Employing an experienced professional contractor to help you with your home improvement project is already a step in the right direction towards getting added resale value to your home and quality work. However, if you haven't worked with a contractor before, you may not be aware of the dynamics involved in a contractor-customer relationship.

If you're new to the process or just want to work on being a better customer, consider the following top five tips:

1. Create a detailed plan for the work you would like done.

It's important to let your contractor know exactly what it is you would like done, so he or she can make a proper assessment of the work required and accurately estimate the cost of the project.

With a full plan laid out, you can avoid misunderstandings and ensure that each party comprehends exactly what the job will require. It's also helpful to craft a plan even before you begin comparing contractors' estimates, as this will ensure that you receive fair, "apples-to-apples" comparisons between several bidding candidates.

2. Be available for the estimate.

Although it depends on the scope of your home improvement project and the contractor's preferences, your contractor may provide you with an estimate anywhere from the following day to a few weeks after you submit your project. This is because the estimation will involve researching the cost of materials needed, calculating the time needed to complete the project, number of workers needed, and so on.

As a customer, the best thing you can do is make an effort to be available when the contractor contacts you with the estimate to take prompt steps toward completing the project.

3. Inform rejected contractors of your decision.

Since you have likely contacted several contractors to find the best price and service for your home improvement project, it's important that you let the rejected contractors know that you won't be using their services. While an estimate may be free to the consumer, it can cost a contractor time, effort and money to meet with you about your project and provide an estimate.

Sure, they'll get the message if you ignore their calls for a month, but it's always more professional, polite and considerate to call the contractors personally so they can focus their time and efforts on other projects.

4. Make payments on time.

As a customer, you are responsible for making payments to the contractor according to the guidelines set forth in your contract. In the same way you would be frustrated by a late payment from your workplace, your contractor can grow impatient when payments are consistently submitted late.

The best thing you can do to maintain a positive relationship with your contractor is keep track of when your payments are due and make an extra effort to submit them in a prompt manner. This shows the contractor that you appreciate his or her work and encourages them to continue the job in a timely manner as well.

5. Trust in your contractor's professional capabilities.

Once you have verified the contractor's certifications and experience level, analyzed customer references and established a contract, you should trust in his or her ability to effectively finish the job.

If your contractor has proved him or herself capable of providing quality work, this can mean avoiding hovering over them while they're working, focusing too much on too many small details and refraining from overly voicing your opinion on how the project should be approached.

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