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That renovation in the bathroom where you want to knock out a wall and put in a bigger bath is going to involve some new pipes and plumbing work. Even some of the unafraid folks renovating their house will not take that type of responsibility to tackle a project like this, no matter how many Home Depot do-it-yourself shows they attend.

Finding a respectable plumber would be the next move. Just like finding a mechanic, it can be worrisome as you think that you are running crapshoot with who you choose to hire. This article will give you a few points you can take and run with that may help.

Scouting the Neighborhood

Surely a neighbor or a friend or family will know someone who did some plumbing work in the past, whether it was a garbage disposal lift or sewage pipe replacement. If you canvass the area you can get someone who can refer you to a plumber. Remember there are a lot of self proclaimed plumbers who specialize in a fix-it-quick style of plumbing. It’s best to avoid these when you are remodeling or renovating.

In addition to word of mouth, going online to visit your state licensing site is a good plumber-searching tool. For instance, if you were looking for a San Jose plumber you would go to Californian government Contractors State License Board and run a search. You can find some reference to those who are licensed or, if you have picked up some names, you can cross check them with the board’s list. But keep in mind that just by being listed on the board, they only need to meet a minimum set of requirements, so getting a good verbal reference still holds a little more stock in making the final decision.

After Getting the Plumber — More Preliminary Work

Before the hiring process occurs, some important questions should be asked. Make it your own interview-slash-screening process. Some important points to consider when forming your questions are:

- The hourly rates charged
- Rates for any part of the project that is not exactly plumbing related, like bringing down a wall
- If there are parts ordered, will the hourly rates be in effect still while you all wait
- What sort of insurance does the plumber have and are they bondable
- If money is one of the biggest issues, ask if there are better rates during the season

While it’s good to have these questions organized and ready, the site should be prepped as well. You don’t want to have the plumber spend time ripping up anything that you can do, or having items in the way that you can easily move. Giving yourself ample time will give you better capacity for awareness and further precaution.