If you have a construction job that needs to be completed in your home, there are a few things that you should know before you hire a contractor. You will want to make sure that you hire a reliable contractor that does quality work. You also want to ensure that you pay a fair price for the materials and labor.Ask a few different contractors to come to your home to give you an estimate on your construction job. You may find that the prices vary widely between different companies. Ask how many employees will be working on your job, as one company may charge more because they may have more employees available to complete the job in a timelier manner. Find out about the quality of materials offered, as higher quality materials will obviously add more to your construction costs.Be sure to get everything in writing before the job begins. You should have firm pricing, including labor and taxes on your written estimate. You should also ask for a firm completion date or your project may drag on if your contractor tries to work on too many jobs at once. Be sure to ask for a list of materials with pricing to be sure that you are not paying more for the job than necessary.When it comes to negotiating pricing, be sure to ask for a better deal if you feel that you are not being offered fair pricing. Contractors will expect you to negotiate, so they always build between 10% and 20% of extra cost into their base price. Don't be afraid to ask them to match another contractor's price or time frame if you like one contractor better than another.It is important that you find a contractor that you feel comfortable with when selecting a company to work on a project in your home. It may be worth your while to ask your friends and neighbors who they recommend for your specific job. In the end, you have to select the contractor that you feel will do the best job for you, so trust your instincts when selecting a contractor for your construction job.