Safety is important when working with a contractor, because a company that does not take the right precautions or follow the state mandated guidelines could make any number of mistakes that will end up costing you more money in the long run, according to Paul Beaudoin. As a longtime general contractor working in Raleigh, Beaudoin knows all about this topic. He also owns Lifestyle Building & Remodeling Co. Inc., a premier building and design company known for its excellent workmanship and high quality standards.
Reputation
Beaudoin says that the easiest way to judge a general contractor’s safety record right off the bat is by asking around to people living in the town where you are located. “The number one thing in construction is reputation,” he says. “And if a construction company doesn’t have a good reputation, that is automatically a bad sign.”
Referrals
Although it is a good idea to ask for referrals from a general contractor, Beaudoin cautions that the few clients that a contractor gives you information about might not be a good representation of all the past projects his company has worked on. “Let’s be honest. A lot of people who are just getting started out in the business are actually using referrals of family and friends, versus a true referral base. So obviously, just talking to a person’s friends and family isn’t going to give you a true idea of his construction skill level,” he said. Nonetheless, asking for a few true pictures of jobs that the contractor has done, along with the addresses and locations of where these jobs sites are at, is an important step to take when researching a contractor.
Licensing
Because of the high number of people who do construction work without the proper licensing, Beaudoin says he always recommends that his clients do research into the licensing of any general contractors they hire in Raleigh. This information can be obtained by going to the website for the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors and searching for the licensing information for any general contractors. “That is something that should always go into the determination of which contractor to hire,” Beaudoin says. “Before signing a contract with any company, always check with the North Carolina Licensing Board to verify that the company you are working with is licensed to do business in the state.”
If a contractor has not obtained proper licensing, then there is no way to judge whether or not he has obtained enough training to be able to construct whatever it is you need to have built, Beaudoin warns. “Even if all you want to have built is a simple garage, you are going to want to make sure that the contractor you are hiring has the experience to put it together in a professional way,” according to Beaudoin.
Safety Records
When it comes to judging the safety of a particular general contractor in Raleigh, Beaudoin recommends making sure the company you are working with is properly insured by workers’ compensation for all of his employees. “If a particular contractor says he doesn’t need workers’ compensation on his employees, then you had better make sure to at least get a legal release signed saying that you are not responsible if any of his employees are injured on the job site.” If not, Beaudoin explains that you could end up getting sued if a safety problem comes up and one of the contractor’s employees gets hurt on your property.
Lifestyle Building & Remodeling Co. Inc. is insured with workers’ compensation for all of its employees, but Beaudoin still advises clients not to take this for granted when working with a new general contractor or construction company they haven’t worked with before. “That is definitely something every homeowner should ask about,” he says.
Despite the many precautions that a homeowner can put in place to protect himself from hiring an unsafe contractor, Beaudoin explains that it can still be difficult to ensure that any particular company has all the right licensing and experience to handle the job. The best protection in general is to only hire companies with plenty of experience handling construction jobs of all sizes, like Lifestyle Building & Remodeling Co. Inc. in Raleigh.
