No offense, DYINeo, but unfortunately there is no free lunch for HOs. As a general contractor, I can tell you it is highly unlikely that you will find a very good AND very cheap tile installer or any other qualified tradesman. Here is why:
Those of us who are contractors are always looking for subs who are a little cheaper, but still good tradespeople. It is our business to find these guys and almost all of them come soliciting us for work in the first place. That's because we can give them steady work, not just one job.
So there is a market for these services and competition all around. You are competing with pros for the services of these people. Let's just say if this guy was really good and really cheap, he'd be already doing plenty of work for GCs in the area. Ask him for references from GCs.
We do understand that there are many people who can't afford certain services, but that doesn't change our cost of doing business. Many of us do a certain amount of charity pro bono work every year for the truly needy, but other than that our prices reflect our cost and not the customer's ability to pay.
As others have said, there are several hints in your story to raise doubts about this person's competence. If your state requires licensing for tile and stone installation, make sure they are licensed. And go look at installations they have done more than 3 years ago to see how they hold up.
Those of us who are contractors are always looking for subs who are a little cheaper, but still good tradespeople. It is our business to find these guys and almost all of them come soliciting us for work in the first place. That's because we can give them steady work, not just one job.
So there is a market for these services and competition all around. You are competing with pros for the services of these people. Let's just say if this guy was really good and really cheap, he'd be already doing plenty of work for GCs in the area. Ask him for references from GCs.
We do understand that there are many people who can't afford certain services, but that doesn't change our cost of doing business. Many of us do a certain amount of charity pro bono work every year for the truly needy, but other than that our prices reflect our cost and not the customer's ability to pay.
As others have said, there are several hints in your story to raise doubts about this person's competence. If your state requires licensing for tile and stone installation, make sure they are licensed. And go look at installations they have done more than 3 years ago to see how they hold up.