Hiring a contractor can be difficult to say the least. Not only do you have to get the job done at a price you can afford, but you also need to hire a contractor you trust and that is capable of getting the job done. Obviously you could use one of the contractors on the Texas Home Improvement Hour list where we have done an extensive check already, but if you need to check out a contractor yourself here is a list of things to help you.

■ How long has the contractor been working under the current name?

■ Are they registered with the TRCC (Texas Residential Construction Commission)?

■ Does your work require a license?

■ Do they have an office?

■ Does the contractor carry insurance?

■ Does the contractor have their own employee's or use sub contractors or both?

■ Are there any unanswered complaints with the BBB?

■ Is your contractor willing to give you a reference list?

■ Ask if your contractor will stay on your job once it starts, or will they be bouncing between projects.

■ Never sign the contract on the first visit.

■ Never pay upfront when you sign the contract.

1. How long has the contractor been working under the current name?

This is important, you need a business that has been operating long enough that you are comfortable they will be around to honor their warranty's. As a rule of thumb any company less than three years old should be passed on, and you should really try for at least five years. Please remember you are not asking how much experience they have at this time but how long the business has been operating under the current name. Many times when a business has not been around long enough they will tell you how many years experience the entire companies personnel have combined. That can be 8 people with two years experience each, and the say 16 years experience.

2. Are they registered with the TRCC (Texas Residential Construction Commission)?

Many contractors are required to be registered with the state, and to register your project with the state as well. If you are building a new home or hiring a contractor to do more than $20,000.00 worth of work they must be registered with the state, but it is a good idea to use a registered contractor regardless of the price range for your project. Any industry that is licensed by the state such as plumbing and electrical work is exempt from the TRCC rules.

3. Does your work require a license?

If it does call the state's licensing board for that industry and make sure that your contractor's license is in order. Some of the construction industries that require a license are: electric, plumbing, irrigation, and drainage.

4. Do they have an office?

If you are going to be a real contractor that has been in business for a while, and going to be in business in the future you will have an office and storage area. There are many contractors who work out of their garage and a pickup truck, and for small projects like a patio cover this is fine. However for larger projects you need a real contractor with an office, which shows stability.

5. Does the contractor carry insurance?

Workers compensation and General Liability are a must. Texas is one of the last states that do not require a contractor to have workers compensation. If you hire a contractor with Workers comp and an employee or a sub contractor gets hurt the worker can sue you the property owner. If the contractor has workers comp he does not have the right to sue the property owner. General liability is there to cover you in case something goes wrong with the job.

6. Does the contractor have their own employee's or use sub contractors or both?

I do not like to use what is called a suit case contractor, which means they sub everything out to others. A real contractor should have some employee's of their own for the basic work and may have to sub out the specialty jobs like plumbing and electrical.

7. Are there any unanswered complaints with the BBB?

Any business can end up with a complaint with the BBB. This does not make them a bad business, but if the complaints go unanswered that does make them a bad business. A good business will always answer a complaint with the BBB.

8. Is your contractor willing to give you a reference list?

We all know that the only references that will make the list are good ones. Call anyway; you may get a little information that will help you make a final decision on a contractor. You may hear they did a wonderful job cleaning up each night before leaving the job. Or they were always late for their appointments.

9. Ask if your contractor will stay on your job once it starts, or will they be bouncing between projects.

This is important, some contractors will move their people from job to job leaving you for days with no one working on your home. Make sure that once they start your project they will stay on it until complete.

10. Never sign the contract on the first visit.

Do not let someone pressure you into making a decision right away. Some contractors will tell the price is only good today, or that if you do not sign right away you will not get on the list to have the work done right away. All these type of statements are tricks trying to get you to sign the contract. You should always sleep on a bid at least one night. If the price is good for the day of the bid it should be good the next day as well, if not find another contractor.

11. Never pay upfront when you sign the contract.

You should never pay any money upfront when you sign the contract, however when the work begins you may have to. Most contractors do not check out whom they are working for, so they collect some money when the job begins with the rest due upon completion. This helps cover some of the raw cost if they are not paid, but it could leave you holding the bag if they do not perform. One way to avoid any money up front is to finance the job. Many contractors offer financing, or you can go to your bank or credit union for financing. This will usually make it where the contractor gets paid at the end of the job; at that time you can either pay the contractor direct, or use the financing you already arranged.