Locating a contractor in a small town

This is not so much an update as it is a commentary on locating contractors. In early March, I tried to contact Tom Kelly to come back to our house to repair plaster cracks that were located in the hallway, main living area, dining area, and even on the ceiling in some parts. Despite only being cosmetic defects (according to our structural engineer), fixing the cracks has been a task we wanted to tackle since we moved in and haven't been able to address due to other issues [please see 18 previous blog posts].

Now, one would think that calling a contractor that you've already used and loved would be relatively easy. Not so. We knew that Tom moved the same week he finished up the bath/master plaster ordeal, but we didn't know his phone number changed. When I called his old number, the recording noted it was no longer in use and offered no alternative. I checked the Internet, but only the old number was posted. I searched the new Bedford phone book (which I've learned is THE way to contact people to living in this area) - again, old number listed. At a loss, I called the Bedford Chamber of Commerce. The woman I spoke with was extremely nice and suggested that if I tried all numbers listed for Kelly, I should be able to locate one of his relatives. This idea made me remember that Tom's brother was in the area and might be able to pass along my message. I reread our blog to locate the brother's name (see our blog does have a purpose!) and left a message on his answering machine. Tim (Tom's brother) called Tom that evening and Tom called me the next day. This leads me to Tip #1: If you can't reach a contractor, try calling individuals who have the same last name as you may be able to find a relative.

Tom repaired our walls early this week (doing, as always, an amazing job). Given the baby's arrival soon, we decided to seek out some additional help, namely a painter as we have a lot to paint and I can't assist due to the fumes. Tom gave us two names - Jerry Wray and Bruce Decker. Again, I went straight to the phone book, found Jerry Wray's number and gave it to Ben. When Ben called the number, he had a lovely conversation with Jerry Wray's widow who let Ben know that everyone calls her about Jerry Wray (the painter), but sadly, Jerry Wray (the painter) does not list his phone number and she is not sure why, but she gets all of his calls.  This leads me to Tip #2: Know when to move onto your backup contractor.

So, I find the number for Bruce Decker, who Tom informed me was a firefighter that painted on his non-shift days. Ben calls and actually gets in contact with Bruce. This is how Ben described the experience in a summary e-mail to me:   

So the dude is a firefighter, he works at the high school and does something else - mostly not painting anymore. He once worked on a crew for a guy that owned a company that was solid. That man has retired, but his son is a firefighter and owns the business now - painting on most days that they are off...

Just look for the calf with the limp and turn left at the third rock past that.

Tip #3: You don't find people to do work using the Yellow Pages in Bedford. Instead, find a guy that knows a guy who knows a guy who can help you (and hope that the right series of phone numbers emerges along the way).

Long story short, we have the crew suggested to us by Bruce coming to make a quote on the project this weekend. Ben already is sold on hiring the painters as when he called, the ringtone was the ND fight song. Need I say more?