Q - On what criteria should we choose a contractor?
A - Quality, reputation, and value are the main things to look for.
While your budget is always a factor, beware of low ball offers. If you needed surgery to correct a serious health problem, would you select your doctor based solely upon the lowest bid? If you are like most people, the answer is a resounding 'NO'. However, many homeowners think nothing of spending tens of thousands of dollars and opening their homes to virtual strangers whom they have selected solely on price. Granted, a remodeling project is not a life-threatening operation, but it does have the potential for serious impact on the family's well-being and financial health.
There can be many reasons for a low bid including, lack of experience, low quality materials and workmanship, and incomplete proposals or bids. That's why it is important to select a contractor by quality, value, and reputation.
Q- Are all contractors bound by the same guidelines?
A- Unfortunately not. Only the best contractors, like Marrokal Construction Company, are members of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). Each member of the NARI pledges to observe high standards of honesty, integrity and responsibility in the conduct of business. The NARI code of ethics is below:
Code of Ethics
- By promoting only those products and services that are functionally and economically sound, and which are consistent with objective standards of health and safety.
- By making all advertising and sales promotion factually accurate
with respects to product description, performance specifications and
cost benefit analysis, and by avoiding the practices which tend to
mislead or deceive the customer with respect to competitive pricing,
savings claims, or the nature and significance of contracts, warranties,
finance agreements, completion certificates, lien waivers, or liability
and workers' compensation insurance.
- By writing all contracts and warranties such that they are fair and mutually beneficial to all parties concerned such that they are free of ambiguities or omissions which tend to obscure contractual obligations, and such that warranty terms and provisions are free of the capacity to mislead or deceive the customer as the quality or longevity of the product of service.
- By honoring all contractual obligations until and unless they are altered or dissolved by the mutual consent of all contractual parties concerned, and by fulfilling those obligations in a reasonably prompt manner that is fair to all parties concerned.
- By promptly acknowledging and acting on any customer complaints, and in situations where complaints appear unreasonable and persistent, by encouraging the customer to initiate an approved third-party dispute settlement mechanism.
- By refraining from any act intended to restrain trade of suppress competition, and to thereby promote the private enterprise system and its guaranty of equal rights for all.
