Some home remodeling contractors cut costs by short cutting items like building permits and code restrictions. Learn how to safe guard your home improvement investment by being an informed consumer.

Imagine this home remodeling scenario: You have just completed building your dream sunroom on the back of your property. You have had barely two weeks to enjoy your new view and decorate and furnish your wonderful new family relaxation area. Then you get a letter from your town government. No required permits were obtained for your home addition, it does not comply with city codes and regulations and you have two weeks to spend thousands more to renovate to comply with code or your beautiful new sunroom will be bulldozed to the ground by the city. This story and others like it have happened to many homeowners that tried to save money on their home improvement project by taking the lowest bid contractor.

This is a very extreme example of what can go wrong when you work with an inexperienced, or even worse, deceitful, home remodeling company. Home Remodeling is more than wood and nails, it is a complex process involving local and state regulations that can cost you thousands if not followed correctly

And consider this, even if you do get by with home improvement that is not in compliance or done without the proper permits, you will not be able to add that home improvement value when you sell your home without documentation. Appraisers will ask for verification that the improvements that are not reflected in the public records were, in fact, done with permit. If you can't substantiate that the work was done with permits, the appraiser might not give full value for the improvements. Do you really want to put all that money and time into home improvement that you can’t claim when you sell your home? More and more homeowners are choosing to improve their homes through remodeling. Save yourself a lot of grief, time and expense. Do your homework and be sure you hire an experienced and reliable contractor that you can count on to do the job right the first time.

Before you start your home improvement project, consult a home improvement company that has the background and experience to guide you through the sometimes complicated code restrictions and regulations of your particular town.

An experienced and reliable home remodeler takes care of issues like permits for you. That’s one of the reasons you hire a home improvement company – to take care of all the many details and headaches of an important home improvement project. The Home Remodelers Group® is a licensed, bonded and insured home improvement company.

Call us at 973-227-9393 and let us put our 42 years of home improvement experience to work for you today.

Here are some easy to follow tips to make sure your home improvement project is done right:

Don’t deal with fly by night or itinerant home improvement contractors. The average home improvement company stays in business 3 years. Don’t trust your home project to a company that will be out of business when you have a problem.

Ask to see the contractors city or county business license and insurance certificate. Do not do business with any company or individual that cannot provide these.

Be suspicious if the contractor asks you to get necessary permits. A competent and reliable contractor will get these permits before starting your project.

Find out how many jobs like yours the company has done. Make sure your contractor is familiar with your type of project.

Ask for references of trade organization or professional associations. Ask for more than one, and check them personally.

Resources Online: For Building Codes in New Jersey
http://www.state.nj.us/dca/codes/
http://www.codecheck.com/