While remodeling your house, it is crucial to connect
with your contractor based on your vision. Choosing the right contractor is
indeed a tough job when each one of them is promising you heaps. This job gets
much easier when you understand which are the questions
that need
to be asked when you interview them. It will allow you to know how much your
project means to them and how much of their resources they are going to pool in,
to deliver as much as they have promised.
Q1. How experienced are you in this industry?
Don’t look for a decent number of years as the answer
to this because quantity over quality is not what you should be looking for.
Instead, look for 10-20 references whom you can contact to get a genuine review
of their work.
Q2. Have you been licensed?
The answer should be yes. But the catch here is that
only a few states require contractors to get a license before starting their
practice. But a licensed contractor is going to be answerable to you and the
contracting agency will help you resolve your issues if any. It will act as
your much-needed safety backup.
Q3. Are all your employees insured
under the workman’s comp insurance?
In case any of the workmen meet with an accident while
working on your property, you might be held responsible for it if they are not
insured. In this case, the workman’s comp insurance might safeguard you from
any such unprecedented blame.
Q4. Will you insure the things in
my home during the time of your work?
They should be very prompt at answering positively to
this. Any such remodeling work comes with its own share of risks. When any
accident happens, you should not be held responsible for the same. So, before
you give them the project, you should reach a middle ground with this
point.
Q5. Are you or your company affiliated with any
professional organization? If yes, then which?
Professional affiliation with an organization
validates that your contractor has been trained well and has a good network for
supplies. This association is indeed valuableand needs to be taken into account
before finalizing the contractor.
Q6. Can you give me a list of projects that you have
worked on and the corresponding references?
Talking to the references helps you validate the
credibility of your contractor. Nothing speaks better than the track record of
a person. The National Association of Remodelling Industry gives you a list of
questions that will help you with this decision. (https://www.nari.org/consumers/homeowner-resources/)
Q7. What will the tentative timeline for the project
be?
Your contractor should be able to give you a specific
period like six months or so while adding some cushion time keeping all the
issues and unforeseen delays in mind. Sometimes the task of designating
timelines can be difficult. At such times your refuge might be the “time and
materials” contract.
Q8. Would you like to sign a “time and materials”
contract?
In some cases, due to unexpected damage, your project might
take up some extra time, thus increasing your project cost. It might leave you
with a half-finished project, which will cost you twice as much. A “time and
materials” contract establishes the cost of labour and materials in case of any
unexpected event making the anticipated answer a yes.
Q9. How frequently do you match up to the project
completion date that you specify in your timeline?
Their answer to this question will speak loads about
how promising they are. Contractors tend to take on more projects than they can
handle. This only affects how they deliver in each one of them. So, the ideal
answer would be “most of the time”.
Q10. How often will you be at the
site to oversee the work?
If their answer is “all the time,” then you are safe.
Your contractor places enough value in your project that he will be there to
make sure that work is going on par with the timeline. In case they say that
they won’t be on-site all the time, then you need to ask the following
question.
Q11. How frequently will you stop by the site to check
on the progress?
If your contractor intends to stop by the site on a
daily basis to at least be aware of the proceedings, then yours is going to be
a decent deal. If they don’t plan on coming daily to the site, then you need to
ask the following question.
Q12. Who is going to be the on-site project
manager?
Expect to be given the name of the person along with
their contact details. He/she will be your go-to person in case you find any
discrepancies with the work or in case you want an update on the progress. Once
they have given you the name of the person, the next question should be in
line.
Q13. Will you be updating me on the progress daily?
You should take yes as the only answer. The chances
are that if your contractor isn’t on-site daily or is not keeping track of your
work, then the work isn’t going as well as it should be going.
Q14. Will you be pulling the permits required for this
job, if any?
The laws about who gets the permit varies depending on
the state/city. But preferably the contractors should pull these permits as they
know the legalities behind it and whom to visit in case something is needed.
Q15. Would you be drafting a
detailed contract specifying the timeline and the cost of materials and labour
along with a termination clause?
A contractor might promise you a lot of things and yet
deliver quite less. In such a case, a written contract with details about all the
things mentioned above will come to your rescue. Make sure that you are
well-versed with the contract and have a copy of the same with the contractor’s
sign and date.
Q16. Will I get some guarantee on the work, and if
yes, what will it be?
You can expect them to give you a time frame of 6
months or so. After all, you would not want to put your precious money and time
into something that hasn’t been warranted for. Contractors can give you a
guarantee against two types of problems:
- Defective materials
- Workmanship issues
You should have these guarantees in a written format,
clearly stating how much the contractor guarantee will be and under what
circumstances.
Q17. What will the daily work
schedule be?
The contractor should be able to give you specific
hours of the day with specific days of the week. Contractors who refuse to do
so might not be that accountable and regular. A professional contractor will
convey the schedule and adhere to it throughout the duration of the work.
Q19. Have you been involved with any legal issues with
regard to any previous project?
You should expect an honest answer from your
contractor for this question. If there happens to be any legal question, then
you can ask them about the specifics to ensure that no such thing will happen
with your case too.
Q20. What are your payment terms?
Different contractors will have different approaches
to this. In any case, you should not make the full payment prior to the project
completion and definitely not without a thorough inspection of the work. You
should try to come up with a payment plan that corresponds with the progress
made.
Q21. Would you be including a
termination clause in a co-written contract?
The hiring contract should have a detailed clause for
termination of the project by any of the two parties. The terms of the clause
should be designed with the agreement of both parties to ensure fairness. For
example, if the contractor doesn’t show up for work, then the homeowner should
be able to terminate the contract without any penalty; or if the homeowner
stops the contractor from working, then the contractor can walk out without any
penalty.
Renovations are an exciting but risky job; it is
always better to keep yourself as equipped as possible before you venture into
this. Asking these questions will come to your rescue for sure, do give them a
try.
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