Contractors and Resources

The Saint Louis Rehabbers Club has compiled a list of contractors and resources to assist our members in finding contractors to meet their particular needs. The idea behind the list speaks to the particular experience of the individuals in our group. Each person or company name appears because of personal referrals from participants of our listserv. That being said, this should not be viewed in any way as an endorsement.*

visit our online CONTRACTORS LIST

We make no claim that the SLRC Contractors List is comprehensive nor do we guarantee the quality of the services provided.

We intend that anyone visiting this site as well as our listserv members will use it as a resource — sort of a Rehabbers Club "yellow pages," if you will.

Further, we fully expect that every homeowner will take personal responsibility and conscientiously do their own research when looking to hire a contractor they've never worked with before.

This should include:

• contacting the Better Business Bureau;
• checking references thoroughly, a good percentage of them should be within the previous six months;
• asking friends and others for their opinion;
• viewing photos of, and where appropriate and available, actual recent work [within the past 12 months] performed by the contractor

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PLAN AHEAD!
Remember, for those contractors whose trade is seasonal, as the weather gets warmer they will get very busy and during this time, some contractors may not return phone calls. Usually because they just don't have the time or are simply overwhelmed.This can be a very frustrating situation for a homeowner so we strongly suggest scheduling your contractor of choice as early in the year as you can or as soon as you know your construction timetable. return to top

MAKING PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS
This is a subject we come back to again and again and again so we thought we'd address it here very briefly. All expectations regarding deposits and payments should be discussed with the preferred contractor before any contracts are signed or any work begins.

A good faith deposit or some monies may be expected at the beginning. This is standard and sometimes expected so that materials can be purchased. It is usually one-quarter to one-third of the total project's cost. Of course the amount always depends on the size of the project and the scope of work.

One should never, ever, ever, ever, ever – let us say it one more time – never, ever, pay the full amount of a project up front. Any contractor asking for complete payment before work has even begun should be treated with a big ol' truckload of skepticism. Should this happen, we recommend the homeowner run, not walk, to another contractor no matter the seriousness or immediacy of the project in question. This is a big ol' red flag that screams — "You're Going To Be Ripped Off!" Or to say this another way, if you enjoy huge amounts of frustration and throwing money away, then do this.
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THe top ten tips for hiring a contractor

1. IDENTIFY THE PROJECT: Determine the trade[s] that will be utilized. If more than one skill is needed, you may want to consider a General Contractor unless you have the time and energy to be your own.

2. PROJECT TIMING: Consider the time frame, how quickly you need the work done, if the weather will inhibit the progress. Planning the project in advance and allowing a fair amount of time for contractors to respond and bid the project will save a load of frustration in the long run. [i.e., you need something begun in spring, you should be thinking about and planning the project, interviewing contractors, etc., the previous fall.

3. SELECTION PROCESS: Do your homework and spend the time to choose an appropriate contractor. Use available resources like the Rehabbers Club Contractors List, consult the Better Business Bureau, and ask your friends and associates for referrals.

4. SCOPE OF WORK: Write out [if you're working with an architect, they will probably be doing this for you] an extremely detailed scope of work. We feel this is one of the most important points in the process. If you aren't specific about your needs and wants for your project, it can lead to massive communication problems directly affecting the project's result, to say nothing of your heart and blood pressure.

Specify a desired process [i.e., the order in which you'd like the work to proceed], particular materials you want used [making sure they are right for the application], you might even want to spell out something as seemingly mundane as wanting your trim corners mitered.

Identify your expectations and responsibilities and what you will require of the yet-to-be-named contractor and that proper permits will be pulled. Chances are, you will probably be viewed much more seriously by a potential contractor if you have a really detailed and well thought out scope of work.

5. BIDDING/INTERVIEWING: Make sure that the contractor's bid addresses all the points mentioned in your scope of work. Ask for a time frame within which the job can be started and a reasonable completion date. Make sure you discuss a payment schedule with contractor and that you are comfortable with those terms. For larger projects a 1/3 down – 1/3 at the half-way point – 1/3 upon completion is typical. For smaller projects you may be asked for 1/3 up front and 2/3 upon completion. Now, we say this a lot, but it never hurts to repeat it – are you listening? Never, ever, ever, ever, no not ever, not even once, pay someone in full for a project before work starts or even in the middle for that matter. Another thing to consider for larger projects is that you fully understand the change order process and costs and any additional fees related to additional work. You may also want to consider setting up milestones for the project to gauge progress, payments may be tied to these milestones. Also make sure the selected contractor as sufficient insurance for your specific project. Ask the contractor about warranties – whether he/she has them or not and their details.

6. REFERENCES: Take a look at the project[s] your chosen contractor is currently working on. Make sure you check them out with the BBB or other consumer-protection agency. Get a list of references and talk to as many recent clients as you can. We feel that five past clients from within the past six months to one year is a good number.

7. AVAILABILITY: If you're the GC, make sure you are available to the subcontractors so they can get their questions answered. Whether you have a GC or not, if you see something happening with your project that concerns you, speak up immediately.

8. RECOURSE: This is a brief "what to do" if a project stalls related to the contractor's shortcomings [and not because you've changed your mind a thousand times or for "acts of God"]. First, if you're using a GC, talk with them and see if you can get some answers. If not, talk directly to the subcontractor slacker. If you get no satisfaction after a fair amount time or making phone calls and receiving no response, you should go up the recourse chain by first writing and sending a registered letter using professional demeanor, stating the situation and what you expect them to do and then, if it becomes necessary, contact a lawyer about how to proceed further.

9. COMING TO THE END: As the project nears 99% completion, it might be a good idea to create a punch list. This is probably more beneficial on larger projects but this way you can make sure that everything is done before you make your last payment.

10. LIEN WAIVERS: Once the final payment is made, make sure you receive the lien waiver from the contractor. Every subcontractor that purchases materials for your project needs to supply you with an Unconditional Lien Waiver that lists the materials they bought and states that they paid for them. More than likely you will not get this before you make the last payment [most contractors hang onto it until that last check clears], but you should receive it within a satisfactory period of time after the payment is made.

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How to nominate a contractor to the list

If you’d like to add a company or contractor to our list,
here are the rules:

1) We prefer city-based businesses [but we do not exclude contractors and resources because of their location].
2) A recommendation must come from a member of the Rehabbers Club listserv who has either purchased services from the company they are recommending, or are willing to vouch for that company's work.
3) A company cannot recommend itself.

All folks submitting new recommendations, provide the following:

– complete business name
– general category
– contact person's name [optional]
– primary phone number
– website address

To correct inaccuracies or to submit a new referral, email us.
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ESSAY: Finding a rehab house
by Rehabbers Club member Dave Lewis

How should you go about finding the right rehab project? It can be a daunting task, to be sure, and it is likely to involve you in both a physical and emotional way. Unlike dating, where there's room for trial and error and adjustment; rehab-hunting is more like choosing a spouse, with whom you will commit your every resource, from a showroom. In this case, St. Louis is the showroom, and lists you get from the Internet, LRA, and realtors, are merely catalogues to peruse.

Unlike cultures where some grownup gets to pick your spouse, you're on your own in this venture. It may eventually provide you with the perfect structure where you can act out your every dream and make it just like you imagine. It might also ruin you, make you bitter, waste your time, and be disappointing in every way.The intention of the people in this group is to help you avoid the pitfalls and ease the process of finding, repairing your dream home and enjoying your neighborhood.

Don't loose sight of your dream!
More important than finding the perfect house, is finding the right place to settle and live. That would mean discovering the right neighborhood that you're happy with or that you can adjust to suit your desires. You won't know that until you do some research. Neighborhoods ARE the neighbors. You can just move in and take what's there and try to outlive all the disagreeable ones, you can try to chase them all away, and you can do what's necessary to attract desirable neighbors. Likely you'll do all of the above if you position yourself correctly. To get the feel of a neighborhood, you need to live there. So my suggestion is to make an educated guess as to where you'd like to live and get an apartment there.

Before or after moving in, go to neighborhood meetings and get to know people. Consider their advice! Once there, take long walks and become familiar with your surroundings. Meet more people and be social. Visit rehabs in progress and let your neighbors get to know you. Find out where the action is and who you want to be friends with. Soon, you'll be in with the "in crowd", and with them, sort out the who's who of the neighborhood. You'll discover who's moving, who's selling, and who's renting. You'll figure out where the stability is and you'll learn where the instability comes from. You'll learn where your resources are, which kids to trust and who has the skills that you may be able to tap one day. Pay particular attention to the youngsters, they may one day be your adult neighbors.

As you interface with the neighbors, and they with you, you'll be well positioned to know what houses are going to be available for you to purchase. You might be lucky to learn which buildings are drug houses, too, where disgruntled landlords may be willing to get out from under non-performing properties. Vacant buildings are often available for your inspection, or are prime candidates for your research. As you narrow your search by eliminating buildings you just don't like, and those that are not available, you'll soon develop the drive and initiative to go after some of your choices.

By this time you know how the neighborhood positions itself around your dream home and can better picture yourself rehabbing and living in that home. All the while you've been getting your ducks in a row in terms of financing and design. You can decide which professionals you can work with toward actualizing your dreams. In many cases you may be able to purchase the property directly from the owner, and you'll need to know how to do that.

I'm going to stop here, and assume that you've read the many posts on our listserve about purchasing and rehabbing. My intent here is only to promote an idea about finding a property to rehab. From here you can mostly refer back to the list. There are folks there who are already familiar with their neighborhoods, and are eager for you to be their neighbor.

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St. Louis
Rehabbers Club
is a project of
ReVitalize St. Louis,
a non-profit corporation