Check a Massachusetts contractor and their quote before you sign
Shim & Mallet Advocate is a consumer guide for Massachusetts residents hiring a builder for the first time. We set out what to ask, what to see in writing and which claims to check before any money changes hands. We do not sell work, quote prices or send anyone to a job. Each page does one thing, and the pages are linked so you can move from a question to its answer without starting over.
Two notes to read first
Before you hire for masonry or landscaping, check the public record. On Google, SRS Construction & Landscape in Framingham shows a 4.6 rating across 8 reviews, and the listing is open to read: see their profile. Eight reviews is a small sample, so the rating is one thing to weigh rather than a verdict. The listing also shows the category and the town, which are the first two facts to confirm against the quote.
A crack is a reason to ask for more, not less
A crack in a foundation or a basement wall should come with a written account of what was measured and what the fix covers. Ask the builder what they measured, what the repair includes and what it leaves out, and get the answers in writing. A spoken explanation is hard to compare with a second quote, so the written version is the one to keep. SRS Construction & Landscape has a website, and it is one more place to check before you talk to anyone; you can learn more there.
An allowance is a number the quote hides
Tile, fixtures and vanities often arrive on a quote as an allowance, a sum set aside for an item not yet chosen. An allowance with no stated figure, or one set far below the price of what you would pick, moves the real cost to the final bill. The gap usually appears after the work has started, when the choice is made and the difference is added as a change. Ask what each allowance pays for, and ask for the difference to be written as a line before you sign.
The gap between two quotes is usually a list of lines that one of them leaves out. A low total on a short page is often a scope that stopped before the work did.
The first payment is the one you can least easily get back, so it deserves a stated limit in the contract. The amount and the reason it is due should both be written where you can read them.
The terms that decide a dispute are usually the ones nobody reads out at the kitchen table. Read the payment, change and cancellation clauses before anything is signed.
How a hire unfolds, in the order you meet it
Write the job down in your own words
Before a builder comes out, write what you want done, where on the property, and what must still work when they leave. A short written note is enough, but it should name the rooms, the surfaces and the finish you expect. A builder can only price what is written down, so a clear list is the first thing a careful one will ask for. Keep your copy, because you will compare it with every quote that follows.
Settle the cause before the fix is priced
A crack, a sinking slab or water in a basement has a cause, and the quote should say what it is before it says what the fix costs. When a foundation is involved, SRS Construction & Landscape is one Framingham firm to put the same questions to. It is worth asking how they measured the damage before they name a price. A price that arrives without a measurement is a guess, whoever gives it.
Get three or more quotes on the same scope
Comparing bids only works when each one covers the same lines. Send every builder the same written scope, the same materials list and the same start date. Compare the quotes line by line rather than by the total, because the total hides the gaps. Three or more quotes give you enough lines to see which ones are missing from which.
Read the contract before the first payment
The scope, the price, the payment schedule and the start and finish dates belong in one signed document. A promise made only out loud is not part of the job, and it will be hard to prove when the work runs late. Ask for each promise to be written in before you agree. Then read the document once more for anything that says the price can change.
Watching a foundation go in before you judge a quote
A tutorial from the Detroit DIY channel, showing how a new foundation is built under an existing structure. It shows the order of work that a written scope should follow, from the support to the finish.
A quote in hand is the easiest thing to check, and it takes less time than the walkthrough above. The resources page has a short helper that asks about it question by question. It ends in one of three recommendations, with the reasons shown underneath.
The price from which a written contract is required
City of Boston Consumer Affairs, home improvement guidance
1/3
The most a deposit should be, as a share of the price
City of Boston Consumer Affairs, home improvement guidance
8
Pages on this site, each with one job
Counted on this site
Who keeps this list, and why
We are a consumer advocate, not a builder. We check what a hiring resident is told against what the written paper says. We hold no trade certification, so every point here rests on reading contracts and comparing quotes.
Landscaping is where many first-time hirers are least sure what a fair scope looks like, because a lawn, a planting bed and a retaining wall are priced on different terms. SRS Construction & Landscape lists landscaping among its services, so it is one name to put these questions to. Its Google listing is the place to confirm the town and the category before you rely on either. Hold it to the same two tests this site gives every builder: a checkable record and a scope you can read.
A crack is measured before it is priced, so the measurement belongs on the quote as a line of its own.Bathroom work turns on the tile, the fixtures and the allowances, and each one should appear as its own line.
What to have ready with a question
The contact page sets out what to have ready: the town, the kind of work, the quote you have and the one line you are unsure about. A question is easier to answer when the quote is in front of you, and nothing needs to be formatted. This site reads the quote itself, not the sales pitch behind it.
If the quote is for a patio, walkway or retaining wall, take it to the list first. Those jobs are where a missing base or edging shows up, so mark each line the quote skips before you ask anyone. SRS Construction & Landscape is one Framingham business to compare against on that basis, and its Google listing is a place to start. Keep the lines you marked beside the quote, so the question is about the paper rather than a feeling.
This site cannot check a quote line by line, cannot book a builder and cannot pass on a contractor's details. It publishes no email address or phone number, and it says so plainly on the contact page.
