Will Your Contractor Be Here in 3 Years?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in just a 3-year period, 60.5% of all residential contractors were newly formed while 46.2% of existing contractors had gone out of business!

I have to say, I found this statistic to be quite alarming, and you should too.  Whether you are considering a new kitchen, bath, siding, or any other home improvement project, you must take care to choose your contractor wisely.  The remodeling industry is one with almost no barrier to entry, and often times excellent craftsmen turn out to be terrible businessmen.  One question you should ask yourself as you choose a contractor is this - "Will this company still be in business if and when something goes wrong?".

In talking with a good friend the other day, the subject of remodeling came up, as you may expect.  He told me about his experience with a roofer that he had found in the classified ads of his local newspaper.  His roof had a leak over his kitchen and he needed it repaired quickly, before too much damage was done.  He contacted the gentleman, who came to look at the roof and left a hand-written bid for the project in his mailbox.  The bid seemed more than reasonable, so the work was contracted, started on time, and completed in a timely manner. 

Fast forward six or seven months.  It was Easter, and my friend was having dinner for a house full of friends and relatives.  It was raining and windy (I'm sure you can see where this is going).  As dinner concluded, there was a large group in the kitchen when, to everyone's surprise, the roof began to stream water through the ceiling tiles in two or three different places.  The roofer had not used any caulking where the kitchen roof met the house wall - the wind-driven rain was pushing into that crevice, and dumping on to my friend's Easter guests.  Wonderful.

Needless to say, a call was made to the roofing contractor for repairs.  No answer.  More calls were made with the same result, until my friend gave up and decided to risk his own safety by climbing up on to the roof to make the repair himself.  Thankfully the repair was not too involved - it could have been MUCH worse - but it does go to show the dark side of the home remodeling business.  For many, it is easy in, easy out.

Choose your contractor wisely.  Some considerations to help you along the way are:

1) Do they have a place of business? - A brick and mortar business site or showroom indicates stability and financial responsibility.
2) How long have they been in operation? - Don't be afraid to ask the question.  Longevity in the remodeling business means alot.  If the work comes with a warranty, what good is it if the company is no longer in business?
3) Does the company have a website? - If so, how long has it been online?  It is fairly easy to research a domain name to find out how long a website has been active.  No website, or one that just popped up a few months ago?  You may want to dig a little deeper.

A little bit of homework can go a long way towards securing a quality job on your next home improvement project.  Don't purchase based on price alone - look a little closer to be sure you don't choose a contractor who will fall into that statistic at the beginning of this blog post!

Where to Pittsburgh Bath Fitter on the Web

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Why I'm Proud to Work for Bath Fitter of Pittsburgh

As a part of my job at Bath Fitter, I had an opportunity to visit hundreds of our customers at their homes this year.  These were not sales calls - these visits were solely for the purpose of learning more about our customers and how they felt about our products.  

I was initially surprised at how well-received my visits were.  Usually, when calling on a person at home and asking for time out of his or her day for an unsolicited visit, the course can understandably run uphill.  That's what I was expecting, but what I found is that Bath Fitter customers were generally very willing to have me come to their home to discuss the work they had done.  Most were actually very appreciative that Bath Fitter would proactively seek their input and take the time to visit.

As I met more and more customers, I became increasingly proud to work for such a great company.  I was told stories of how great their installers were, always clean in their work and courteous.  Some talked about the salespeople, and how knowledgeable they were - a few that were interested in having more work done by Bath Fitter specifically requested the same salesperson as before.  Some that had encountered minor issues raved about the promptness in which the issue was corrected - at no additional charge.  They found it refreshing, if not surprising, that the lifetime warranty on their Bath Fitter installations was real - there was no catch.  No remodeling company stands behind its work more completely than Bath Fitter.  

My job with the company has since changed, but my pride in representing Bath Fitter of Pittsburgh each and every day hasn't.  I'm here to say that it's true - if you are thinking or remodeling your bathroom, you are cheating yourself if you don't call Bath Fitter.

Until next time....

Matt

Our Sincere Condolences

 

Bath Fitter of Pittsburgh would like to express its sincere condolences to the family, friends and relatives of the young child who was killed yesterday at The Pittsburgh Zoo.  This was such an unfathomable and saddening accident.  Our thoughts and prayers are with you on this and the days going forward.

Pittsburgh Bath Fitters

Maybe just a slow news day here at the office, and this blog post reflects that to be sure.  Just noticing online how often we are referred to as Pittsburgh Bath Fitters or Bath Fitters of Pittsburgh.  We are actually just singular - Bath Fitter of Pittsburgh.  We are one team, ready to update or modify your bathroom and stand behind our work for a lifetime.  Of course, you can call us Bath Fitters if you like, just call 800-645-6317!  Ok, I will get back to work on a more compelling blog for the next round.  Have a great day!

Bath Fitter of Pittsburgh owner Frank Witkowski on KDKA Showcase Pittsburgh with John Cline

 

 

 



Bath Fitter of Pittsburgh - Our Guarantee

Our Guarantee

 

 

"I admit I was a bit shocked when they said, 'Oh, that's guaranteed,' and there was no cost for this...There was never a doubt, there was never a question.."