Contractors vs Handyman (credit card, loans, house)

[matrix5k]

We need to get new floors, windows, paint and furnace/water heater. We're going to have Mass Save do the energy assessment and I know they provide an interest free loan for the furnace/water heater and maybe windows too? Is it worth the cost savings to hire a handyman vs separate contractors? If something goes wrong down the line, would a contractor be more likely to come back to fix it? What about paint, would you hire a paint company or would a handyman do?

[MikePRU]

Last I looked into it, the MassSave HEAT loan could only be applied to a window project if you were replacing single pane windows with energy star rated windows. As someone who has a HEAT loan (why not it's 0%?), I can tell you the literature doesn't tell you all of the details.

Two things you'll want to know . . .

First, each lender puts their own spin on the loan. Some lenders don't offer the full 7 years. Some charge fees. Some want to put a lien on your house. There are many variations and I believe Mass Save provides a comparison chart which has some of these facts for easy comparison of lenders. Personally, I went with Mass Bay Credit Union as they didn't charge any fees, didn't put a lien on my house, and offered the full 7 year term.

Second, Mass Save caps the amount they will lend you for each project. I got a HEAT loan when I replaced my boiler, hot water tank, and my entire C/A system including the ducts. Each project had a cap on it for the loan and I remember my C/A project had the lowest cap.

Also, what's the state of your windows? Do you really need to replace them? You don't pick up a lot of energy efficiency by upgrading to modern windows which is why Mass Save doesn't really offer any perks for window replacement. Generally speaking, as long as your windows are functional (and if your single pane windows have storms on them) it will take a long time to recover the cost of the project through the energy savings.

As for contractor vs. handyman . . . so long as everyone is pulling permits and the plumbing is being done by a plumber there shouldn't be much difference. A handyman might have a smaller crew and it may extend the timeline of the project. Handymen can also be a little "fly by night" and my other concern would be "are they going to be in business a year from now if I have a problem with their work?"

Just my two cents.

[Shrewsburried]

Originally Posted by matrix5k

We need to get new floors, windows, paint and furnace/water heater. We're going to have Mass Save do the energy assessment and I know they provide an interest free loan for the furnace/water heater and maybe windows too? Is it worth the cost savings to hire a handyman vs separate contractors? If something goes wrong down the line, would a contractor be more likely to come back to fix it? What about paint, would you hire a paint company or would a handyman do?

Almost certain Mass Save requires licensed contractors, which means if you plan to leverage their lending program, you're going to have to go that route.

I ran into this issue with my heat pumps. I qualified for subsidies, but the savings cost of installing myself with oversight from a commercial HVAC professional "off hours" far exceeded the rebate.

I personally wouldn't mess with "handymen" given the scope of your work. They are best suited to replacing a faucet (versus licensed plumber) or light fixture (versus licensed electrician). But for the financially minded, it's best to learn some baseline skills if you're going to own a SFH in a high labor cost area. If I outsourced every simple home improvement such as hardware replacements, light fixtures, faucets, etc. I'd have a couple thou less in my IRA and Kwikset handles and hinges instead of Emtek

[matrix5k]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

Last I looked into it, the MassSave HEAT loan could only be applied to a window project if you were replacing single pane windows with energy star rated windows. As someone who has a HEAT loan (why not it's 0%?), I can tell you the literature doesn't tell you all of the details.

Two things you'll want to know . . .

First, each lender puts their own spin on the loan. Some lenders don't offer the full 7 years. Some charge fees. Some want to put a lien on your house. There are many variations and I believe Mass Save provides a comparison chart which has some of these facts for easy comparison of lenders. Personally, I went with Mass Bay Credit Union as they didn't charge any fees, didn't put a lien on my house, and offered the full 7 year term.

Second, Mass Save caps the amount they will lend you for each project. I got a HEAT loan when I replaced my boiler, hot water tank, and my entire C/A system including the ducts. Each project had a cap on it for the loan and I remember my C/A project had the lowest cap.

Also, what's the state of your windows? Do you really need to replace them? You don't pick up a lot of energy efficiency by upgrading to modern windows which is why Mass Save doesn't really offer any perks for window replacement. Generally speaking, as long as your windows are functional (and if your single pane windows have storms on them) it will take a long time to recover the cost of the project through the energy savings.

As for contractor vs. handyman . . . so long as everyone is pulling permits and the plumbing is being done by a plumber there shouldn't be much difference. A handyman might have a smaller crew and it may extend the timeline of the project. Handymen can also be a little "fly by night" and my other concern would be "are they going to be in business a year from now if I have a problem with their work?"

Just my two cents.

The windows are the kind with the hand crank. They are 40 years old and half of them do not open. You can see the moisture in between so there is failure. The inspector recommended replacing them all.

Sounds like going with contractors is the way to go. I have floor guys and window guys lined up so far.

What about paint? Can anyone do that or would you guys pay more for a paint company?

[bugelrex]

For cost savings, find a licensed contractor that actually 'does' some work such as carpentry...

Many of these contractors just take a huge cut from their subs...

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by matrix5k

The windows are the kind with the hand crank. They are 40 years old and half of them do not open. You can see the moisture in between so there is failure. The inspector recommended replacing them all.

Sounds like going with contractors is the way to go. I have floor guys and window guys lined up so far.

What about paint? Can anyone do that or would you guys pay more for a paint company?

The home inspector or the energy audit person? Home inspectors in my experience (and I have a lot of experience with home inspectors) can be a little over the top. The windows in my house are about 35 years old and are casement windows as well (the kind with the crank). They're totally fine IMO. When I moved in there were a couple of them that the crank was shot but if they're Anderson windows (and many casements are) then you can buy a replacement crank no matter how old the window is and just install that. As for the broken seals (fog between the glass), if it's just a few windows it will be FAR cheaper to call a glass company and have them replace the glass panel than it will be to replace the window.

I'm not a big fan of putting band-aids on your house. However, window replacement (when done right) is really expensive and there's really very little return in terms of energy savings or in terms of added value to your home.

Also, if your windows are 40 years old and have fog between the panes of glass then they will not qualify for the HEAT loan. The only window project that qualifies is replacing single pane windows with energy star rated windows. Sounds like your windows are already double pane.

[audemars]

A few thoughts...

We replaced all the 40yr old windows in our house a few years ago and the change in quality of life and appearance of the house was significant. It was definitely expensive but you can't put a price on being able to sleep with the windows open in the Fall and not worry about mosquitos or vermin easily getting in, and ultimately having windows that we could open and easily clean was well worth it (we went with Marvin Ultimate) . They're also more secure and with a rash of recent burglaries in the area, I feel better with these than the old ones with broken locks.

Mass Save loans are great. Our heater crapped out the first year we owned our house and due to a 'funky flue', and modern code, had to pipe the exhaust out of the flues (the alternative was a white PVC candy cane in the front yard which blew plumes when the temp and humidity were right). We upgraded the water tank, etc to the tune of around 23k all-in. We also got 0% and it'll be paid off early next year (Woo Woo!).

Finally, look for references on the contractors Mass Save uses, as they vary wildly in quality. We had one blow insulation into our garage roof who did a sloppy job and to this day the plugs keep popping out. This is a wild bull market for contractors and you have to be a bit wary of those not working with general contractors and free time on their hands, as it can be a signal of quality.

[johngolf]

Originally Posted by matrix5k

We need to get new floors, windows, paint and furnace/water heater. We're going to have Mass Save do the energy assessment and I know they provide an interest free loan for the furnace/water heater and maybe windows too? Is it worth the cost savings to hire a handyman vs separate contractors? If something goes wrong down the line, would a contractor be more likely to come back to fix it? What about paint, would you hire a paint company or would a handyman do?

While I am in SC, I came from MA. I know nothing about Mass Save but I know about home remodeling in MA.

You could hire a General Contractor (Licensed and Bonded) to oversee the entire project. This gives you "one a$$ to kick" if there are problems. That said:

Floors. Plenty of flooring companies/showrooms that can be hired to do the work. Flooring is not rocket science. Check Insured and Bonded.

Windows. Plenty of "window replacement" companies screaming at you to get your business. They are like hookers. You can drive a bargain. I would want windows from major suppliers not some local company saying "we build each window at our factory". Check Insured and Bonded.

Paint. Easy enough. Plenty of them. Again check Insured and Bonded.

Furnace and Water Heater can get tricky in MA due to licensing issues. Might even require separate contractors. Check Licensed, Insured and Bonded.

I like to pay for progress. Some up front for materials. More in the middle of the project if a long project. Balance at end of project based on my satisfaction.

[matrix5k]

So I've had 3 flooring estimates so far.

Two from your typical neighborhood contractors that estimated $14,500 and $16,222. These guys work out of their truck and only accept cash/check. They get good reviews but I'm afraid if something goes wrong they'll run away.

One from a highly reputable local flooring company that has a brick and mortar location with employees who actually answer the phone and greet you in the showroom. They estimated $22,500 and accept credit card.

The $8,000 price difference gave us sticker shock. We like that if something goes wrong, we can go to their store and they won't run away or ignore our phone calls. But is it worth that much more?

I've tried contacting big box stores like Home Depot, Lowe's, and Lumber Liquidators but I can't even get them to give me an estimate and they have horrible reviews.

[Dm84]

Are the floors made out of gold?