FAQs
- What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
5 Questions to Ask your Minnesota Stucco Contractor. Although most people arent stucco experts, they do know a great stucco job when they see one. Stucco has had it's share of bad PR lately mostly due to Mold issues. In the 1970's changes to the universal building codes and changes in window manufacturing created the perfect storm for this centuries old siding application. Houses that were now required to be tightly wrapped with a non-permaible material no longer "breathed" and windows improperly flashed (for stucco) led to many homeownership nightmares. Prior to these changes, Stucco enjoyed a prestigious reputation as being the siding of choice for high end homes and commercial buildings, offering a durable, safe, low or now maintenance treatment. Stucco technology has changed very little across the years and remains and excellent and safe choice for any building provided it's applied by a knowledgable and skilled professional. This cannot be emphasized enough. Local and state requirements for "siding" applicators have been relaxed. To protect your investment make sure you hire a Stucco contractor based on these 5 guidelines. 1. Are you a licensed contractor in the state of Minnesota? To acquire a license, a contractor must prove he has workers compensation and liability insurance, participate in continuing education, and pass two basic tests on building codes and legal issues. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry lists current licensed contractors www.dli.mn.gov. 2. Do you have specific insurance to apply stucco? This is the most critical question for consumers to get answered. Any of Minnesotas 13,000 contractors can pull a permit to do stucco work, but few are insured specifically to apply stucco. Stucco application insurance VERY expensive - complete coverage can be as much as 60k per year for a small company. Your stucco bid from a company that has this insurance will reflect this cost. But it's worth it! No matter how much the small stucco patch job is - use a contractor that is properly insured. If your home has a structural issue related to your stucco work and your contractors company has dissolved, your only legal recourse is if the company was insured specifically to apply stucco. This begs the next obvious related question...If your company isnt around, who will cover the warranty? 3. Who does the work? Company employees or outside crews? If the company you sign a contract with hires another company to show up and do the work (sub-contracting), legal responsibility becomes confused and issues of legitimacy and accountability may arise if there is a problem down the road. Operating a legitimate Stucco Company is expensive. Workman's compensation and Unemployment Insurance are the priced at highest premium levels. Many Stucco companies are simply not prepared to handle all the financial demands of operating a top notch Stucco Company and fail. Make sure the company you choose is financially sound. Protect your investment with due diligence on the front end. 4. What is the experience level of your crews? It takes a decade to master all aspects of this craft, and an inexperienced crew can create more problems than they solve. Procedures and skills do not necessarily transfer from one climate to another, or from commercial to residential projects. There are also different nuances to stucco application depending upon the age of a home. Choose a contractor that has plenty of positive references going back at least 10 years. 5. Where is your business located? LOCAL is GREENER. When choosing a Stucco Contractor - local is better. Jobs that are closer to the company warehouse are more environmentally friendly; equipment and materials are heavy and vehicles burn lots of fuel, increasing the carbon footprint. There is also a personal reputation at stake when performing jobs in the community where you live.