A M HOME IMPROVEMENTS

I met the contractor as he was working on a neighbor's house. He has done a few others in the neighborhood. He came over, though not when he said, to give me an estimate. He seemed to be working alone, and it was a Sunday. Personable and professional enough, a small business man. We liked the estimate except that it offered 5 years warranty rather than 10 years, which was offered by another contractor (who we are going with). The estimate did not include a certificate of insurance. Without insurance, the homeowner could be liable, so this seems important. By contrast, the contractor we're going with did include his insurance certificate. But the real show-stopper was when I looked up his MA license at the MA Licensing Board, and it showed that it expired two years ago. There are also a few addresses listed for his business, suggesting some instability. We are not hiring this guy over the concerns mentioned above. He might be fine. But another contractor estimated only 3% more, had license, insurance, and a 10-year warranty, plus they have 6 "A" reviews on Angie's List, so we are hiring them instead. I give a D rating for professionalism because of expired MA license and not providing an insurance certificate. The C rating overall reflects these problems.