If you’re not using the help of a professional consultant, you’re probably using resources like friends and family, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Diamond Certified, and Angie’s List.  There are many others, but these are the most used.  While they can be helpful with Minnesota remodels, we’d like to share some of their hidden shortcomings.

Friends and Family Although these are the most trusted people in your life, remember that your likes and tastes aren’t always the same. They may also have liked the contractor but didn’t check to see if they were certified. Keep in mind that if the work was done a long time ago, the original staff may no longer be there. Yelp The information on this web page tends have either a positive or negative bias. This is because each person who posts has different experiences, and only those who are profoundly influenced by that experience post reviews. Better Business Bureau Although a good standing with the BBB gives a good impression, in reality all they post are outcomes of disastrous jobs. Even then, the information is posted only after all legal proceedings have been completed, which means there may be plenty of unhappy homeowners, but the work wasn’t bad enough to warrant a complaint. Disastrous jobs could still be in the process of being investigated, while the business is still meeting new clients and setting up new jobs. Diamond Certified This site requires contractors to pay a monthly fee to be listed, and have a sampling of their past work researched by professionals at Diamond Certified. However, you can’t know if a contractor has simply been paying the fees but the site hasn’t been keeping up with yearly reviews. Angie’s List Angie’s List can be a good source of information, but ratings could be based on older listings. This is dangerous because you wouldn’t be able to tell what the current company environment is like.  Also, homeowners must pay to join Angie's list to either use it or post a review, which discourages many individuals who aren't already members.

It’s smart to research all of these resources for your next big remodeling project, but you don’t want to rely on any one of them exclusively.  One of your best options is to ask your contractor for the phone number and address of a recent project that may be similar to what you're contemplating; then go take a look at it and talk to the homeowners.

Quarve Contracting has a long list of satisfied customers, and we'd be happy to have you take a look at what we've done for some of them.