How to Hire a Home Improvement Contractor Without Getting Chiseled Book

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.

Nothing is more frustrating to homeowners than the cost and aggravation of home improvement or repair. Noted home specialist Tom Philbin teaches consumers how to hire help and get a good job at a fair price. Photographs and diagrams help readers understand and supervise every step of the job, and questions are anticipated and answered candidly.