The goal of this page is to give you, the consumer, some guidelines when selecting a Home Improvement Contractor. The Maryland Home Improvement Commission, MHIC, governs home improvement contractors in the state of Maryland. The MHIC documents all reported disputes between a contractor and homeowners. Please note that the Maryland Home Improvement Commission must license only contractors doing home improvements. Contractors who only work on commercial projects are not required to have a MHIC license. To check if a contractors license number is current click here. It is illegal for a person to perform home improvements without a valid license. Both the homeowner and the contractor could be subject to fines. It is the consumers responsibilty to check the status and legitimacy of a contractors' Maryland Home Improvement license number. To receive complaints about any MHIC number call 410.230.6231 locally and 1 888.218.5925 outside the metro area, M-F 8:30-4:30

A home improvement is any project you do to improve your home and property. A home improvement can be the installation of a new fence, the addition of an outside fixture or a complete addition to your home. As a consumer you can perform the home improvement yourself or you can choose from a large list of contractors that specialize in all forms of home construction. Using a contractor for projects where you are not qualified or experienced in is a good option. Quality builders bring their expertise to your home insuring your piece of mind during a project. Not all contractors can do everthing, discuss with them their specialties. For example F&M Contractors, Inc specializes in quality concrete replacement. You would not hire us to build an addition or paint your family room.

One of the best ways to choose a home improvement contractor is to talk to their past customers. You should request references so you can talk to customers and see the quality of the contractors' workmanship. Also if you can visit a current project and see what their work environment looks like, this could be helpful in deciding.

Need more information selecting a home improvement contractor click the MHIC link to read more, or click the news link read articles from WBAL-TV.