Some thoughts to consider when hiring a General Contractor. It can really be difficult to figure out where to start when you are considering a remodeling or building project. You could be wondering, “should I get plans done first?”; “should I meet with a interior decorator first to help me with my colors and selections?”; “should I try to find a Remodeling contractor first and then find a interior decorator?”; etc. It is easy to become overwhelmed with questions and it can be difficult to figure out the best route to take. The best way to handle this equation is to find a Remodeler that has a Team: design team and interior decorator that can walk you through this process. This will help take some burden off your shoulders and allow you to enjoy this new experience. With the Remodeler’s Team, the process flows a lot smoother. Everyone is working towards the same goal, providing you with options based on your desires to achieve the best solutions for your project. When your trying to decide which Remodeler is best for you project, please make sure you get along with them very well. Make sure you feel comfortable with them, because you will be opening your home to them for the next 4 to 6 months. Think of this as a partnership, because you will be working together to create this new addition to your home. If you don’t feel comfortable with them now, imagine what it will be like after you get a couple months into the project. Does this contractor have referrals? Any quality general contractor or home builder will have referrals for you to call. If they don’t, this should send up red flags immediately. I would be wondering why they don’t have referrals, what are they hiding? Any time we setup a appointment with a new client, we send them our referrals before we even show up. We encourage them to call our past clients and to go and physically view the work we have done. Can you physically visit his past jobs? After you discussed their referrals, shouldn’t you be able to physically visit his past jobs? Again, if this is a issue, this should send up more red flags. Why would any quality Remodeler not have past remodeling projects for you to be able to visit? Does he carry any type of insurance? This is very important for any Remodeler carry insurance, this is a must in today’s economy. Chances are nothing will go wrong, but in the case that it does you will be covered. Will this contractor provide you with a job schedule? Job schedules play a important role in any project. The job schedule is not set in stone, it will change through out the job. That’s just part of it in this industry, but its a plan to go by and to establish a estimated completion date. One of the biggest complaints we hear from clients is, he didn’t finish on time or couldn’t keep a schedule. Unfortunately there are hundreds and hundreds of stories like this, this contractor told me it would take 2 months and it took 6 months and he still wasn’t finished. We develop and schedule for every project and we stay in contact with the client daily to let them know how things are progressing. Its amazing how understanding the clients are when we communicate with them daily if not weekly of how things are going. There will always be changes in the schedule, but when we stay in constant contact with the client and let them know. Its incredible how the client is understanding and remains satisfied and calm throughout the entire project. A quote that has stuck with us for years, “When you fail plan, you plan to fail”. Will your contractor provide you with a written contract that explains the work to done? This is extremely important, if the contractor does not provide you with a written contract this could lead to some serious issues. A written contract is a easy way to keep everyone on the same page, it protects the client and the contractor. A written contract provides the ‘blue print’ of the project, it is written in detail of what will take place during the job. For instance with a kitchen project, it would state that we are removing the existing tile floor and keeping the existing wood floor in the breakfast area. We are removing the formica counter-tops and taking out some rotted cabinets. If the specific details are not in writing, how can the project stay on budget or on schedule? If there is no plan, you will be planning for a disaster. What is your contractors policy on change orders? What is a change order? A change order is when some unforeseeable event happens and that requires more work and or material than what was originally signed in the contract. One of the challenges with remodeling is that you can’t always predict what you will find once you open up a wall or a ceiling. You can always make a educated guess, but its impossible to know for sure until the wall or ceiling is opened up. There are right ways and wrong ways to handle change orders. The right way to handle a change order is, once the unforeseeable event is discovered, the contractor will submit a written change order to client that lists the costs to fix this issue. The client will then decide if they want to move forward with the change order or not. But no work on the change order is to start until the client signs the written change order and pays for it. If this is not handle properly, it can cause a lot of problems quickly. Another reason for change orders are, if the client wants to make changes to the original agreed upon work. For example, if the counter-tops in the bathroom were originally agreed upon to be cultured marble and the client changes their mind and wants to install a granite counter-top instead after the project as already started. Then this would be a written up change order. The client would then have to sign the change order and then have to pay the cost difference between the cultured marble and granite before the granite could be installed. How long has your contractor been in business? Experience is crucial with any size project, there are so many details in every remodeling project. Sometimes the inexperienced can overlook a small detail that can grow into a costly problem or it can cause additional problems. This is not always the case, but take into consideration a contractors experience when you decide what contractor to hire. Will your contractor have a Project Manager on the job everyday? Not all day, but everyday to supervise the project. With each remodeling project there are specific needs that have to be addressed on a daily basis. If your contractor is not checking on the project at least once a day, things could possibly get out of hand. Our project managers are visiting our job sites everyday, this keeps things moving along as smooth as possible. There will always be minor issues that pop up, if you resolve them quickly they don’t turn into larger problems. by Ryan Boyles GB General Contractors Inc., Tomball, Texas]]>
