| Year Established | 2002 |
|---|---|
| Business Categories | Landscaping in Riverside, CA |
I hired Keith Shafer to work in my backyard, which included rebuilding concrete patio floor, deck, fence and wall, etc. Only a licensed general contractor is authorized to do the above jobs, and he is only licensed to work as landscape contractor, so he mis-represented himself to begin with. He promised us many things in writing, including getting all the permits that the job required, which he did not follow through on. He collected from us a fat down-payment, which we later found out was against the Contractor License Board’s Business and Professions code. He kept us waiting for more than seven months before he even started some of the work like building fence, wall, etc. I have had mixed experiences with contractors, but my experience with Keith Shafer was an ugly nightmare. Anyone who hires Mr. Shafer must exercise caution in paying him more down payment than is authorized by the Contractor’s Board (10% of the contract amount, or $1,000, whichever is less). Alas for us, we found that out too late.
Always ask for references, and always check them. Keep in mind though that the only references you'll get are people who the contractor is certain will give him a good review. You'd also be well advised to check online review sources in Riverside as well, which will give you a broader view of customer satisfaction for a given company.
This is very important, since an estimate is just that. Many contractors will submit a "paper estimate", meaning they've written the estimate down on paper. The bill is the true amount owed and will almost always say "Invoice" or "Bill" at the top of the page. The bill should also list the date it was issued, the due date of payment, and a list of services rendered.
This really only matters if you have a preference, but it is good to ask. If you have a strong ideological belief about unions or nonunions, it's perfectly acceptable to make a decision based on the preference.
This will be answered when you ask if all employees are licensed. The only way to obtain a legitimate tradesman's license is to be a legal or naturalized citizen of the US. The company may employ people in positions that don't require a license, however, so it's wise to inquire.
This is important mostly for larger jobs. Clearly a two man operation is going to build a home much slower than a 15 man crew. This is also a good indication of the overall size of the Landscaping company, if that's an area of concern for you. The reason you may want to ask about the fleet is that fleet size is a good indicator of the mobility of the company. Mobility may not sound important, but it's hard for the Riverside contractors to get to job sites if they lack appropriate vehicles.
