When you have someone work on your home – in this instance, to add a deck, second story deck, or patio – you want to work with a skilled, experienced professional.
But how do you find these people? Review sites like Yelp and Angie’s List make their money by charging businesses advertising fees while saying their user reviews are independent – that’s a fairly big claim to take on trust when you’re talking about having someone do work on your home.
If you’re looking for a local deck builder in Billerica, you want to do more than trust the review sites or Google ‘deck builder near me‘. It’s important to go the extra mile, and ensure that you’re working with the type of building pro you really need.
Ask your potential deck builder about their experience. Tell them you’d like to see previous examples of their work. You should be able to see some decks – either in person, or in pictures. Ask for references. When you call or email the reference, ask them about their experience working with the deck contractor. Ask if they’d hire that person again. It’s also a good idea to check any contractor you’re thinking about working with on the Better Business Bureau.
To protect yourself, have a good idea of what you’d like your deck to be like before you begin the project. Have a firm budget and timeline in mind. Your deck builder should be able to give you a reasonable estimate of how much your deck will cost, and how long it will take them to build. As a good rule of thumb, you should never pay for an entire project up front: spacing payments over the course of the work helps ensure all of the work gets done in a timely fashion. Choose a deck builder you can communicate easily with – many homeowners prefer to work with a local contractor to keep the communication channels open.