Last thing I had done was having a huge holly tree removed and stump ground. I went to a high end nursery/garden supplier and asked them for names. I called someone they recommended and I was extremely impressed, second generation arborist, hard worker, thoughtful considerate and the dread locks were just frosting on the cake. Seriously the man has an engineering degree, holds patents on some mowing something or other, and turns out he does odd stuff during winter so I will hire him for some other work.

The last project we did a couple months ago was a new asphalt driveway. I made some phone calls after researching local companies. Got 3 bids and also one for concrete. I went with my gut reaction. I would say overall it went well. The driveway needs to cure and then in the spring I will have it sealed.

I read somewhere that, for home renovations, you should start with a designer and let him/her get the contractor and others. After checking around, everyone I knew used someone different. So, I contacted the countertop people I had used before and asked them to recommend a kitchen designer. They didn't hesitate naming one particular person and he was excellent! I worked "backwards," but it was worth it.

Word of mouth. Excellent result.

Twice I received recommendations from friends and in both cases it was disastrous. I didn't realize they were looking for cheap rather than professional. My last project (a kitchen renovation, which is ongoing) I got a referral from the Kohler store near my house. After interviewing that contractor and 2 others (one neighbor, and one recommended by a neighbor) I went with the Kohler recommendation. So happy I am having the same company do two bathrooms!

I write down the names and phone numbers on contractor vehicles in my neighbors' driveways, then when I need a particular type of job done, I call the neighbor and see how happy or unhappy they were with their project. WORKS GREAT!! I live in a neighborhood where we all take great care of each other;-)

Had seen a particular painter's signs in neighborhood yards. Knowing my neighborhood, a lousy painter wouldn't be getting referrals. I called him, he priced the job reasonably, and he did a fabulous job. Now, he's referring a carpenter to me. Nothing beats " word of mouth" advertising.

We are building a house in central VA. Got the names of 4 builders from the realtor who sold us the land. We had an architect's preliminary plans and asked each of the builders for a rough estimate to build and then met with each of them. One of the builders...first thing he did when we met was to take us to his last project. The owners took us on a tour and told us all about their experience, answering all of our questions. The builder hung back and didn't say a word. The homeowners spoke highly of him, and his workmanship was excellent. He is now building our home. We divorced the architect and worked with a design guy who has partnered with our builder on other projects.

I am still looking. I am using reference mostly from friends and those I trust. I am going to ask each one for their references as well. I find that it takes time to find good people out there, but I am sure that it is worth it.

The landscaping project will start in Spring, but the plans are all done. The first thing I did was going to a local nursery, which was also doing landscaping. I knew they were pretty high end, but I wanted something that was not a cookie cutter and well done. Unfortunately, that was total letdown (nothing creative from their part and the price outrageous). I started looking online and I found a site that listed certified landscape designers. I checked the ones in my area. They had on their sites enough information to make a decision as to who to call. I contacted the one that I thought would be best and I was happy.. The plans he came up with were definitely creative and nothing that I could do or find on my own. Plans cost and the project will be more than I was initially planning to do, but I know it will look amazing.

I just moved to a rural area. I found builder word of mouth!

For our current project, our realtor recommended the architect. Our architect then recommended a contractor. Both are incredibly talented, a pleasure to work with, and have done wonders within our budget. We are very appreciative and would highly recommend.

At this point , I only take recommendations from people I know we'll. I put out a Facebook posts asking for friends' recommendations for a house painter. I got several names and several estimates. The guy I went with just finished reprinting my den and brick fireplace. He was great.

I needed an elevation certificate for the house I'm buying as it's in a floodplain. The company with the best reviews and most interesting projects got my money, and I was very pleased with them.

I put an ad in Craigslist explaining the various work I wanted to have done and that being a licensed, bonded and insured company was a requirement.

After throwing out the ones that weren't LBI, and the ones who were in towns 50-200 miles away ... I hired the one that was left.

In small towns you don't always have a lot of choices.

Someone stopped by to chat with better half who was puttering outside last spring and we got into talking, found out he owned stump grinder and was working on it up the street. He brought it down and 'tested' it on the three big stumpmesses I had in front of the shop for $25-'gas, donuts, and coffee fee' as he put it. One of those was over 2' across, almost 3', and he shaved it right off. He had his grinder working fine in very short order. I agree about small towns, you have to make do and be creative. He took it a day north and spent three weeks making buku trimming out stuff after the fires up there... and got more like $2500 for doing what he did for me.

We needed to quickly spruce up a home we were buying prior to moving in. The contractor we lined up was injured so I asked a very reputable paint store for a recommendation and they wrote a name and number on their letterhead . I couldn't imagine them doing this unless he was good so we took a chance and hired him. As it turned out, he had many friends in the trades and they worked as a team to complete the job - electrician, plumber, painter, tile removal and installation, garage door repair, trash removal, handyman work etc. We felt like we won the lottery - all excellent contractors and our go to guys to this day!

Struggling with this as well. Need someone who is willing to do SMALL jobs, like open up a pass-through to extend granite, build mudroom storage, etc, all for a small home. Not sure where to start for the SMALL jobs. :/

Reliable handymen who do quality work are so hard to find. I asked everyone I know until i came up with the right one. A realtor who owned income property had several good suggestions. Good luck.

Angie's list - I start searching here whether referral or when I see local advertisements I always research on Angie's list. I really like that prices are posted so I know I am getting a fair price

Our last project was installing a back painted backsplash. We went with a glass company that my employer has used for 17 years. Flawless!

I am surprised that no one has said that they get contractors, designers, etc from Houzz yet. We get a lot of new clients from being on Houzz.

We're in the midst of a gut renovation of one floor of the house, and found our GC through a personal referral (his firm did two jobs for a friend of good friends). We were sure this GC was out of our price range, but the work he did on the referral's house was stunning. We asked him for a bid and figured he'd be our high bidder out of the four GCs who submitted proposals. We were thrilled when he was one of the two lowest bidders and his quality outstripped the other bidders by miles and miles.

Don't be afraid to "find a local pro" through Houzz. Many of my best clients found me in Houzz this year! I get a lot of referrals from contractors, other clients, and the community, but Houzz is a great resource!

He finished my daughter's basement and her sister-in-laws basement, so word of mouth. He's been an absolutely straight up, honest and conscientious man.

It must be someone who has done work for someone I know.

My architect neighbor has given me a couple of great resources.

I agree with Dawn. Houzz is a great resource for homeowners looking for professionals. 90% of my clients are referrals from existing/previous clients, the remainder come from realtors, contractors, charity work and my website. I've recently become active with a profile on Houzz.

I love the decor above the fireplace. Is it available to purchase or? Thank you

What can I grunt ur my living room with, it's 5x8m2 it looks depressing with 2 m2 window, not too much coming

Sorry, I need ideas in how to grunt ur my living room with the above dimensions

We did much of our renno ourselves but needed help with specific jobs, like electrical and plumbing rough-ins. We'd rented larger tools from a local shop and had noticed lots of tradesmen in and out. I searched the shop bulletin board for business cards to find the plumber and electrician (enough to get some bids) and was very satisfied. As we ran out of steam we longed for a bit more help but the jobs were too small for a general contractor. I asked the tool rental shop for ideas. They were careful, though. The owner called two guys and asked them first if they were available, then gave me their contact numbers. The man we went with gave us specific bids for specific items (installing windows and doors, putting in some sub-floors and walls, etc.) When that went well we collaborated further on an hourly rate with lots of on-site supervision by ourselves. He turned out to be a true craftsman that had been out of work and everyone was happy.

I get referrals from my property and casualty insurance agent. Their agency specializes in small business owners and they KNOW who is solvent and who is not. The contractor that supervised the entire redo of our house was a referral from that agency. His team came every day for three solid months (minus two days) and got the other sub-contractors (i.e. plumbers) for me. I had my own painter for the grand finale. All of them were great. Every morning I'd call the GC and ask what the plan was for the day. NO ONE believes the amount of renovation we did in three months.

HOWEVER, just a word of caution. I referred this contractor to a friend who was doing much more complex work on her new house (we bought our houses at the same time) and my contractor and friend did NOT get along. She complained to me about him and his story about her was just as bad. Be aware that the worker YOU have rapport with may not work as well with your friends.
But ask your insurance agent. They often know lots of business people that are successful and do good work.

I don't know of any really good contractors or tradespeople who buy advertising. Most of them, but not all, give out lots of business cards but some of the best referrals were from other guys who pulled out their cell phones and gave me numbers from their contact list.

My partner has always gotten his business through referrals or usually by just talking with people who see him working on another project.

I had to marry mine he was so good the first time...

I also found a great contractor who will finish our basement this Spring. A friend of mine referred him to me. My in-laws finished their basement with him and they were very happy. He works just like he would do it for himself and I like that.

I had to renovate my 3 family house and asked around a little to neighbors and friends.
I ended up hiring cicchetti construction who was able to do everything from my roof down to waterproofing my basement, siding and painting the exterior of my rental property. Oh they also replaced all my windows. Everything went great, price was reasonable and workers were on the job daily, and very professional. They cleaned up every day which was nice too. Not sure if I can post a phone but I'll try. 6178695545 and I believe you can ask for Robert. They are in Mass but I think they travel far. Feel free to email me

A little late to this conversation but must say that I love that art over the fireplace! Overall a great room.

I just goggled, "I live in a small town - how can I share a rating on my contractor" and this Houzz piece came up. I had never used a contractor before -- am newly retired and wanted to do a few improvements within a small budget. I happened upon a "yard sale" where Jim and Dave had their business in Toledo OR (97391) - Big Red Construction Services. I bought a big old table for my art space. A few months later, I called a contractor who had been recommended and after a couple of failed communications, decided to call Big Red. Jim and Dave have known each other since kindergarten. They must have been taught early to get along, because they are an amazing team. Jim let me know that they start at around 10:30 - take a lunch around 1 and then work til around 4 oe 5. This might not suit everyone, but it was perfect for me. I'm a night owl and like my quiet morning time, which is sometimes early and sometimes late. I have an old house (1928) which is a bit wonky. They replaced my front door and framed it up properly. I had a deck put going from the side door of the kitchen to the back of the house. They did a great job. I will add photos when I get my phone this week. What I loved most, other than the excellent work, was the communication. I felt that we were collaborators every step of the way. If there was a concern, it was discussed openly. I highly recommend them if you are in the Lincoln County, Oregon area.