WHAT OUR NETWORX CONTRACTOR DID FOR US: Gutter installation around our whole house.
WHY I CHOSE HIM: Reasonable bid, good online ratings, efficiency.
Although we bought our house back in April, we haven’t been able to put in a lawn yet. There was too much erosion from the rain. That’s why we had to install new gutters around the whole house. Previously, only the front porch had guttering, which just wasn’t enough.
I got connected with contractors online, although I only ended up receiving 2 phone calls. Another company texted me to say they would phone me later but they never did call back. So I had to make a choice between 2 contractors.
The first one that came out wanted almost $6000; he later took off $1500. After we said we’d have to think about it, he told us, “This price is only good until tomorrow morning.” So our answer was definitely no. When his boss called to say they could take 2 more grand off, our answer was still no.
But then the second contractor, Jay from Gutter Helmet of Central FL, came out and gave us a bid of less than a thousand dollars right away. He was really nice and efficient. I knew which questions to ask to tell he wasn’t trying to rob me blind. Once I checked his ratings online, that was the company I hired.
The gutter installation took a whole 8-hour workday. He and his helper were very professional, using a special ladder so that they didn’t mark up the shingles on the walls of my house. They did quality work; that’s what I liked about them.
I’ve already recommended them to my sister, who needs guttering all the way around her house, too.
Since we moved down here to Florida, we’ve had a lot of home improvements done – fence installation, hot water tank replacement, A/C and heater service, and landscaping … but we have not had very much luck at all with contractors. So I’ve worked out a strategy:
- I always try to call 3 or 4 companies.
- If they come out, I check their reviews online for the past year.
- I also look for companies that are local, close to home base.
- I cover all the basic questions, “Do you have insurance? How long will this take? When can we get it done?”
- I ask really specifically about what kind of materials are going to be used.
- Finally, I do my homework. Before the gutter work, I watched countless videos on how to install guttering the proper way and what kind of materials are suitable for this area, so I’d know when the contractors came out whether they were trying to feed me a line of junk.
Edited by Laura Firszt.
