After 26 years in the painting contractor business around Marietta, I have heard about every reason there is for going with a cheaper contractor. Unfortunately, I have also heard from more than one homeowner who later regretted that decision. Often the sentiment is it would have been better to pay a bit more on the front end and received a quality job. Several lament that they should have checked on their contractor a little more closely before hiring them.

What I have found through the years is that most homeowners do not know how to properly evaluate Marietta painting contractors before hiring them. Just because a contractor is cheaper doesn't mean you're getting your monies worth. When it comes to hiring contractors, cheaper priced services often end up costing you a lot more.

Lately the cost of labor and materials has gone up to the point where profit margins are not that large. This means that in order for a painting contractor to offer you a cheap price they have to cut expenses somewhere and that is generally in the quality and value of the service performed.

Next time prequalify your Marietta painting contractors with the following 10 criteria.

1. How long has the painting contractor been active in Marietta? A common trait in this business is instability. Contractors will work an area for a short time and when word begins to spread from customers dissatisfied with their work they move on to the next town and begin again. It is safe to say that if a painting contractor can claim ten years or more in your area they are stable.

2. In what manner does the contractor pay his workers, is it a percentage or hourly? Back in 82 when I started this business, I would pay my painters and hourly wage. After 7 years or so of disappointing results paying by the hour, I switched to paying everyone on a percentage basis. The change was immediate and dramatic, quality went way up and project times were cut in half!

Paying the painters on a percentage basis instead of hourly greatly changed their mindset. They also had vested interest in the speed and quality of the work overall. When performance is peak, there are fewer things to tidy up in the end, which means a quicker job and better overall pay.

While you need to ask this question of your contractor, it is only a suggested method of business. There are a good number of painters that have a wonderful work ethic and are paid by the hour.

My experience has been however that the best results came from a percentage basis. I will never go back to paying painters by the hour.

3. Does your potential contractor offer you a well-written and laid out contract stating exactly what you can expect? A good contract is an indication of how organized he is. This organization will most generally be represented well in the painting crew as well. A person who is well organized is uncomfortable around disorganization and will avoid that trait in their employees. Moreover, they tend to maintain organized work environments.

4. Are you dealing with a contractor who is asking for a deposit before they begin? Even though some projects can be quite intensive, the average painting contractor job will not be more than $8000. For jobs like this, I highly recommend you do not pay a deposit.

A painting contractor should have enough financial stability to finance a project of this size. More important than that, without a deposit the crew will be more inclined to work at optimum performance and get the job done accurately and timely.

You would be amazed at the number of times I have been told about homeowners paying a big deposit only for the contractor to leave the job early if he even showed up in the first place.

5. How well has the contractor communicated with you since the first time you contacted him? Is he quick to respond to your questions and concerns?

Communication is very important to most quality professional contractors. This is another indication of the core values, by which he operates. During your project, you will definitely want good communication.

6. Are the contractor's employees covered by workman's compensation? This is an important point as many contractors will have liability insurance but this is nowhere near the same, as worker's comp. Liability insurance does not cover painters or other employees if they are injured on your property.

Another consideration is how well the contractor has insured his crews against injury. Some contractors pay their crews under the table and there is no history that the insurance companies can verify. They may not cover the crews in such cases. This can put you at considerable financial risk. This simply is another indication of the core values that govern the Marietta painting contractors performance. Contact his insurance company and ask these questions.

7. Be sure and check their references. Even though they will give you their best references, you can still get a feel for qualities such as neatness, timeliness, communication, and overall opinion of quality of the job. Keep in mind though, everybody has their own opinion of what constitutes a quality job so don't decide based solely on their references.

8. Watch out for the aggressive painting contractors who are volume oriented. Their entire goal is to turn out as many finished houses as possible in a short amount of time to earn fast money. The quality of their work will not be driven by any kind of core values. You and your home will suffer at the hands of this type of contractor.

9. Be sure that your contractor is perfectly clear on there being a walk through with the head crew member and yourself to look for areas that need tidied up or repaired. This must take place before you write any checks for the project. This protects both you and the contractor from issues later.

It assures that you are happy with their work and helps eliminate warranty issues for the contractor, saving him time and money. Seasoned contractors who really care about their customers know that this is the best approach for finalizing a project.

10. The following are more obvious things to look at, a business license, unsettled complaints listed with the BBB, how long has the company been around, how many people work for them and a well written contract including warranties.

Always put quality first. Putting a little extra time into qualifying your Marietta painting contractors will pay off handsomely. You will have fewer headaches during the project. You will have a better looking home with a paint job that last longer.

I have been a painting contractor in the Marietta area for 26 years and in that time I have heard more than one unique reason why customer choose a cheaper painter. On the other hand, I have also had many calls from regretful homeowners who realize they made a huge error. Several wish they had simply paid more for quality contractors. Still others are sorry they did not check out a contractor before deciding to hire them.

What I have noticed in my years as a painting contractor is that many homeowners simply do not know how to assess the abilities of painting contractors in the Marietta area. Most will look for the cheapest bid not realizing that they will probably not get their money's worth. The truth is a cheap contractor can often cost you more money in the long run.

With the high cost of labor and materials, profit margins aren't that great in the painting industry. Real cheap services in the painting industry are cheap for a reason. Quality and value of services are being cut.

Use the following 10 conditions to check out Marietta contractors before you hire them.

1. How long has the painting contractor been active in Marietta? A common trait in this business is instability. Contractors will work an area for a short time and when word begins to spread from customers dissatisfied with their work they move on to the next town and begin again. It is safe to say that if a painting contractor can claim ten years or more in your area they are stable.

2. In what manner does the contractor pay his workers, is it a percentage or hourly? Back in 82 when I started this business, I would pay my painters and hourly wage. After 7 years or so of disappointing results paying by the hour, I switched to paying everyone on a percentage basis. The change was immediate and dramatic, quality went way up and project times were cut in half!

Instantly my painters had a better mindset once they knew they would be paid on percentage. Their interests were now directly tied to the quality and timeliness of the job. Outstanding performance led to less double checking at the end of a project and a better bottom line for everyone involved.

Be sure and ask the contractor this question. This is merely a suggestion. Obviously, there are some painters that work by the hour that have a good work ethic.

My experience has been however that the best results came from a percentage basis. I will never go back to paying painters by the hour.

3. Does the Contractor present a well written and organized contract to sign that outlines what he is going to do? This is a good indication of how organized he is. If he is well organized, in most cases it will carry over to his crews. Well organize people are very uncomfortable with disorganization and generally will work to maintain well organized projects and crews.

4. Is the contractor insisting on an upfront deposit? Some jobs may be large enough to require a deposit, but the average home painting or repair job will run $3000-$8,000 and really should not require a deposit. In fact, I recommend strongly that you do not pay a deposit.

Your painting contractor should have no problems financing the project he is considering. If he does that is an indication that the contractor is not financially stable. When a contractor is waiting to be paid, you are likely to have his full attention to detail and an assurance that your happiness is the number one goal.

I have heard many stories through the years of homeowners who have given the deposit only to have the contractor leave after a day or two of work never to be seen again.

5. Since the first day you contacted the contractor how well has he communicated with you? Has he quickly answered all of your questions or concerns?

Quality professional contractors value good communication. The importance a contractor puts on communication will give you another clue to his core values. While your project is being completed, you will want to work with someone who communicates effectively.

6. Does the contractor carry worker's comp insurance? Check into this as many companies carry some form of liability insurance but this is not a replacement for worker's compensation. A simple liability plan will not cover a worker should they be injured on the job.

How well the contractor is covering his team in case of injury is something else to take into consideration. When a contractor has several people paid cash under the table, there is no proof that they work for a particular company and therefore are not covered by any insurance. You could be put at financial risk in a situation like this. Besides this just gives you more insight into the type of Marietta painting contractor you are working with. You are within your rights to call the contractors insurance company to answer some of these important questions.

7. Be sure and check their references. Even though they will give you their best references, you can still get a feel for qualities such as neatness, timeliness, communication, and overall opinion of quality of the job. Keep in mind though, everybody has their own opinion of what constitutes a quality job so don't decide based solely on their references.

8. Watch out for the aggressive painting contractors who are volume oriented. Their entire goal is to turn out as many finished houses as possible in a short amount of time to earn fast money. The quality of their work will not be driven by any kind of core values. You and your home will suffer at the hands of this type of contractor.

9. Be sure that your contractor is perfectly clear on there being a walk through with the head crew member and yourself to look for areas that need tidied up or repaired. This must take place before you write any checks for the project. This protects both you and the contractor from issues later.

It assures that you are happy with their work and helps eliminate warranty issues for the contractor, saving him time and money. Seasoned contractors who really care about their customers know that this is the best approach for finalizing a project.

10. You should also check for the following obvious things: a business license, Better Business Bureau for unsettled complaints, how long they have been in business, how many crews work for them, written and detailed warranties.

Keep quality as your first priority. Qualify your Marietta contractor before you hire them, you will be so glad you did. You will have less to worry about while the work is ongoing and end up with a beautiful home with paint that will last longer.