The sad fact of life is that for every hundred reputable contractors who will carry out your home improvement project to your exact specifications, on time, and at a fair price, there are unscrupulous contractors out there whose only objective is to part you from your money as quickly as possible and with little regard for their workmanship or whether any work gets done at all!

Ultimate Exteriors of MN, serving Minneapolis and the St. Cloud area of Central Minnesota, is sharing these tips to help Minnesota homeowners avoid becoming a victim of these scammers.

First off, ask your friends for recommendations. They may have had work done by a remodeling contractor who carried out a professional job at a fair price. And, when you do talk to a contractor, have them tell you what certifications they have and whether they are members of a particular trade or business association. The residential remodeling contractor himself should be able to supply that information and give contact details of associations in order to verify claims or you can contact a particular trade association directly and ask them to recommend someone in your area.

Always ask for a written estimate or, better still, a fixed quote in advance of starting work. Ask if there is any “small print” and ask them to explain anything you don’t understand. Amend the bid, if necessary, before you sign any documents.

You should also ask any tradesman certain questions over and above verifying their ability and reputation to do the job as mentioned above. This should include asking how many projects like yours they’ve completed in the past couple of years. Upon request, they should give you some references so you can call previous people who have had work carried out by them. Ask them to produce an insurance certificate so you can be sure that you will receive compensation should the job go wrong.

Providing you ask the right questions, get satisfactory answers, do your research, and get everything put in writing, there should be no problem. But always watch out for scams, including remodeling contractors who will only accept cash, those who will ask you to pay for the entire job upfront, those who do not provide you with a business or a home address and telephone number or suggest that you borrow money to pay for the job from a lender they know, or those that solicit door-to-door.

Knowledge, vigilance and awareness are your best forms of protection in ensuring your home improvement project is finished without any problems.

Ultimate Exteriors of MN has been serving the Minnesota communities of St. Cloud, Brainard, Minneapolis, St. Paul,and Plymouth for over 10years from their location in Milaca, Minnesota.

You may contact Ultimate Exteriors of MN by visiting our web site www.ultimateexteriorsofmn.com, calling us at 888-360-6633 or use our online contact form 24 hours a day.