3 Tips for Hiring the Best Drywall Contractor

3 Tips for Hiring a Drywall Contractor

How To Find The Best Drywall Contractor

So, at this point, you’re committed to finding the best drywall contractor, but the search can be difficult. A smart way to find the best drywall contractor is via referrals. This means asking friends, family, coworkers, or anyone you trust to recommend a local drywall contractor that they had a good experience with. A secondary option could be reaching out to the AWCI (Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry). Industry groups like these are a great trusted resource to use if you don’t have a drywall specialist in your social circle.

For those who don’t have these options on the table, the next most likely option is going on the Internet, starting with a simple search for “licensed best drywall contractor near me.” This is great for you to get a starter list to shorten down based on the quotes that you get for you drywall project and photos that you see of previous drywall installation work. When you start to narrow things down further, you can move to interview potential drywall contractors.

The Best Ways To Interview Drywall Contractors

This interviewing stage is a critical one when it comes to finding the best drywall contractor that you trust and will be happy with. Don’t just orbit around the cost (we’ll discuss that later), but be sure to ask questions about the company. This includes not just the scope of the work that they do, but many elements of the company history that may impact their work. For example, if there are recent bankruptcies or financial disruptions, you’ll need to get assurances that the job will be done. You also need to make sure they have the proper drywall contractor license, insurance, and permits. Altogether, this information gives you a view of how legitimate each contractor is.

Here some specific questions to ask about the job: 

— Do you have a dedicated team? Who is your crew? Will the best drywall contractor be involved?

— How would you complete the drywall project?

— What would the start and finish dates be?

— What’s the payment schedule?

— What’s the best way to contact you?

— Can I get references from past clients?

The whole purpose of this is to try and eliminate any businesses that may not fit your construction job. Don’t feel that you are in the wrong if they get offended by your line of questioning, either. The whole point of the interview process is to protect you as a homeowner and your property, and any offense is a major red flag on your part. If you want to take things further, try and meet or have a phone chat with the foreman or project manager to ask questions about the home improvement job and for how long they’ve worked in this business. You can even extend this to how they got into the drywall service industry. When talking about how to become a drywall contractor, there are a few ways. When you have this information, you can start making a decision.

Pricing Out A Drywall Contracting Job

When you are making a final selection, you may ask “How much do drywall contractors make when trying to determine what makes a good price?” However, you’re looking at this the wrong way. Part of the reason why we suggest you get a wide variety of quotes from different contractors is that it helps create an average cost for the job you are looking for. If one company bids way below, that may be a red flag. However, you should note that a job may be more or less expensive than the average for a variety of reasons. These can include the region, the type of drywall you want, and the nature of the building.

Do you tip drywall contractors as well? Generally not. The fee is established in the contract, and you don’t need to supply anything else. If you feel they went above and beyond, a referral is thanks enough.

How To Handle Contract Negotiations

When you’ve settled on a drywall contractor, it’s time to negotiate a contract. There are a few things to note in terms of what should be included. First, of course, is the estimate or price. However, it needs to be extremely clear exactly what it is, ideally an itemized bill. This makes sure that you know exactly why you are being charged a given amount. If the price changes, you’ll also have a clear understanding as to why.

As a consumer, you also need to carefully read all terms of the contract. This should include whether there is a deposit, a mechanics lien, as well as a full description of services and payment. Establishing everything in writing protects both parties legally.

Check Their Technology

A key element of becoming the best drywall contractors is implementing technology into their practices. This ranges from customer portals to make communication easier to templates to draft a drywall contractor business plan to project management software like eSUB.

Project management software is important in the world of drywall because it helps keep the drywall contractor cost down both for them internally as well as you, the consumer. This is done through having all their financial information in one easy-to-access area, as well as tracking usage of equipment and man hours. So, it’s not a bad idea to ask what type of tech your next potential drywall contractor is using.