When your car needs work, you hire the most qualified mechanic to fix it. Shouldn't you hire the most qualified professional to work on your house?
The following factors are the most important when you hire a contractor:
- Quality and Timing
- Checking References
- Hiring a Licensed Contractor (if possible)
Liability and Workmen's Compensation
It's definitely in your best interest to hire someone who carries both liability insurance and Workmen's Compensation. Liability insurance only covers third parties, so it covers the possibility of someone getting injured on the job site — but it doesn't cover situations where the contractor or a member of the crew is injured on the job. Workmen's Compensation provides for those situations.
It's also in the contractor's best interest to carry the proper insurance. Woodpeckers carries both liability insurance and Workmen's Compensation.
Licensed Contractors
In some states (Maine is one of them), you do not need a license to go into business as a builder or contractor. Even though a contractor does not need a license in Maine, Mike Petersen holds an unrestricted builder's license in Massachusetts. An unrestricted builder's license is the highest-level builder's license available.