Dealing with Contractors

Building contractors are an essential part of most building projects whether building a new home or a major renovation. While there are some bad building contractors around there are many excellent ones who want to do what is right for a fair price. Below are six important rules for dealing with building contractors.

Know your expectations

Know what you want to achieve with a clear understanding of what you require. Many people have a general ideal or plan that can change along the way. This can damage the relationship with your building contractor because of the need extra time, materials and labour. Communication is the key factor in any relationship and expressing your expectations upfront can avoid costly mistakes and a relationship breakdown with your building contractor. So try to have the best plan you can and discuss this with your building contractor so that your requirements are clear.

Shop around

It is best to get several quotes as they can be drastically different from one another. The differences depend on the several factors like how much work the contractor has, or the extent of the job, or the size of the contractors business and the over heads of the contractor business. Sometimes contractors charge more when they have a lot of work ahead of them. However be careful not to automatically go with the cheapest quote without asking a lot of questions to make sure that you get what you are paying for. If you get a quote back that is substantially cheaper be aware that they may have missed costing part of your job.

Also check that the contractor is licensed to do the work as this will be unsure they have had training in that trade. However be aware that this alone does not ensure a quality job, so if the job is a large renovation or a whole house make sure you check out their previous work.

Ask Questions

It is important to ask potential building contractors lots of questions about the time frame, the quality of the job, the options available for example the different finishes or colours and design. If it is a whole house, ask for examples of houses they have built before or renovations they have built before.

Communication

It is important to discuss your expectations upfront so that your building contractor can be aware of what you expect and then a time frame can be agreed on. It is also important of ask whether they will be working exclusively on your building project or will they be on and off the job. Also the payment schedule needs to be discussed and agreed upon before the job begins.

Payment

This important subject causes the most problems for a both clients and building contractor. Discuss payment type and payment schedule upfront and sure the terms are clear and understandable for both parties. Also make sure you know how much extra unforeseen expenses will be charged. For example: You are having a major renovation done and the bathroom contractors find rotten timbers and broken sewer pipes. At what rate will these repairs be charged? Many people get very upset when a major