There are a lot of good reasons why you might need power washing services for your home. May it be to refurbish an old roof or to clear an overflowing gutter, professional power washing can make your home look brand new.
This will come in handy if you’re planning a house makeover in preparation for selling it, or if you’re just looking to elevate the look of your home before having guests over.
In any case, it is important to find a capable and trustworthy contractor to entrust your house with. Keep in mind that a botched pressure washing job can end up giving you more headaches as a homeowner. Therefore, you need to practice due diligence and take your time in assessing each contractor available in your area to find one that will do an awesome job and will care for your house just as much as you do.
To help you narrow down your search, here are some important questions you have to ask contractors before you consider hiring their services.
How long have you been in business?
Pressure washing is no job for newbies, so you need to prioritize contractors that have been in business for years. It’s highly likely that they’ve already made and learned from all kinds of mistakes when they were starting out, and have thus established fine skills and expertise honed by years of developing their work.
While we’re not looking down on new or young contractors, you might want to be careful when dealing with them. You can always ask them to powerwash your driveway first. If you find that they do a good job with it, then you can trust them to deal with your siding and roof.
May I have a list of references and client feedback?
Aside from years in business, you also have to find out if the homeowners previously served by your contractor had a good experience working with them. This shouldn’t be a problem if you found your contractor through a positive referral from a friend. However, if you find a contractor online or through traditional advertisements, you can ask them to help you find client feedback or to get you in direct contact with someone who can vouch for the quality of their service.
Have you ever been sued over your services?
This may be an uncomfortable question to ask, but one that needs asking nevertheless. This is not to say that you should not hire a contractor if they have been sued before, because it may not be entirely their fault. All you need to know is what they were sued for and how they were able to settle the claim.
Now, if they were embattled in a criminal negligence suit, then you might want to look somewhere else — it’s better to be safe then sorry.
Are you covered by insurance?
In relation to the previous question, you have to find out if your exterior cleaning contractor is protected by a comprehensive policy. Otherwise, you might end up having to pay for any untoward incidents that may happen while they’re at your home — may it be an injury on their part or unintentional damage to your property. It’s always better for your peace of mind to only work with technicians and cleaning professionals whose services are insured.
Do you have all the necessary licenses?
Many states and jurisdictions require service professionals to obtain an occupational license and other applicable legal licenses before taking on clients. State and health regulators run checks and assessments on businesses before supplying them with the necessary licenses to operate, so checking your contractor’s license can be an easy way to legitimately check their business. According to houselogic.com, this will help you avoid some of the biggest contractor scams.
What are your rates?
Finally, when you’ve chosen a contractor and their papers appear to be in order, you have to be blunt and straightforward when asking about their rates. Know how much they charge for every hour of work, and if you have to pay anything extra for the kind of power washing you require.
Before you even allow them to inspect your property, you have to know their rates and the ballpark figure of how much you are expected to shell out for the entire job. This way, there will be no surprises later on when you sit down to settle the bill.
To wrap up, it is worth reiterating that pressure washing is a delicate job that can only be done efficiently and properly by someone who has been doing it for years. You have to find a contractor you can trust with your house and your money, so make sure you ask these six questions before moving forward with any exterior cleaning business!
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