Good advice below from Money Magazine. Also, don't forget to contact an experienced construction attorney. It's like measuring twice and cutting once - just a good idea that can saves time, effort and money later.
(Money Magazine) -- Home improvement is one of the fastest-growing segments of e-commerce. But the consequences of a bad decision when it comes to finding a contractor or remodeling products online are far worse than buying the wrong paperback.
What if those rave reviews you read about a contractor are ringers posted by his daughter -- or if your supposedly in-stock sink order doesn't ship for two weeks, throwing off your entire work schedule?
Follow these tips to avoid glitches and get the most for your money.
To find a contractor: Sites that are driven by consumer ratings are your best bet. That's because you get to see what as many as hundreds of prior customers say about all the pros in your area.
Just watch for sites with anonymous postings and ads that appear in search results that look like positive ratings. In the New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles metro areas, or a few counties in New York, Connecticut, and Florida, check out Franklin-Report.com, which compiles user comments into Zagat-like ratings.
Beyond those regions, a good alternative is Angieslist.com, which charges $5 a month, and uses the credit card info to prevent anyone from creating more than one login in order to
via money.cnn.com








