Ottati & Associates
Washington, DC 20016 202-363-3210
Ratings
Consumer Ratings for Ottati & Associates — 1 Ratings
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Contractors: Remodelers & General Articles
Thinking About a Home Remodel? Here’s Where to Start
Begin by carefully considering what you think you want and how you can get it. Weigh your wish list against what you’ll probably pay to fulfill it.
Planning a Home Remodel
If you’re adding new rooms, making substantial changes to the existing floor plan, or dealing with complex structural or functional questions, you’ll need to hire professional design help. There are several design options and combinations of options.
How to Check Out Contractors
Some homeowners leave contractor vetting and selection to their architects or house designers, but most make the call themselves, and rightly so: It’s the most important step.
Getting Prices and Proposals for Remodeling Work
Checkbook’s undercover shoppers asked contractors to bid on three different projects. Company-to-company price differences were striking. For the largest of the jobs, quotes ranged from $190,000 to $321,000—a difference of more than $130,000.
What a Contract for Remodeling Work Should Include
Once you’ve picked a contractor, have it prepare a written contract. It should include the following information for medium-sized and major projects; but even if your project is small, many of these points also apply.
Your Role During a Remodel
You can do a lot to help the job run smoothly, finish on time, and produce the best possible results.
Should You Buy Products Yourself for a Remodel?
You can use our advice and price ratings to pay less—often a lot less—for appliances, fixtures, flooring, plantings, and many other products that you can buy on your own, rather than having your contractor buy them for you. But should you?
Financing Options for Remodeling Work
You have several options to pay for your project. Cash certainly is the easiest: no applications, no forms, no appraisals, no debt, no interest. However, many homeowners borrow to cover large remodeling jobs.
More Articles »
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Consumer Comments for Ottati & Associates
Oct 31, 2013
I think the highest recommendation of all is that many clients ask him to keep their keys after their renovation is finished so he can come back for future needs, including emergency repairs when they are away.
His rates are competitive and he is very respectful of your budget, which in my experience is not always the case. Also, his crew are full time employees with benefits (beware of a trap I fell into years ago - "contractors" who use day laborers!)
He is currently doing a significant renovation for me and I couldn't be happier. His painters are fantastic - far better than even the priciest painter in DC. I hope I'll never have to look for a painter again! FYI, I interviewed a few other design/build firms and several architects. I heard some horror stories that made me realize you have to be careful with design/build - without an architect to help oversee quality control, review billing etc you can run into real trouble. That will not be an issue with Bruce.