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how to find the best contractors

How to find the best contractors in your area

Finding the best contractors for your home improvement or remodeling project can be time consuming and frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be. Hardy Windows has some tips on how you can find the best contractors in your area.

1. Find a contractor that is licensed and insured. We recommend using a contractor who is properly licensed, bonded and insured. While it might be cheaper to go another route, it’s better to be safe than sorry when dealing with strangers at your home. Even though a contractor may have references from satisfied customers, they could also have a criminal history that would make them an unsafe person for you to do business with.

2. Ask for personal referrals – check out reviews online AND ask friends and family if they have any recommendations. The best references come from people you know and trust. Here are a few questions to ask your contractor’s former customers: How do you like working with this contractor? Do they return calls and emails promptly? What was their estimated price versus what you wound up paying at the end of the project, and why did it change? Did they arrive on time for appointments every day throughout the project, including weekends? Were there any unexpected surprises during construction (like additional costs)? It’s also a good idea to check online reviews before hiring someone. Look at review sites such as AngiesList or Yelp.

3. Make sure you hire someone who will be available when you need them (i.e., not on vacation). Scheduling can be a huge problem when hiring a contractor. Many homeowners have been burned because the contractor they chose went on vacation without telling them beforehand or stopped returning calls altogether after work began. Make sure to get the contact information of the key people you will be dealing with throughout the project and check often to make sure they are available to answer your questions.

4. Hire a contractor with good customer service skills. Use a contractor who communicates well and takes pride in their work, even if it’s a small job. Ask yourself: Does this person answer your questions promptly? Do they provide clear explanations about what needs to get done?

5. Get quotes from at least three contractors to see how their prices compare Hardy. Make sure you get a detailed estimate for exactly what the contractor will provide, including parts and labor costs. Get more than one quote so that you can compare prices and find out if there are other hidden fees or expenses associated with the project, such as “trip charges,” which happen when a company forces you to buy all materials from them.

Check the contractor’s portfolio of completed projects, including photos and testimonials from customers.  Check out the contractor’s work online. Look for a website or social media presence, or you can always ask to see a portfolio of commercial and residential projects they have worked on in the past which will give you a better idea of what your final product will look like.

We hope these tips will help you find the best professional for your project. Hardy is also here to answer any of your questions and help you learn more about home windows and doors before starting a new project. Give us a call today at (714) 996-1807.

Doggy Door

Doggy Door Options to Help Your Pet Beat the Heat

Our furry little friends are important parts of our family, and it’s our responsibility to keep them safe and happy. When summer comes, this means ensuring our pups aren’t left outside for extended periods of time. In fact, as little as 15 minutes in 90-degree heat can be enough to cause the early symptoms of heatstroke!

Of course, most of us can’t be home all the time. So how do we let our dogs out to do their business while giving them a chance to get back in before they overheat?

State-of-the-Art Patio Doors

You need a patio door that not only fits your needs as a dog owner, but as a homeowner as well. That’s where a New Horizon Patio Door can be the perfect solution. These elegant patio doors are specially designed to maximize the amount of light that enters your home while minimizing heat from the sun. Of course, all options can be customized with the company’s one-of-a-kind pet door design, as well as a bevy of other features.  

Durable Construction

New Horizon doors take security to the next level. The fusion-welded frame and sash are both steel-reinforced, while the rollers are backed up by sealed stainless steel ball bearings to reduce friction and wear. Get a beautiful view that will as long as you need it, and seamless function with every open and close. 

Customized Designs

Choose from the classic Riviera French Sliding door, with its traditional wide rail and contoured molding, the Classic French Door set in either out-swing or in-swing designs, or the ultra-modern 2200 Series, with optional blinds between the glass panels. Each style is fully customizable and can be perfectly suited to your specific needs.   

Available Low E and Solar AG Glass Systems

All New Horizon patio doors offer the revolutionary Ameriglass AG3 Low Emissivity coating, which is a patented formula that helps maintain visibility while ensuring maximum energy efficiency and solar control. It also includes an argon gas fill, which prevents energy loss up to 12% better than traditional air, and True Warm Spacers, a unique structural foam to keep hot air outside and cold air in. 

Amerimax Pet Door Systems

Unique to the New Horizon brand, these state-of-the-art pet doors are among the best on the market. With double flaps, nylon weather stripping, and multiple magnets to keep out heat, wind, insects, and pests, these pet doors are the perfect blend of efficiency and security. 

Hardy Windows and Doors Can Help!

When it comes to patio doors, you – and your pet – deserve the very best. Ensure that your dogs get easy access to the outside when they need it, and safety from the heat when the temperatures start to climb. Amerimax New Horizon Patio Doors are the best way to give you and man’s best friend a safe, stunning, and energy-efficient view. 

Hardy Windows: Angie’s List Super Service Award

Hardy Window Company has earned the home service industry’s coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award, reflecting an exemplary year of customer service to members of the local services marketplace and consumer review site in 2016.

angies-list-logo-vectorThis achievement is particularly significant as Angie’s List experienced unprecedented member growth in 2016. More than 1.6 million consumers, many of whom were eager to quickly hire highly qualified service pros, joined Angie’s List after the company added a new, free membership tier.

“Companies that can meet higher demands without missing a beat in their exemplary performance standards truly do stand apart from their peers,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “Only a fraction of the Window & Door companies in Orange County were able to do it.”

Angie’s List Super Service Award 2016 winners have met strict eligibility requirements, which include an “A” rating in overall grade, recent grade, and review period grade. The SSA winners must also be in good standing with Angie’s List, pass a background check and abide by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

“Attitude is Everything”  -Chance Hardyshowroom-17-875x360

Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List as new, verified consumer reviews are submitted. Companies are graded on an A through F scale in areas ranging from price to professionalism to punctuality.

For more than 21 years, Angie’s List restricted access to its verified reviews to consumers who paid membership fees. When the company removed that barrier, some companies worried that the new, non-paying members would not be as engaged as members of the past. Experience has shown, however, that these newly added members are just as engaged – across all age groups – as prior members. Also, because the company continues to adhere to its review verification process, there has been no degradation of review quality.

“The biggest change at Angie’s List is that we are connecting even more consumers to high quality service professionals,” Hicks said. “And that’s good for everyone.”

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Angie’s List helps facilitate happy transactions between more than 4.5 million consumers nationwide and its collection of highly rated service providers in more than 720 categories of service, ranging from home improvement to health care. Built on a foundation of more than 10 million verified reviews of local service, Angie’s List connects consumers directly to its online marketplace of services from member-reviewed providers, and offers unique tools and support designed to improve the local service experience for both consumers and service professionals. 

Want to leave your own review? Check out our Angies’ List profile here!