Building/remodeling a home or
just onsite repairs aren’t just considerable investments, but also an important
financial concern. The decision making requires you to be very precise and
clear on what you want and the way you want to proceed. Since it’s about
building, the contractor is an important point of contact. Finding the right
contractor is the best you could do to ensure that your final home will live up
to your expectations and that the work will be completed within time and you
would have little emotional and financial stress to deal with. Aside from
getting the basics right, you need to ask a few questions that will help clear
out any doubt and ensure that your investment is looked into by the right
person.
1. What
will be the work schedule?
The schedule implies more than
just the starting and ending date of the project. It will be a preset timeline
that the building process would follow. Having a well-defined strategy will
help sequencing and making sure that every benchmark is covered in time. The
schedule will further involve the exact time that workers will get on site and
the time they will be done for the day. Every construction project requires a
define schedule to be followed.
2. Who
is going to be at the site?
This answer will largely depend
upon the size and type of project. Basic remodeling, cladding repairs and every
swing of the hammer needn’t be supervised by the contractor, but when it comes
to laying of the important brickwork and scaling and similar things, it is
important that someone experienced and knowledgeable is present on the site.
Make sure that you have the right people overseeing your investment.
3. How
will the communication take place?
It is important that the investor
(homeowner) and the contractor communicate regularly with every aspect of the
project. This will give a clearer picture and a greater sense of satisfaction.
You need to know what ways the contractor would like to communicate – via
phone, via mails or on regular visits. If you feel comfortable with the mode of
communication, it can prove to be of great advantage to the project.
4. What
is crucial about my project?
There is something concerning and
particularly delicate (important) about every project, regardless of it being a
basic building refurbishment or home repair to a complete construction. This is
also the aspect that can trigger immediate changes and emergencies. If a
contractor is upfront about it, you should know that he is concerned and not
just focusing on his profits.
5. What
kinds of documentations are involved in the project?
Now this will involve several
issues. Firstly, you would like to check the licenses of the contractor and
also make sure that he has a reputation in the market. Throughout the project,
there will be several permission forms and paperwork to be filled by you and
the contractor, depending upon the locality and the jurisdiction. On completion
of the project, the contractor also needs to provide lien releases, mark-up
plans, inspection reports, mechanical photos, list of subcontractors, operating
manuals (in case electric appliances are involved), insulation proofs and
similar other things.
