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are done. (If your five year old takes his transformer to the side of your new cabinets and scratches them, it won't be covered under our warranty.) All legitimate items should be taken care of before final payment is made. Also, if a permit was pulled on your project, make sure a final inspection has been signed off by whomever issued the permit as well. Once everything is done and all the details are taken care of, you can make your final payment. Your contractor should give you a lien release for the full amount, or the final amount if they have given you releases as the project progresses. This assures you that a lien cannot be filed on your property for non-payment. If there have been subcontractors or materials suppliers that gave you a preliminary lien notice, make sure you get releases from them as well. This assures you that the main contractor has paid them for their services.

One final note: If your contractor did what they said they would and you are happy with their work, please refer them to your friends, family and neighbors. Referral business is the best for everyone and it is a great way to say thank you' for a job well done. Your contractor will be more than happy to provide you with a number of business cards to facilitate this process and some of them offer referral fees.

As contractors, we really want you to be happy with the job. We are human like everyone else, and we do make mistakes. The true measure of a contractor's worth is how well they handle the challenges that come up on your project. Open and frequent communication is the best way to prevent most problems and handle those issues that do come up. I hope you look forward to your next project with excitement and confidence.

Learn more about this author, Edward Owen.
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