THERE ARE CERTAIN PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE LIKELY TO BECOME CONSTANTS IN OUR LIVES, WHETHER THAT BE A FAMILY PHYSICIAN, A DENTIST OR EVEN A MECHANIC. A reputable contractor is another name to add to the list; someone to trust for all of our home improvement needs, from a renovated kitchen one year to a finished basement down the line.

Just like many other specialties, there is a wide array of skilled contractors from which to choose. Finding the right fit the first time around can prove beneficial for years to come.

 “This area is blessed with a lot of good contractors,” says Dennis Gehman, MCR (Master Certified Remodeler). “There are some competitors of ours who I highly respect and some are small, one-man operations who can get  the job done too. I recommend finding somebody you really feel good about and building a long-term relationship.”

Gehman has been doing just that for more than 30 years as president of Gehman Design Remodeling, a company with a first-rate reputation. He spoke with us to share his tips with homeowners who are looking to hire the right contractor.

DO YOU FEEL IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A CERTAIN COMFORT LEVEL WITH YOUR CONTRACTOR?
I think that is super important. Price is somewhat important, but with most reputable contractors the numbers are going to be pretty close. I would tell people to find somebody you feel really comfortable with. If issues come up, you want to make sure you have somebody you can talk to, you can be honest with and you can push back a little bit if you don’t like the way something is going. God has made us with all different personalities and we’ve all run into people we just connect with right away, or other people where that doesn’t happen. It doesn’t mean anybody is a bad person; we’re just different and it’s better  to respect that.

DO YOU JUST TRY TO BE YOURSELF IN THE INITIAL CONSULTATION?
Absolutely. I don’t have anything to hide. I wish I could tell everybody we’re perfect and we never make mistakes but they would know right up front that it’s a lie. When something doesn’t go right, if it’s our fault we own up to it, we apologize and come up with a plan to get back on track.

SHOULD BUSINESS HISTORY BE A KEY FACTOR IN THE DECISION?
There are some younger guys doing good work; I was young once too when we started out. But the projects we were doing back then weren’t as large or detailed. Homeowners should try to find somebody with history and experience in the kind of project they want to do. I think  longevity in business is important; 50% of remodeling home improvement  contractors do not make it past the first year of business and 90% do not make it past five years. Most of that is not because they aren’t good tradesmen but because they aren’t good businesspeople.  

DO YOU PROVIDE REFERENCES FOR CUSTOMERS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO SEEK OUT OTHER PROJECTS YOU HAVE COMPLETED?
We have a portfolio with a list of our credentials, the awards we’ve won, the certifications we hold and our business licenses. Then there’s a sheet, front and back, with names of people we’ve done work for, and we encourage customers to call those people. It’s easy for us to put  names of customers whose jobs went well, but it doesn’t always go well. To me,  the tell-tale sign is how the contractor responds when things don’t go right. I always tell new clients to ask past ones, “Was there something that didn’t go as planned and how did they handle it?”

SHOULD THE CONTRACTOR HAVE A DESIGNATED PERSON TO LEAD THE PROJECT WHO WILL BE ONSITE EACH DAY?
Yes. We give that person the title of project manager because they are managing the day-to-day  aspects of the project from start to finish. They’re in communication with us at the office about the needs they have and they’re the key communicator with the homeowner  as well as the suppliers and trade people we work with. The project manager is like the conductor of the orchestra. There are a lot of moving parts and things that have to come together in the right order.  

IS THE CONTRACTOR RESPONSIBLE FOR OBTAINING PERMITS AND SCHEDULING INSPECTIONS?
We apply for the permits and get them all in hand ahead of time and the project manager onsite will call for all of the various inspections that are needed along the way. That is not something the homeowner is doing every day and they don’t want to deal with it. Pennsylvania is unique in that our permits are by municipality. They all have their little quirks about how they want the process to be done.  

Gehman Design Remodeling
PA-297 | 355 Main St. | Harleysville, Pa.
(215) 513-0300 | GehmanRemodeling.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 21, Issue 6 (January/February 2021). 
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