February 03, 2010
If you are a general contractor building homes in Atlanta, you are very familiar with the phrase “Watch your subs!” When it comes time to install the Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems, you don’t want to have to worry about who is doing the work. There are plenty of contractors for residential HVAC in Atlanta, but you want to work with one that is going to offer you turn-key ease with no hassles. Fortunately, with all the competition out there you should be able to find an HVAC contractor that will give you everything you want with no compromise.
They should already be licensed as contractors by the State of Georgia. Naturally, you want to work with a company that is bonded and insured. It is reasonable to expect they will carry $2,000,000 in general liability insurance. Despite being insured, you do not want to have to deal with injuries or accidents on the worksite. As you may know, the Georgia Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) keeps track of the safety record for contractors in Georgia. They have a complete listing of their members’ safety records and the HVAC contractors you choose to work with should be among them. Aside from this, there are a couple of things you will want to check out. Does your contractor operate a drug-free workplace, and have they done background checks on all their employees?
You also want to make sure that the crews are actually competent. Your HVAC contractor should require that all their technicians be certified by NATE: North American Technician Excellence. NATE is a third-party certifying body that provides an independent examination of technicians’ skills and knowledge by standardized testing. If your contractor’s entire fleet of technicians is NATE certified, you don’t have to worry about botched installations or service issues down the road.
In today’s environment, security on your work sites is an important issue. With different subcontractors coming and going all the time, it is hard to tell who should be on the site and who shouldn’t. This is not only a security issue but an issue of liability exposure. If the fleet of technicians for your residential HVAC contractor is uniformed, this is less of an issue. Having easily identifiable technicians makes it much easier for your security team to verify who is authorized to be on site.
Once the work is completed you want to be able to wash your hands of it and move on to the next project with the full knowledge that your reputation is protected. By choosing a local contractor that will be around to honor warranty and maintenance agreements, you can do this. Your HVAC contractor should warranty all workmanship for life and provide a 100% satisfaction guarantee for all work completed. As service issues may arise during the time the property is changing hands, it’s nice to know you have a one-stop-shop to address them.
By following these few guidelines, you should have no problem finding a contractor for residential HVAC in Atlanta that will deliver everything you need to keep your projects running smoothly.
Bardi Heating, Cooling & Plumbing is an Atlanta area HVAC contractor specializing in the design and installation of air conditioning systems for residential and commercial projects of any size.
