One of the main advantages to hire a local contractor is that he/she will be familiar with the building codes, latest revisions, for example, the new window standards in San Francisco require that they be wood clad if they face as street.
Also, a local contrctor will be able to give you a better service, since the travel time is eliminated from the quote.
smaller local contractors also seem to be more reachable by phone even after hours.
local contractors care about there customers more and will give there best ! plus will hold your costs down.
One advantage of hiring a local contractor would be that they would have lower overhead costs which would also keep your project costs lower.
Definitely a great idea to hire a local contractor. I feel like a smaller local contracting business takes pride in there work and most like to work off of referrals from previous customers so they go the extra mile to make homeowners happy with job. Also hiring a smaller contractor that is local will definitely cut some costs down because most do the work themselves without hiring subcontractors. Just ask questions, check them out with local Better Business Bureau and definitely get references.
An advantage to hiring a small local contractor for one is they typically dont have the overhead a larger company would have, additionally if the contractor has a good relationship with the people they do work for then visits can be set up in a previous customers home for inspection of work related to your project. I do not advertise, i strictly work on a referral basis. I have lived in my city my whole life and do not plan on leaving so if there ever was a problem with something i am always “in the neighborhood”. I would recomend to all homeowners to check the smaller contractors to ensure they are licensed and insured. Finally most of the time the smaller contractor< or owner, is doing the work themselves and not subcontracting the work out to others because they are to busy. The cheapest price isnt always the best price
One advantage to hiring a smaller, local contractor is our overhead is not as big as a larger company which keeps our prices down.
We are also available beyone the 9-5 hours. There is no answering service. You call me and you will talk to me or my husband not a receptionist who will need to take a message and make you wait for an appointment.
Lastly, we offer referral discounts and repeat customer pricing since we do not advertise. We also extend our contractor discounts at our vendors to you, we do not mark up material.
Yes, I believe hiring smaller local contractors give you, the client, peace of mind. Small contractors can give more attention to the project at hand. After all, this is what they do. Small but detailed projects and client satisfaction is what keeps these companies going. That and they are available to you even after business hours ( as a good practice) to answer any questions or concerns the client may have.
A smaller local contractor will pay close attention to your project and your satisfaction, because your satisfaction is crucial to the contractor’s reputation and future, referral-based business. The largest contractors operate statistically - they might consider a 10% failure rate on certain types of projects to have an acceptable financial impact. A small contractor can’t affort to think that way - every project counts, and the contractor will work hard to make every project succeed.
HIring a local contractor directly may cost less than working through a large contractor. Most projects done by large contractors are sub-contracted to small local contractors, the same ones you could hire directly without the extra layer of cost.
Finally, when homeowners and businesses hire local contractors, they invest in the success of their own community. Local contractors hire locally, purchase materials locally, and buy homes locally.
There may be advantages to hiring large national contractors, also, but that’s a different question…
I agree with SFID. In North Dakota, having a local contractor or handyman who has been in the area a while will know all about its climate conditions much more than a non resident, or an out of town company. Up here, not using quality insulated doors and windows will cost you a bunch in energy due to the frigid weather months. Good insulation, vapor barrier, and having lots of “R” value in the ceilings or attic spaces will also save you money immediately, regardless of the season.
Closer to job, faster response, knows local codes, and keeps costs down
Personalized service, we KNOW our customers!
I have a small company, and I can say that I am always working with my clients personally (unlike big companies that send out other people). Big companies will even charge a nice amount of money to give you an estimate sometimes. Also, smaller firms often give more attractive bids since they don’t incur high overhead expenses.
There are lots of advantages to keep it local many times you will get a better rate because of travel time and quicker to respond to a call even after hours
A smaller contractor will usually have more invested in making sure that the project is produced correctly and will react to any issues that may arrise much faster than a larger company. Going local is always the way to go.
the best part of hiring a smaller contractor is the personal contact the customer will experience. Wjen the owner of the company is on the job the project will usually go smoother as it is his license and reputation is on display.
You will probably save money. Local companies cater to homeowners’ needs because of their ability to give you their undivided attention.
