Factors to Consider when Hiring a Professional Building Contractor
When looking for an East Bay general contractor, knowing what to look for and how to choose between your many options is not simple, to help you make the right decision follow these 8 steps.
1. Interview potential contractors on the phone.
Before you choose a general construction specialist, conduct phone interviews with potential candidates to collect bids. Create a list of questions beforehand, and take good notes for later review.
2. Look for reviews written by past clients.
Use the totality of these reviews to evaluate a prospective contractor, but recognize that one or two bad online reviews (or, conversely, ecstatic endorsements) likely don’t mean that much, what you want to see is a history of a significant number of predominantly positive reviews. Check multiple sites for reviews including Angies List, Yelp, Google, the BBB, and others.
3. Don’t choose a contractor solely based on price.
Price often reflects quality, so resist the temptation to choose a building contractor simply because he or she had the lowest bid. Regarding price you will also want to ensure that price differences in bids are not based on selection of vastly different materials, processes, or assumptions, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples as you collect bids.
4. Meet face-to-face before you hire.
After you have identified the contractor you believe is likely best for the job, meet face-to-face to discuss the project before you commit funds. You’ll need to be in contact with your contractor through the construction process, and it’s important that you feel comfortable communicating directly with them.
5. Be honest about your budget.
When you meet with your chosen contractor, be clear about your pricing expectations and constraints upfront to avoid surprises.
6. Obtain a written contract.
Protect yourself and create guy wires for the arrangement before work begins. Depending on the size of your job you may consider getting a 3rd party involved to review the proposed contract to ensure that nothing is missing and you have guidance on how any problems faced during the process will be handled. You need accountability.
7. Schedule your job.
Sit down with your contractor to decide on a realistic timeline that works for both of you.
8. Communicate regularly.
Before the job begins and throughout the project, communicate with the contractor to ensure that benchmarks are met and things go smoothly.
Get a Quote from an Experienced Building Contractor in the Bay Area
As you research potential experts to help you build, remodel or fix a problem, call the Bay Area contractors at B.A. Morrison to scope your project. We are committed to craftsmanship, and we have years of experience successfully handling diverse and complex home projects. Call our office at (510) 538-9817 or contact us from our website to get a bid on your project.