Home construction or renovation can be a handful. However, with the right partners for your project, it will all be easy-peasy. Make sure to choose the right contractors as well so you won’t have to go through the headache of having delays in construction and other unexpected and unplanned expenses.
Here are some tips to get the best contractor for your home.
Get recommendations
A good word-of-mouth is a sign that the contractor you’re eyeing is a legitimate and trustworthy one. Consult your family, friends, or professionals in the business to come up with a list of potential contractors and from there, trim it down depending on their expertise, track record, and capacity to work on what you envision your home to be.
Investigate the facts
Once you’ve narrowed them down, make sure to validate your facts using research. Whenever possible, contact the previous clientele of the contractor and ask about the performance and reliability of the contractor’s team. If they have current projects, you might as well see how they actually work by visiting the site, if the contractor approves.
Ask for an honest quotation
Good contractors will provide you with an accurate quotation. This will help you get an idea of how much your expenses would be, including the plans, materials, and labor. Be careful with the ones that give you unreasonably high quotations, and those that provide suspiciously low ones. Therefore, it is also important to research what the usual rates are so you know what the reasonable pricing would be.
Set a payment schedule
Professional and experienced ones usually start with ten percent on the contract signing, three payments of 25 percent evenly spaced over the duration of the project, and the final 15 percent upon completion. This may change, however, depending on the agreement you have with your trusted contractor.
Put it into writing
Having this document is not about mistrust, but rather an assurance of successful renovation. Once you’re set with your contractor on the details of the project, draft and sign a contract that contains vital information such as payment schedule, start and end date of construction, insurance, workers’ compensation, construction materials and brands, as well as other important details you’ve agreed with your contractor.
These tips will come in handy when dealing with a contractor for your home. Remember these five easy tricks!
References
How to Choose the Right Contractor: Learn these 6 Lessons from Rica Peralejo’s Home Renovation. (2021). In Lamudi. Retrieved from https://www.lamudi.com.ph/journal/rica-peralejo-home-renovation-contractor-lessons/
This Old House. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.thisoldhouse.com/21017791/top-8-pro-tips-on-how-to-hire-a-contractor