'A good contractor is booked out [for] months': 25+ Blue Collar Folk Provide the Dos and Don'ts Blueprint to Hiring a Dependable Contractor

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Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor
Nov 5, 2023 2:00 PM EST

Are you doing a little remodeling around the house? It's a daunting job trying to hire a contractor that you know is going to be dependable and provide work that's up to your expectations. You search for contractors online and you are overwhelmed with a plethora of possibilities. Should you go with the one that has great reviews on Yelp, but their website looks like it hasn't been updated since 1999? Or do you go with the contractor that has an amazing website, but only like 5 reviews? Or maybe you should go with the one your uncle told you to because he's had some good work done, but also, he doesn't have the best reputation for making good financial decisions… So what do you dooooo?? Well, luckily, Reddit is a fantastic source for getting questions answered by people who have been in the same position as you. Below, contractors and other folk with blue collar experience have come to lay down an easy blueprint to follow when looking to hire a contractor. Let your anxiety with this part of your project be eased below! 

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  • 01
    HUSKY
    via U.S. Army Corps via Flickr
  • 02
    Posted by u/blbassist1234 1 day ago Is it a bad sign when a contractor is almost immediately available to start work? I've heard multiple people say a good contractor is booked out months. Any truth to that?
    via u/blbassist1234
  • 03
    jakgal04 1 day ago That's a pretty poor metric to go by. They could have had a gap in projects, or someone that cancelled, or they could have hired more workers, etc. I would go based off actual reviews from people in your area, or project pictures, especially if they have a Facebook page or something.
    via u/jakgal04
  • 04
    Intrepid00 23 hr. ago People also generally don't like doing projects around the holidays which is starting now. You can sometimes get work quicker and cheaper if you are willing to tolerate the mess and noise over it.
    via u/intrepid00
  • 05
    padizzledonk 18 hr. ago This a 1000x Beennin the reno business for almost 30y, from about Nov 14th to Jan 14th its very slow and a LOT of reputable contractors will have opening simply because people Strangers don't want to deal with all that nonsense between thanksgiving a new year's
    via u/padizzledonk
  • 06
    notawhingymillenial 1 day ago I've got nothing on the books at present because- 1.one cancellation 2.site work delays- which will likely delay project significantly at this point
    via u/notwhingymillenial
  • 07
    3.refused a few projects because the customers were simply not reasonable in their expectations 4.refused a couple more projects because the customers obviously could not afford it and wanted to discuss 'creative financing' with me 5.deer season
    via u/notwhingymillenial
  • 08
    blue60007 1 day ago On the other hand, a contractor that's booked out for months could just be way behind on projects and not have good time management/planning. I'm not sure it's a useful metric by itself. Certain types of work will have seasons too (like roofing).
    via u/blue60007
  • 09
    Ya-im-that-guy - 23 hr. ago People have been saying that "good contractors are booked out for months" because that has been the reality since covid. While social activities were shut down, wealthy people sucked up all the contractors to do renovations and additions to their vacation properties.
    via u/Ya-Im-That-Guy
  • 10
    BruceInc 22 hr. ago A good contractor manages their time well. A good contractor has enough resources to take on multiple projects at same time. I have over 40 open projects right now. We will be done with all of them on time. Being available immediately is an art form not a negative.
    via u/BruceInc
  • 11
    lost_in_life_34. 1 day ago depends on the job. I've talked to legit fence contractors and they had a few week lead time. same with a roof since those are quick jobs. something like demo and and then remodeling of kitchens or other rooms takes longer and it might be a red flag if you're talking to a handyman and not a legit contractor then they start quick too
    via u/lost_in_life_34
  • 12
    Raidriar06 21 hr. ago Yeah we're booked out months. But some of the guys I use can get out there on short notice. These guys aren't really looking for work since I keep them busy enough, so if they're between projects they can squeeze you in if they know I don't have them scheduled for a couple weeks.
    via u/Raidriar06
  • 13
    Dredly 1 day ago Depends on the job, a lot of contractors who do outside work typically may be switching to inside work for the winter, or they just wrapped one job and didn't want to book another based on unknown delays
    via u/Dredly
  • 14
    Malfallaxx 1 day ago It depends on the type of contractor too. Right now is usually a great time to get a fence or deck put in because a lot of people aren't blowing up contractors to get one installed before the winter. Just too many variables to make this any sort of rule
    via u/Malfallaxx
  • 15
    zhemer86 23 hr. ago I'm having my yard redone currently and I went with the guy who could start immediately. Multiple bids all came in close to each other and one of the other companies even said things are really slow right now.
    via u/zhemer86
  • 16
    Ultimately the company I went with was small and the owner is the guy pushing the crew and for us we appreciated that the person who we originally spoke to was the person who would he overseeing the work.
    via u/zhemer86
  • 17
    pixiedoll339 22 hr. ago My BIL is an amazing tile setter. He often has gaps due to tiles not being delivered on time or the customer not ordering enough as recommended.
    via u/pixiedoll339
  • 18
    mjake15 23 hr. ago I could be busy but I choose to take it easy around this time. Family, holidays and good ol fashioned doing nothing are in my list. That's not to say that if a potential client contacts me with a sweet project I might just fit it into my schedule of doing nothing. Cash is cash.
    via u/mjake15
  • 19
    Which-Sell-2717 - 18 hr. ago I'm a handyman and my work is almost completely spread by word of mouth and repeat business. It's a small operation and I'm still growing to a point to where I can advertise. Small though my business is, my clients are very happy with my work. I know this from their own reactions, words, recommendations, and repeat business. However, my work weeks tend to come together only a week or two in advance.
    via u/Which-Sell-2717
  • 20
    Sometimes, I'm available same- week. It all depends on whether or not I'm doing other projects (I'm also a scenic carpenter for theatre and live events as well as an actor.) I'd love to be booked out for weeks in advance but I'm a one- man operation and I also juggle being a dad and working around my wife's work schedule. I'm spread thin! Still, not being booked up for weeks is not an indication of the quality of my work. Please don't let that one metric be the sole indicator of the quality of a
    via u/Which-Sell-2717
  • 21
    TimsZipline 21 hr. ago So many factors but most people don't want work done during the holidays. Same way most people don't want to move. My uncle was a contractor for 20 years and it was common for work to shrivel up when winter hit only to be booked out months in the spring. From Halloween to thanksgiving I expect many contractors to have open windows for work.
    via u/TimsZipline
  • 22
    Pleasant Giraffe9133 1 day ago . Nah. Had a tree guy come out to my neighbors house removing a tree, had my wife go over and talk to him as the guy was Hispanic (you usually get a better deal if you're also Hispanic from personal experience) and he also did some trimming and removing a dead tree the same day for cheap. Tested the grounds first just to make sure he actually knew about trees so the he wouldn't kill it by trimming it too much and he was good to go
    via u/Pleasant_Giraffe9133
  • 23
    Comrade_X 22 hr. ago Just had some Masonary work done and the contractor who I met last Tuesday for a quote was initially going to start later this week then messaged me over the weekend that he can be here and the crew can start on Monday morning so less than a week after the quote.
    via u/Comrade_X
  • 24
    He had really good reviews all over the place and the price was very good but just like you I was a little concerned. His guys came as promised Monday am, finished what I thought would be at least a two+ day job in a day with spectacular results. I am super happy with how everything turned out and for a very reasonable price too! So fast turnaround isn't always a red flag even though I can see how it can seem that way.
    via u/Comrade_X
  • 25
    FantasticCombination 20 hr. ago Absolutely. Things change. I had a small to medium size job. I told a contracting company I was looking for economical ways to do the job. I said I wanted quality, but didn't need luxury, was looking for ways to keep costs contained, and could be flexible. I asked if he had ideas to accomplish that. The owner, who was out to look at the job, sighed and said he had several jobs in my neighborhood over the next few weeks and if I could be ready to let his guys in in
    via u/FantasticCombination
  • 26
    in around his other jobs. A crew started the next day for about 90 minutes at about 4:00. They came back intermittently mostly at the end of the day and finished up with a full day. The owner got to fill gaps in his crews' schedules and I got a decent price with a sooner start date than expected.
    via u/FantasticCombination
  • 27
    mtcwby 22 hr. ago That's not a way I'd judge. For most of the things I have done I want to be the filler because I let it be known and they usually give me a better bid. Last shop I built was with a GC who did custom home. He knew there was a lot of dead time waiting for inspections and the like and my project was perfect and close to home to fill in an afternoon here and there and I wasn't in a rush. The work quality was high and I don't think it took much more than a week longer than it would
    via u/mctwby
  • 28
    thcanadiancontractor 21 hr. ago I consider myself a good contractor, due to interest rate hikes 3 of my large projects got put on hold, a bathroom remodel got canceled because there brothers cousin decided to do it cheaper and I'm currently waiting on some permits, basicly you could call me right now and as long as your projects going to take less then a month i could start it tomorrow, usually the ones " booked out months" are either bad at time management or need to hire more guys or they actu
    via u/thcanadiancontractor
  • 29
    Xerolaw 20 hr. ago Mine scheduled a month later but contacted us when an opening appeared the very next week. We accepted and got to finish in 3 days a month early. In my case, it was good communication for unforseen availability
    via u/Xerolaw_
  • 30
    Top-Improvement-1644 20 hr. ago Ask to tour a current project, talk to former clients. I'm a plumbing contractor and we have gaps in work from time to time. Normally we are booked out at least 2 months
    via u/Top-Improvement-1644
  • 31
    ItsGotToMakeSense 20 hr. ago I'd be more concerned about reliability and professionalism. A few red flags to look out for: They promise things that don't get put into writing, or are unclear about what precisely you'll be paying and what precisely they're going to be doing They ask for a lot of money up front They are wishy-washy about scheduling They don't have a real online presence
    via u/tsGotToMakeSense
  • 32
    Centerof Chaos - 19 hr. ago Depends on a multitude of factors with your job. I get recommendations from neighbors who have larger/more properties than I do so sometimes a contractor can squeeze me in because my job is small or more straightforward comparatively. It's possible whomever you contacted saw you as an easy and quick client.
    via u/CenterOfChaos
  • 33
    ScopeColorado. 19 hr. ago Get familiar with the project you're hiring out as much as you can, so that who ever contractor you get to finally hire will definitely be a good one regardless of whether they're ready to go the next second or year. Do your own due diligence!
    via u/ScopeColorado
  • 34
    ignizoi 14 hr. ago Good contractors are often booked months out. So book ahead if that is an option. However, good contractors also often have openings in their schedules for a variety of reasons. Don't just write them off because they're available.
    via u/ignizoi

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