I'm facing a bit of a dilemma in choosing between two contractors for my deck build. Contractor A is a specialized deck-building company with solid reviews but has been slow to respond after providing a quote of $32,000. I had questions about potentially lowering the cost. Contractor B is mainly a painter who has done carpentry work for me before and also has good reviews. He initially quoted $31,000 and then agreed to $28,500 after I expressed interest. After a few days, B reached out with the intent to move forward, and I verbally committed to him. However, right after that, Contractor A finally contacted me, offering a lower quote of $28,300. I felt it wasn't fair to pivot since I had already committed to B. Now, I'm wondering if I made the right choice and if I can trust the contract stipulations and town inspections to ensure the job gets done right. Also, what if I find out B isn't licensed or insured—should I back out and go with A instead?
1 Answer
It sounds like you've thought this through a lot! I’d recommend asking both contractors to send over their contracts. Compare terms, especially the payment and inspection clauses. It’s true that A might deliver a better result due to their specialization, but just make sure you feel comfortable with B's terms first. If things don't look good with B, it's totally fine to back out and go with A instead! Just make sure you’ve got that inspection covered too!
Brilliant, thank you. I will do that.