Page 16 - Hawaii Renovation - Oct 9, 2022

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HAWAII RENOVATION
OCTOBER 9, 2022
TROPICAL WHOLESALE
your hard-earned money spent. For exam- ple, if you need your windows changed or vinyl siding installed, hire Tropical Whole- sale because we are the first and best in Ha- waii at installing vinyl windows and vinyl siding. Because we specialize, we will have better products and better prices.
7) Ask about service and warranties. Make sure all warranties are from the facto- ries as well as the contractor. I’ve seen a lot of mainland contractors warrant everything and then be out of business in two years. Protect yourself by being akamai. Ask who does the service.
8) Make sure you get a complete job. Example: When installing windows make sure that the removal of rotten wood and painting are included. If the job is only a shortcut job, then why do the job? If home- owners look into a job installation guideline handbook, it will always say, “make sure to get a complete job.”
9) “Buy local.” For many reasons, but the most important reason is Hawaii people stay in Hawaii. Mainland contractors come and go. Buy local and your contractor will be here when you need him.
10) Never give all the money to any contractor or supplier upfront. Even 50% is too much of a deposit. In the home im- provement business, paying too much upfront is just not smart. This is normally is a sign of desperation or cash flow issues for the contractor.
When purchasing windows, roofing or vinyl siding, call Tropical Wholesale, one of the oldest home improvement contrac- tors in Hawaii where “Vinyl is Final,” you will “never paint again” and you can “buy local.” Visit our showroom 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat- urdays at 1351 S. Beretania St. Call us at 808-593-2000, 808-263-1252 or 808-456- 4892.
When the time comes to change your windows, install a new roof or vinyl siding, how do home- owners know what contractor to trust and who to contact? What should homeowners look for? While researching the question, we decided to ask one of Hawaii’s old- est home improvement contractors, Matt Houar, and his son, Mike, owners of Tropi- cal Wholesale. The first answer was “call us.” With over 20,000 customers, they are the best. After that, here were their sugges- tions.
1) The obvious, of course, is make sure you hire a licensed contractor.
2) In Hawaii, this automatically means the contractor has insurance (workers’ com- pensation and liability insurance).
3) Check to see if the contractor is bond- ed. Keep in mind it may not be required, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Bonding protects you, the homeowner. A bonded con- tractor is a responsible contractor.
4) Check the BBB, Yelp and other sites to see what you may be getting into.
5) Make sure your prospective contrac- tor has been in business for at least 15 years. Any contractor that makes 15 years normal- ly is doing something right. Fifteen years in Hawaii — not 12 somewhere else and three in Hawaii.
6) When you hire a contractor, it’s nor- mally not smart to hire a mason to do paint- ing or an electrician to do plumbing. Hire the specialist you need to get the best job for
TROPICAL WHOLESALE CONTACT
808-593-2000 • 808-263-1252
ADDRESS
1351 S. Beretania St., Honolulu
WEB
twoahu.com