My husband and I had done many repairs on our house throughout the years.
We put an addition on the house, did the plumbing and electrical system, and replaced the roof and siding.
We did many minor repairs and updates, but we were now getting older. We knew we needed new siding on the house, but neither of us was in the shape to replace the siding on our own. As much as we hated to admit it, we had to hire a general contractor to do the updates. We called the general contractor in our area, and told him we needed new siding, and possibly a new roof, and asked if he could do the job? When he came to the house, he inspected siding and the roof and said we definitely needed the siding replaced, but he thought the roof may last another five years. While making the repairs, we wanted them done all at once, so there was only one bill. We gave the general contractor carte blanche to do the repairs that needed to be done. My husband and I priced the cost of new siding and a new roof, and the general contractor was right in the ballpark. We looked at the going cost of labor for a general contractor, and the contractor we hired had quoted us lower. I knew we were getting a good deal, but I still hated to see all the money going out at one time. When we talked to the bank, we added extra money in case there were hidden repairs not quoted on the estimates. Instead of the money, he gave us a checking account with the home’s equity amount, and told us we could just return any money not needed.