Planning to hire a contractor to tackle one of your home improvements projects? Here’s how to minimize the bill.

Target the off season
Contractors generally don’t get as much work during the cold months of the year, so you may find it to your advantage to schedule your project for the winter. Arrange for estimates from several contractors, and then inquire about any discounts they can offer for off-season work. Not every contractor will go for this, but it’s certainly worth trying to track down one who will.

Do some of the work yourself
Sure it’s nice to hire someone to handle a project from start to finish, but this may not be the cheapest approach. To minimize the expense of your home improvement project, ask yourself if there are parts of the job that you could do yourself. If, for example, you are hiring someone to finish your basement, consider doing some of the finish work yourself. A little do-it-yourself painting and trim work could be the ticket to a lower bill.

Tackle multiple projects
If you have several home improvement projects going on at once, consider giving them all to the same contractor. You may just be able to negotiate a discounted price for the overall project.

Talk up your project
Often the best way to find a contractor that works for a fair price is to mention your project to friends and family. People are generally quick to recommend contractors that worked out well for them.

Be flexible
A rush job is always going to cost more, so try to be flexible with your completion date. If you can wait until the contractor is able to clear a few projects from his schedule, you may just be rewarded with a cheaper price.

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