Ask Toothy

Make sure you feel comfortable working with your potential contractor. Ask him how well he deals with changes. Ask his references questions such as how well did he communicate with them about scheduling, building options, and when the work would be completed. Remember, there's no such thing as a stupid question. It's your money and your old house. Also, if you live in an H-1 Overlay, you will need approval from the Historic Zoning Commission before work can begin.

By Toothy Sawyer

Editor's Note: Toothy is our resident expert on almost anything, and what he doesn't know, he goes out and finds out about. From time to time Old North News will present answers to questions residents have concerning home repair, home history research, and other topics. We are interested in your questions. Send them to penup@bellsouth.net or mail them to P.O. Box 3896, Knoxville, TN 37927, attention: Toothy. You can request that your name not be used if your question is selected. The goal is to find answers, and have a little fun along the way.

Q: Toothy, as well as having several maintenance issues at my house, I want to add a room on the back. I know no one who is in that line of work. I also don't want to get burned. What should I do?

A: Dear J. Leary,
What to do? Who to trust? Who do you call? Will you go with the low bid? Will you select based on experience and references?

Your best bet is to thoroughly do your homework. Whether you call a contractor on a referral from a friend or family member, the telephone book, or a local periodical's classifieds, ask right up front if the contractor is properly licensed and insured. Ask him to bring a copy of the license, several references, and some photographs of his work along to show you. Telephone book and classifieds publishers are not in the business of verifying claims. Check the references and check with the local better business bureau and chamber of commerce to see if any complaints have been registered against the contractor and how any complaints were resolved. The references should also come from different times in the contractor's past work history. And since you are dealing with an old house, you should ask if he has any experience working with old houses, particularly those in historic neighborhoods.

There are several other invaluable resources available to assist consumers who are seeking a professional contractor in Tennessee. Below is a list of contacts that you might find useful. They cost you nothing to use and take very little time. Not using them can cost you a lot of money and time!

National Association of Homebuilders:
http://www.nahb.org/category.aspx?sectionID=112.
State of Tennessee Contractor License Roster:
http://www.state.tn.us/cgi-bin/commerce/roster2.pl
If you do not have Internet access, you can verify a contractor's license by calling the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Contractor Licensing Board Toll-free ( 800 ) 544 -7693.

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