How To Hire A Home Improvement Contractor Without Getting Chiseled: An experienced home contractor explains how to: find a contractor or architect, ... avoid the scams, get the most for your money [Paperback]

Tom Philbin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1996

Newly updated and revised to reflect the latest prices, materials and consumer-protection information, How to Hire a Home Improvement Contractor Without Getting Chiseled is must reading for anyone who plans to embark on a home improvement project.

Tom Philbin, a home improvement expert offers sage tips and reliable advice on the steps you need to take to ensure a good job at a fair price. Topics covered include:

planning a project
soliciting bids
selecting a contractor or architect
obtaining a loan
preparing a contract
supervising work
settling disputes
and staying in control of the money


Complete descriptions of dozens of actual home improvement projects show you how the jobs are done and how to detect and avoid ripoffs and faulty workmanship. More than one hundred photos, charts, and diagrams follow projects from blueprint to finish.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Philbin, coauthor of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Everything Sold in Hardware Stores ( LJ 3/1/89), seeks to help consumers from being ripped off by home improvement contractors. In the first section he deals with contractors; he explains, among other things, how to plan a project, get multiple bids, find the right contractor, and supervise that contractor. In the second part he discusses kinds of contracting jobs, such as electrical and plumbing, and the areas of the home, such as kitchens, where most work is performed. He includes a sample contract and glossary in the appendixes. There is a lot of interesting material, but Philbin tries to cover too much ground; it is difficult to become educated about ceramic tile or showers in three to six pages. While consumers will find more information from do-it-yourself magazine articles or by talking to the people in the lumberyards and hardware stores, this book may still serve as a handy resource in public libraries.
- Patty Miller, New Hampshire Technical Coll. Lib., Laconia
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A handy resource" --Library Journal

"A virtual directory of common improvement and maintenance jobs...very thoroughgoing."
--Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Rev Sub edition (December 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312146205
• ISBN-13: 978-0312146207
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #220,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.