Always test a contractor on a small project first!

[Henry Lazerow]

I have had great luck in the past with contractors.  We always tested people out on small projects first such as doing a gut of a bathroom, 2 day repair jobs, etc. I recently broke my own rules and hired a new GC we had never used before to do a 700 sq ft unit thinking it was a small quick project. The contractor took 3x as long, raised the budget by 70% as kept finding new little things it needed. The deal has enough skin on it that we will still make a nice profit (its a multi unit with other units so this isn't our whole budget) so thankfully just comes out be a learning experience. Always test new workers out on small jobs first!