What to consider when hiring contractor

Dollars and sense

David Uffington

King Features

Updated: Jun 30, 2013, 7:30 PM

Published: Jun 28, 2013, 2:05 PM

If a home repair or remodeling project is beyond your abilities and you need to hire a contractor, be cautious.
Remodeling and home repair are areas that are ripe for cons and scams, so take appropriate steps to ensure that your project comes out the way you hoped. Before you start, know what you want and what your budget will be.
To start the hunt for a contractor, get referrals from friends and family.
Conduct phone interviews of each potential contractor and ask if he or she has worked on projects the size of yours and whether he or she will give you a list of current and previous clients.
Gather written estimates from three or four of your potential contractors. Know what you want in your project but be willing to listen to ideas. Estimates should include full materials lists (as well as where the items will be purchased) and the cost of labor. Have the potential contractor include a proposed payment schedule, and read it carefully.
Any contractor who wants half the money up front might have financial problems or will abscond with the money without doing any work. Aim for no more than 10 percent up front, with other payments made at points of completion through the project, with approximately 20 percent held until the project is finished and approved.
Toss out any estimates that are extremely low.
Contact the local Better Business Bureau to ask about any complaints on the contractors on your list. Also, call the consumer-protection agency for your state.
Contact the clients on the lists you were provided and ask if they were happy with the work. Ask if you can see the projects. Drive by current projects and see how they look.
Once you’ve chosen a contractor, put your deal in writing, including drawings you’ve made, which the contractor should sign; a copy of the workman’s compensation policy and liability insurance; a schedule and a lien statement. The last is important, because you could be stuck with the bill if the contractor doesn’t pay off subcontractors and materials suppliers.
If you think that all these steps aren’t necessary, the BBB has issued a report listing the top 10 categories of consumer issues it was called about in 2012. Roofing contractors, general contractors, plumbers, heating and air conditioning, and construction and remodeling services are all in the top 10.

Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port

The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

GardenCityTerminal — The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

Bryan County News

Updated: May 23, 2018, 1:59 AM

Published: May 23, 2018, 2:00 AM

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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