Tips on Choosing a Good Building Contractor
Linda began building her two-bedroomed house four months ago. The construction has been dragging slowly ever since. The reason for this is not financing but an unreliable construction contractor. The contractor may show up on some days and decide to order his workers not to show up to work on other days, and even when they come, the work which is mostly filled with talk is done at a slow pace.
Emomeri Maryanne
Searching for a building contractor is no easy work. A builder is not just anyone, he is someone you will be trusting to do a very important job: build for you a long-lasting investment, and so you have to find the right contractor. Here are some of the things you can do to achieve this;
- Take Time to Search
Finding a good contractor takes time and some deliberate effort. If you intend to build in the next few months, you need to start looking for a contractor now. The good ones are often busy and you need to find them early enough and book them, but if you are not in a hurry you can work with their schedule or you can both agree on a timeline.
You need to allocate time for making calls, meeting in person with the contractor and even time to visit some of their projects.
- Ask for Referrals
Finding a contractor by word of mouth is often the trusted means of getting the best person for the job. You can ask family members or friends who have built before to refer you to a contractor whom they know and trust. This way, it can be easy to come to an understanding.
- Is He Licensed and Experienced?
Some construction contractors may be frauds who are out to get your money, and they will do whatever it takes to get it. You need to carry out background checks to establish if their business is legit and if they can deliver according to your needs.
- Look at His Past Projects
Before coming to an agreement, you need to confirm that he can really deliver. You can ask him to show you his past construction projects for you to verify his claims. If you will be satisfied with what he does, go ahead and make a dead. l
- Ask the Right Questions
When you meet with the contractor don’t just expect him to do all the talking, ask questions, and from there you will be able to know if indeed he is qualified for the job or not. Some of the questions you can ask are,
- How many years have you been in business?
- Can I visit some of your projects and talk to a few of your clients?
- Do you work with a particular sub-contractor or you have many of them?
- How long did you take to finish a certain particular project?
From such questions, you can be able to know his experience, his relationship with his sub-contractors and other important information. If you can talk to some of his clients, you will be able to gauge his character and the level of commitment he has to what he does.
- Make Sure He is Specialized for your Project
Whether you are building a simple house, a mansion, a townhouse or an apartment, you need to get a builder who is specialized in that particular building. Some contractors can be good at building townhouses, but when if they have never built apartments, you are better off looking for someone else.
- Get Quotes from Different Contractors and Compare
Getting quotes from different Contractors will open you to different financial options. If one contractor is too expensive and he does not want to negotiate, you can opt for a different one.
