Unfortunately we can’t all be a Jack of all trades, and when it comes to your home, there’s a pretty good chance that you occasionally need to hire contractors to get some jobs done. If you’ve chosen to get a walk-in tub for your bathroom, choosing a walk-in tub contractor will be an important factor to consider. By choosing the best contractor, you’ll be saving yourself both headache and money.

But what can you look for when hiring a walk-in tub contractor? Here are a couple of things you to look for that will ensure the process goes down smoothly.

Set Realistic Expectations

Before you can look into hiring a contractor to install your walk-in tub, you should take some time to develop and understanding of what you can expect.

What features would you like in your walk-in tub? Approximately what should your walk-in tub of choice cost? What will the installation work cost you? How long should the work take? Do an online search and get some quotes from different companies and contractors to answer these questions.

Finally, what are the minimum requirements when it comes to a contractor? At the very least your contractor should have a registered business that operates legally. But what requirements do contractors have to fulfill in order to legally work in your area?

Knowing how to tell a real business from one that might not even exist (ie. a scam) is essential in weeding out some of the worst options.

Setting realistic expectations going in will help you to avoid disappointment and to prepare yourself for the process of getting a walk-in tub.

Know Your Contractor

The experience your contractor has is definitely something to consider when making your choice. Ideally, your contractor should have quite a few years’ experience. It’s good if the company you that installs your walk-in tub requires new individuals with less experience to work with more experienced employees to help teach new recruits a thorough understanding of the work before allowing them to install tubs independently.

Some contractors might also have specific qualifications or affiliations with organizations that control ethics within the industry.

But perhaps just as important as knowing that your contractor has experience doing the kind of work you want done, is knowing that previous customers were satisfied. There’s no use in hiring a company with experienced contractors if they do shoddy work, so ask for referrals and talk to previous customers the company has worked with.

Do an Online Search

Not only can an online search help you find a contractor, it can also help you do a background check on a contractor you’re already considering. Reading online reviews is a great way to learn more about the experience previous customers had working with a contractor.

It’s always best to work with a company that has some sort of online presence, as an online presence offers some transparency. Your contractor probably won’t be able to hush all the complaints dissatisfied customers might have, so you’ll get to see how they handle these situations, as well as the explanations they give about why things went didn’t measure up to these unhappy customers’ expectations.

All of this means that a proper online presence is a reasonably good indication that you can trust a company. A contractor that does bad work or handles projects dishonestly is less likely to have an online presence, as the transparency associated with an online presence will almost surely undermine their entire business.

Choose Someone You Feel Comfortable With

This might be the oldest advice in the book, but perhaps only because it works. Talk to the any contractor you’re considering to work with to get a feel for whether or not you think they’ll be the right person for the job.

Sometimes you might just feel uncomfortable without knowing why. Perhaps you feel like they aren’t trying to understand your expectations, or maybe something about the way they talk makes you feel like they aren’t being completely honest.

Sub-consciously, you have a natural ability to detect the difference between a liar and an honest person, but if you don’t take any time to talk to the person who you’re hiring, you won’t actually have an idea of what they’re like. This means that you should have a proper conversation with someone before allowing them to do anything in your house.

Hire a Specialist Walk-in Tub Contractor

Walk-in tubs aren’t like other tubs. While most walk-in tubs fit into the same space as a standard tub, you’re more likely to get satisfactory results if you hire a specialist who works specifically on installing walk-in tubs. A contractor specializing in walk-in tubs will know the job like the palm of their hands, meaning you’re much less likely to encounter any nasty surprises.

When hiring a contractor for any job, you want to know that they have the necessary experience doing similar work and that they understand what results you’re hoping to achieve.

At Knoxville Walk-in Tubs, we understand the concerns our customers have. We understand the negative impacts of decreased mobility and the desire for independence among the elderly. Our goal is to help you live an independent life by making your bathing experience safer and more luxurious. If you would know more about getting a walk-in tub, or if you would like a quote, feel free to contact us with your questions and concerns.