Finding Good Help
It’s an ongoing issue when making improvements to your home – you need to find reliable, talented and trustworthy people to help you out. Easier said than done in my experience.
Thankfully, I had an amazing experience with Mario – my wallpaper hanger who said what he’d do and gave me the price . . . and then did just that!
I live in Boston and I can appreciate it being a challenge for contractors and subs to get into the city, fight traffic, find parking, etc., etc. However, when you find someone, you don’t ever want to let them go.
Mario is based in Rhode Island and I first found him on Thumbtack for a client of mine. She was so happy with his work that I decided to use him to put up wallpaper in my entryway at my first condo in Boston. This was a much bigger project than the one before and I can honestly say that I was overwhelmed with the job he did, his professionalism and the timeline to complete the work (even though I added on a small “wing” that I hadn’t planned on). All in all he was here five days to complete the work – showing up at 6:30am in order to avoid traffic – which was A-ok with me.
If you live in the New England area, I highly recommend you use Mario for any future wallpapering jobs. You can find him here.
Recently, I hosted a get-together at my home and hired a young couple (Nico and Maggie) to help out with opening wine bottles, bringing garbage to the trash room, replenishing the dishes, etc. Everyone was so impressed with their ability to anticipate needs and keep a clean kitchen and space for guests, they asked for their names and numbers for their own upcoming events.
The bottomline is good help is hard to find. Here are a few ways to attempt to ensure you'll be hiring a pro.
Highly recommended. The painter, contractor, electrician or plumber all have come highly recommended by people you know, like and trust. This is a great start because if they know you’re friendly with a past customer, you may get a better response and job done at the end of the day.
Check references. Even if you’ve gotten a recommendation from someone you know, it never hurts to ask for references and call them. You’ll learn a lot by asking questions about things that matter to you to gauge what their experience was.
Watch for signs. Their responsiveness to your calls, requests, etc. will speak volumes about their work ethic and how reliable they are. If they are difficult to speak to, don’t get back to you, are argumentative, etc. This might not be the best service person for you. Pay attention to the early signs of communication.
See their work. If at all possible, check out their work. A reference or two may be willing to open their doors to allow you to see the work they provided. It’s a great way to see for yourself the quality of work that someone can offer . . . or not, before the damage is done.
Start small. You may want to test the waters with a project before committing to a larger job. By starting small you’ll be able to see first-hand the work they do and how they do it.
Thankfully, I had a great experience with Mario and I hope you will too if you decided to call him. Be sure to let him know that I sent you.
Best of luck in hiring a dream team!
I can help you find your team if you need help with the process. You can reach out at nancymichaels@nancymichaelsinteriors.com to schedule a 20 minute consultations.
