how-to/horror show (with "actual victim home movie" footage of less fortunate homeowners who were hosed by unscrupulous contractors) is divided into 10 somewhat overlapping and somewhat repetitive segments that nevertheless contain useful information about selecting a contractor (and checking to see if he/she is bonded, licensed, and insured), evaluating bids, drafting a contract (this would be where that timeline would appear), coping with stress (although the suggestion that one-room remodels are "almost equivalent in stress to losing a dear family member" seems ridiculously out of whack), keeping critical records, checking progress, and monitoring for warning signs. Throughout, Romero offers tips that are just as often related to general homeownership (such as replacing the anode to extend the life of your hot water heater) as to hiring a home contractor. Sure to be popular (and definitely needed), this is recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)