For homeowners who want to support small businesses like family-operated companies with roofers or contractors who are just starting in the industry, working with small home improvement companies can make a big difference in the local economy. Since smaller companies have less corporate control, they tend to be more willing to work with homeowners who need longer payment plans or other considerations in many cases. They also tend to be comprised of your neighbors and community members, so it can feel good to make new local connections while putting money directly into the pockets of people you may know.
If you’re looking for roofers who know the local landscape and weather patterns well enough to give you specialized advice about what roofing materials work best in your area, small home improvement companies can also be the way to go. Some owners and contractors of small home improvement businesses also live close to your town, which makes it convenient for them to do a job on short notice. If you have a maintenance emergency in the middle of the night, one of the services listed below might be the best one to call for quick service.
Why Use Small Home Improvement Services
Utilizing small home improvement companies to do repairs and renovations can have many benefits. If you would like to work with someone who knows the weather and expenses for materials in your area, a small business is more likely to have that information if they’re local to you than a larger corporation would. Additionally, it can be helpful to build connections with contractors in your area so that if they need to pull other contractors into a project, they’ll have an established network to use.
Another reason why it’s a good idea to use small businesses for as many of your home improvement needs as you can is that they can conveniently return to your home if they don’t do the job right the first time. A normal part of the home improvement process is something not holding or going awry after the contractors leave. If you’re working with a large company, you may not even be able to keep track of the names of contractors or they might be out of town on another job by the time you notice a flaw in their work. It’s easier for them to come back and make things right if they’re a small business that operates in your region.
1. Gutter Installation Services
If your local roofers noticed issues with your gutter when working on your roof, you may need to replace it. Although it can seem intimidating to replace gutters on your own, you’ll be better off if you call in professionals from a small business. For those who have been doing this work for years, it’s a relatively easy job that requires minimal notice or planning.
One of the benefits of calling local gutter services to work on your home is that they’ll know the best local places to score deals on materials. When the cost of materials goes down, your savings for the job goes up. Additionally, if heavy rains or other outside forces bring your gutter down soon after it’s installed, they’ll be nearby to repair it so your home can drain water and other materials efficiently off the roof again as soon as possible.
2. Fence Installation Services
Whether you love the idea of having more privacy around your property or your old fence is begging to be replaced, you should have a local fence installer do the job. Smaller fence installation companies may be able to give more attention to a fence that is hanging on by a thread instead of opting to replace it immediately. What’s more, they can help you figure out which type of fence would be best for your type of home and yard in your area.
When you want the quintessential white picket fence for your house on a hill, you should go with local fence builders. Working with local small fencing businesses has plenty of perks. From being able to partner with local roofers if your roof also needs attention to knowing which fencing materials last the longest in your region, they’ll have a leg up on larger companies from the get-go.
3. Hardscaping Services
When you would like to add non-living elements to your landscape design, you should contact a small local hardscape to get the job done. Unlike large companies with roofers and other types of contractors, small hardscaping companies are dedicated to perfecting one type of task. They’ll be able to answer any questions you may have about which materials would work best with your type of terrain, what materials are least expensive in your area, and more.
Before you contact a landscaping service, you should know the difference between hardscaping and landscaping. Landscapers handle the parts of your landscape that are alive such as grass, plants, and shrubbery. Hardscapers, on the other hand, deal with non-living elements of a landscape like stone and wooden spaces.
Some hardscaping companies may take care of landscaping needs while others may strictly focus on hardscaping. Additionally, you may find that certain companies are better at one or the other. If you go with a local small business, you’ll be able to look at reviews and see if a company is equally talented at working on both sides of landscaping. Word-of-mouth reviews can also be helpful if you notice that your neighbors have a beautifully landscaped yard with expert hardscape elements.
4. Land Clearers
Although trees are good for the atmosphere, they can wreak havoc on septic systems and other essential parts of modern life. As a result, you may find yourself needing to call land clearing services to take care of problematic trees or make space for expanding your property.
5. Window Installation Services
When your current windows are broken or no longer fit the aesthetic that you would like to have in your home, it may be time to consult with window replacement services. While it might seem like a window is something that you can replace yourself, you’ll be better off if you let the professionals handle it. Windows can be large, heavy objects that are prone to breaking so you shouldn’t put your safety at risk to save a few bucks.
If your windows were damaged in a natural disaster or storm, you should check other parts of your home for damage or let professionals in your area do it for you. When your shutters have been damaged or taken off your home, skilled roofers should check for signs of wear and tear on your roof, as well. One of the major benefits of having a small local window repair business help you with your windows is that they may be open to taking extra time to look at other areas of your home if they have experience working on them.
Local window companies may also be able to use materials from local manufacturers, which can be a relief if you prefer to support your local economy. Although windows that are made in other states or countries can still be high quality, there’s something to be said about putting money back into the pockets of small local manufacturers. When you’re working with small repair businesses, they should know where the source of their materials is and be open to taking suggestions if you would prefer that they purchase supplies from another place as long as you’re willing to pay the difference in price for the cost of materials.
6. Window Blind Services
Blocking out the light in your home can help you have a better night’s sleep and enjoy a sense of privacy in your home. For this reason, you should consider going with a local company for a blind installation on your windows. While you might be able to order blinds from larger companies and install them yourself, local window blind repair services will know how to install your blinds effectively. They may also be able to provide suggestions for the best types of blinds to block out the sun given your location.
Sometimes, getting help from specialized services isn’t necessary. If you hire general contractors who can work as roofers, window blind installers, and more, you might be able to schedule a repair appointment where they can tackle multiple jobs. Since installing window blinds is usually a fairly quick and efficient process, you can ask your team of contractors before the appointment if they would be okay with completing other small tasks while they are at your home.
7. HVAC Services
During seasons that involve extreme temperatures, you’ll want to ensure that you have a small local HVAC contractor in your contacts list in case anything goes wrong in the middle of a heat wave or cold spell. Don’t wait until you turn on your central air system to schedule an inspection to check for problems in the HVAC system. Otherwise, you might end up having to suffer through a heat wave without proper relief. Still, local HVAC contractors may be able to provide emergency maintenance support since they may live closer to you than folks who work at larger companies that service the whole nation.
Since HVAC repairs are only as effective as the insulation in your home and they are affected by other parts of the home, it’s wise to consult with other contractors after an HVAC repair to ensure that you aren’t losing heat or cool air based on other issues. Roofers can check your roof for signs of wear and tear that may let cool air escape or hot air come inside the home from there. Window maintenance professionals may also be able to provide suggestions for either making your current windows better insulated or installing windows that are less likely to let conditioned air seep out of your home during the summer months.
8. Plumbing Services
From flooding toilets to busted pipes, local plumbers have seen it all. Like roofers, they only tend to get called when something needs to be replaced or something is going wrong. As a result, it is a good idea to call local plumbing professionals to help with a problem since they might be backed up if they serve more than your immediate region.
One of the benefits of having local plumbing professionals help with your home plumbing needs is that they should know the local architecture better than plumbing contractors who come from out-of-state. Small plumbing businesses will know how to handle plumbing issues in historic houses in your area because they will most likely see these issues regularly. They can also have a better idea of whether your home might be at risk of the pipes containing lead and other harmful contaminants since they’ll have already tested similar properties for these toxins.
9. DIY Home Improvement Workshops
Sometimes, you might not want to have to call in the roofers to handle a roofing problem or the plumbers to handle a plumbing issue. When you want to broaden your scope of home improvement expertise, it can help to have professionals teach you how to improve your home yourself with new skills. Even if you usually prefer to rely on larger companies to remodel or renovate aspects of your house, it can still be helpful to give your business to small local companies that host workshops for homeowners to improve their homes.
Small home improvement instructors can give individualized attention and answer questions you may have about completing projects. They can also offer payment plans that larger home improvement teaching companies might not. Finally, they might be someone you know or they might be someone who is helpful to start building a local network in the home improvement sphere, so you should give them your business and try to foster a professional relationship rather than going with a larger company that is less personal.
Small home improvement businesses are worth utilizing when you want to get a job done right by roofers and other professionals who care. It feels rewarding to help local community members pay their mortgages or rent by hiring them. Additionally, they may have expertise in regional maintenance problems
