So, you’ve decided that you want to renovate, but it’s too big of a job for you to DIY. So you need to hire a contractor, but how do you find the right one? While a good contractor can turn your dream home into a reality, a bad one can turn your life into a nightmare. 

An inexperienced contractor can get in over their head and create a dangerous situation for you and your family. Or a scam artist can steal your money and leave without a trace before doing any work. These are very common situations that you can avoid if you hire the right person. 

Here are some tips to help you pick the contractor that is just right for you. 

Search & Research

Before you decide to hire someone, doing your homework is a must. Most people will start by looking at reviews online, which is a good idea. Go ahead and read reviews from several different sites like Yelp, HomeAdvisor, Google, and more. 

This will allow you to start making a list of contractors in the area, but you shouldn’t trust all online reviews, and you shouldn’t stop there. Ask your friends and family for referrals. If you are friendly with the neighbors, ask them too. If you hear people say positive things about a contractor, add him or her to the list. 

But you’re not done yet. Ask the fine people who work at your local hardware store or lumberyard for referrals too. They can give you the inside gossip about which contractors buy cheap materials and which ones always pay their bills on time. 

Interview & Review

With your list of top candidates in hand, give each of them a call and pay attention to how easy it is to communicate with them. While you are talking to them about the project, make sure to ask them the following questions:

• What are your credentials and experience (and your subcontractor’s)?

Even if you already found out a bit about a general contractor from your research, you may not know how long they have been working with their employees and subcontractors. You don’t want a contractor that just hires subcontractors off the street and leaves the work to them. 

• Are you licensed & insured?

It is essential to ensure a contractor is licensed and insured before you let them start working on your house. You may know someone with a truck full of tools, who tells you they can do whatever a licensed contractor can do, but you won’t have the same legal protections with them as you would with a licensed contractor. 

Specifically, make sure they have workman’s compensation and general liability insurance. Also, make sure they don’t have complaints filed against them or a history of disputes with clients. And don’t just take their word for it, verify they are telling the truth with the state license board, the state’s consumer protection agency, and your local Better Business Bureau.

• Are you able to take on a project of this size now?

Not all contractors can take on every kind of project. You want to make sure your project is in the contractor’s wheelhouse. Just because they did a good job building your neighbor’s deck doesn’t mean they know how to renovate a full kitchen. 

Some contractors also have multiple projects going on at once, and you want them to focus on yours. However, don’t drop a contractor just because they can’t start right away, the best ones are usually busy. 

• Can you give me a list of your previous clients?

This is especially important if you were not able to get referrals from lots of people you trust. However, it is a good idea to call a few of their previous clients even if you already have references from people you trust. Previous clients could have valid complaints about a contractor that you wouldn’t find out about otherwise.

Get Estimates

Now you should have your list narrowed down to a handful of contractors. You’re going to want to meet with them at the site and explain what you want them to do. Things will be easier if you have a clear idea about what you want, stand your ground, and only entertain the suggestions you really like. Remember: projects can get expensive when you start changing things.

Make sure to get multiple bids even if you already made up your mind about which contractor you are going with. This will allow you to compare their bids, which might come in handy when you are negotiating prices later down the line. 

Contract

Now that you picked the contractor that is just right for you, you’ll want to write up a contract that you feel comfortable with. This should include a payment schedule, proof of liability insurance and compensation payments, specific materials, and a start and end date for the project. 

The bottom line is: a contractor is going to spending a lot of time in your house, making noise and spreading dust. If the dust settles, and you’re left with nothing but an expensive pile of garbage, you’ll wish you had taken the time to find a better contractor. 

There are many ways to add eco-friendly upgrades to your home that will help the environment and save you money in the long run. Some require a bigger investment and others are a no brainer. Regardless of whether you start small or jump straight into solar panels, you’ll still reduce energy costs + help out the environment — so it’s a win-win!

Below are four eco-friendly home upgrades that will have a significant impact on your savings.  

1) Appliances

Eco-friendly appliances such as washers, dryers, dishwashers, and refrigerators, conserve more energy and use less water. They’re a little more expensive, but if you’re already installing new appliances, it makes sense to splurge for energy-efficient ones. If all your appliances are still in good shape, there’s no reason to replace them all, but if one dies, consider replacing it with an energy-efficient model. If you continue to do this over time, you’ll end up with serious savings.

2) LED Lighting

LED lighting is perhaps the most affordable eco-friendly upgrade you can make. Unlike appliances, it’s worth it to replace all of your bulbs even if they haven’t burned out yet. An LED light uses approximately 20% of the energy required for an incandescent bulb with the same lighting quality, so switching out your current bulbs will payout in no time at all.

3) Windows

If you’ve been considering upgrading your windows, now is the time to spring for some extra insulation. Cheap or improperly sealed windows can be the reason for out of control energy bills, which makes sense as windows protect your home from the elements. If you’re looking to upgrade, opt for double glazed windows. It will cost more upfront, but proper insulation makes a huge difference.

4) Solar Panels

This is by far the most expensive option, but if you’re serious about making an impact and reducing your home’s energy costs, solar panels are the way to go. This is an upgrade that will pay off over time, so it’s probably not the best idea if you’re planning to move in the near future. Although, when you do decide to move, solar panels can give you a hefty return on investment.

Buyers have a hard time imagining what a house would look like in a different color. So, you’re not doing yourself any favors by painting your living room neon pink (or neon anything for that matter). You might like the color of your house, but it could be scaring potential buyers away.

According to a recent paint color analysis by Zillow, you could increase the sale price of your home for the cost of a can of paint. The online real estate database analyzed more than 135,000 photos from listings across the country that sold since 2010 to find out how homes with certain colors compared to similar homes that were painted white.

Front Door

Painting your front door a charcoal color, specifically a smoky black to a rich jet black, can boost the sale price of a home by 2.9 percent. That means the average house with a black door sold for a staggering $6,271 more than expected.

“For a seller, painting a front door is one of the least expensive home prep projects, but also one that can have a powerful impact on a home’s sale price,” Kerrie Kelly, Zillow home design expert, said.

Living Room

Home buyers want their new living room to have a warm, comfortable feeling. That’s why painting your living room a light taupe, specifically a warm tan with pink or peach undertones, could increase the sale price by up to 1.3 percent. On average, light taupe living rooms netted $2,793 more than homes with white or other color walls.

Bathroom

Homeowners who used neutral colors in the bathroom, like a light blue, specifically a periwinkle blue, increased the sale price of their home by 1.3 percent, which comes out to $2,786 on average. That’s a lot more than the cost of a can of paint!

On the other hand, a study conducted by Zillow last year found that homes with bathrooms that were totally painted white sold for $4,035 less than expected.

Kitchen

According to the research, homebuyers are willing to spend more for homes that had a tuxedo kitchen, a style that has light-colored upper cabinets and walls with dark-colored lower cabinets and islands, sold for $1,547 more than expected.

“Contrasting colors, especially in kitchens and home exteriors add interest and dimension to a room that plays very well in listing photos and videos,” Kerrie Kelly said.

However, when buyers saw red in the kitchen, they paid $2,310 less than expected. This includes everything from brick red to a lighter shade of raspberry red.

Exterior

They used to say “If you want to sell her, paint her yellow,” but they would be wrong today. In fact, Zillow’s study showed that all kinds of yellow, from a creamy bright yellow to a warm yellow with brown undertones, can drop the price of the average US home by $3,408. Now that’s an expensive paint job!

Dining Room

It seems like the average buyer doesn’t find brown to be an appetizing color. Homes with brown dining rooms sold for an average of $1,684 less. Buyers didn’t want to eat in dining rooms that were an oat brown or a medium sandy brown or a brown with yellowish undertones.

But homebuyers in Tampa, Florida, were willing to spend an extra 11.8 percent for a dining room that was painted “greige,” or a mix of gray and blue.

“Greige is a non-offensive color, a very natural look, and that’s a key word today,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, told the Los Angeles Times.

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Interior design trends change every year, so don’t expect these colors to remain in fashion. However, year after year, homes that are painted in neutral colors tend to command higher prices. So, when in doubt, pick a boring color.

In the end, you want buyers to focus on the space, not the color. If they don’t like it, they can paint it whatever color they want – after they buy it.