Hiring guide · North Louisiana
What to keep in mind when hiring a contractor in North Louisiana
Imagine hiring a contractor to replace your roof and paint your home in Shreveport, LA, but you’re left with work not up to par — or construction work that never gets finished.
You could be out thousands of dollars after not doing your homework on a contractor, remodeler, painter, paving company, or even a roofer in the Ark-La-Tex. You do not want this to happen to you.
If an electrician leaves exposed wires, a painter leaves a bad paint job, a roofer leaves piles of junk, or a plumber leaves a toilet in the wrong spot, that can happen after hiring a contractor or remodeling company in the Shreveport–Bossier area. You would probably want to give the company a big “F” on the local Better Business Bureau.
If you are searching for a roofer to do home improvements, imagine the scenario below.
Imagine you call a company that had great reviews only to get a call from a man named “Allen Stanley” who said they were operating under a new name “Big A Roofing.” That should be your first red flag. Let’s say you hire Stanley to replace your roof and paint your home in a packaged deal of $14,000. The contractor or remodeler might ask for $7,000 upfront and to sign the check in his wife’s name — a second red flag.
Imagine in a span of just three days, you signed checks totaling up to $32,000 for renovation work that never got done.
Imagine a wall is cracked when the vanity was being put in. Nothing is done to any standards. Turns out the contractor is not licensed to do any of this work.
Imagine you ask if he is licensed and insured but you never see proof of either, and the contractor is so far into the remodeling job that you hope for the best.
Imagine the name of the contractor wasn’t actually the person he is claiming to be.
Imagine the contractor never obtained copies of the building permits he used to get the green light to work on your home from the City of Shreveport, LA or Bossier City, LA Inspection Department.
The fact that the number was under $10,000 is important to understand.
If you are doing a home improvement job over $10,000, a contractor or remodeling company is required to have a license through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC). Don’t let that name fool you — it doesn’t have to be an exact home builder. It’s anybody doing residential remodeling and construction.
Any contractor doing work over $10,000 is required to hold an LSLBC license. Legitimate contractors should have no problem handing it over. Browse the ArkLaTex Contractors directory and claim listings from licensed local companies.
After seeing enough red flags and no work getting done, you ask for your money back and get this response instead: “I’ll give you a thousand back if you don’t write any bad reviews on me.”
Imagine pursuing Big A Roofing with multiple calls over several weeks and leaving voicemails, and when you make the trip to their business address off their website, you find a mobile home with no one answering the door.
Keep this potential scenario in mind when hiring a contractor in the state of Louisiana.