A Recipe For Renovation Contracts

All contracts you sign should begin with the parties to the agreement. Yours and the contractor's names and addresses should be stated up front, along with the date the agreement was drawn and a brief statement describing the work to be done. The rest of the ingredients are these:

The stages. The stages in the process should be identified and the job described in some detail (more is better). If the job requires cutting into the existing structure (to install electrical or plumbing lines, for example), the contract should specify whose responsibility it is to patch and repaint.

The site. The area and the limits of the job should be specified here (new shingles on the house, not on the attached garage?). Who's responsible for the trash removal? The term "broom clean" may be useful. You might want to insert the phrase, "The job shall not be deemed completed until the premises are broom clean and all trash and unused materials removed."

The materials. Detail is important throughout the estimate, but nowhere more than here. The specifications should include brand names, dimensions, style, color, weight, and other identifying characteristics of all the materials to be used.