How to Go About Finding a General Contractor (plumber, fee, price)

[prim2007]

I need some advice on finding a GC and I know that some of you may have some knowledge about working with general contractors. I really like the location of a home but the place itself hasn't been updated since the 1950's and there is quite a bit of work to be done. I'd like to show a general contractor the place and get a rough estimate on how much it would costs to update the place so I can determine if it's worth paying the asking price on the house. Is this reasonable? Can anyone tell me how best to go about looking for a General Contractor in the Los Angeles/Pasadena area. My realtor doesn't have any idea.

[BobKovacs]

If we're talking about a house that you don't own yet, your best bet would be to find some contractors who are working in the area, and offer to pay them a consulting fee to look at your potential home. Good contractors are busy, and if they find out that you "might" buy the house, they aren't going to give you the time of day, yet alone a reliable estimate.

Bob

[capecodcathy]

Asking your Realtor was going to be my first suggestion! Oh well.
Next:
1. Go on your state's licensing board. You can probably search by location to see all contractors licensed in your area. In many cases, you can also see if there are any complaints pending or resolved against them.
2. Your local Better Business Bureau and Chamber of Commerce are a resource.
3. Do you personally know an electrician, plumber, etc.? If so, ask him/her. They work with contractors all the time and know who's good.
4. As you drive around, notice the trucks out there. An excellent contractor I know only has white trucks and they are always spotless. Strange you say? Once he told me why it didn't sound odd at all. If a contractor or tradesman can maintain a white truck, it tells a potential customer that they pay attention to the details. As I drove around, I noticed that all the contractors and tradesmen with great reputations have white trucks!
5. Do your research! Ask for references, with phone numbers, and follow-up. Call those references. You may think that because they are on the contractor's referral list that they are going to give glowing references. This may be true in some cases but you need to ask detailed questions. Were your calls returned promptly, was the job completed on time? If not, why? Have you experienced any issues since the job was completed and full payment made? Did you encounter any issues with the sub-contractors? Was the site clean and neat at the end of every day? Was the job completed within or close to estimate/budget? If not, why? Sometimes owners throw in special requests which increase the costs during the project. Not the contractor's fault. Is there anything they were NOT completely satisfied with? You get the picture.
6. Ask the contractor if there was anyone dissatisfied with him! You think he may not tell you, but any good one will. The same contractor I mentioned earlier, always gives the only two who have ever been dissatisfied, gives the specific reasons, and encourages the potential customer to contact them (with their permission). They're both nuts (I've dealt with them, too.) and it becomes apparent immediately.
7. I'll let someone continue with the list!

[amyla]

We might be in the same boat. Right now I am shopping for a reliable architect-we think we might need major renovations-to bring with us on a consulting basis. Good luck!