The adage of assumption applies here. Experienced contractors will know things that you don’t, and while some things are obvious, others are not. Here are a few final questions for your contractor.
If you haven’t asked already…
“Do you still have time for our project?”
Things may have changed since you first spoke with your contractor. Everybody needs to review their schedules to make sure that your project is still going to work.
“Who manages your projects, and what experience do you have?”
You have every right to know who’s working on your project and how long they’ve been working with the contractor.
“Who will really be in my home?”
Ideally, they will have a dedicated crew and a project manager, which will prevent details from being miscommunicated or forgotten between the waves of subcontractors.
“How will you protect my property?”
Find out who will have the keys to your house, and how you can contact them. If it’s an “open” project, how are they going to secure it?
“Who will manage trash and cleanup?”
Ideally, they can tell you all about their garbage collection, expansion poles with poly, temporary access doors, and anything else they can do to basically keep your property safe, clean. And removing debris at regular intervals or at the end of the project is all part of the deal.
“What will daily work be like?”
Whether or not you plan to be home during construction hours, find out what to expect on the average construction day. When does the work start and end daily, and what are their days off? When should you plan to be at the house, and which days you should plan to be scarce? What level or noise can you expect and once the project kicks off, keep the dialogue open to make sure the contractor knows which family members and pets will be in the house during work hours.
“How do you handle unforeseen construction issues?”
There is usually something that does not go exactly to plan, and how it’s communicated and documented is really, really, important. This way all the parties have proof of the changes and the approvals and the tally of expenses at the end won’t come as a shock.
“How do you deal with product selections?”
Again, you can go off and find things. You might have a designer that helps to find those things. The contractor may provide just a stock level of stuff that you can choose from. Ultimately though, I think to get those final finishing touches that really make your house feel more like home, you should have a vested interest in choosing some of those items.
“Is there a warranty for the materials and the service that the contractor is providing?”
Ask how they will deliver those to you for your files. Is it a written thing or is it just a verbal thing? Normally contractors provide a one-year warranty on labour and materials. If it’s a new home build, there is a 2-5-10 (two years warranty on labour and materials, five years warranty on the building envelope and 10 years warranty on the entire structure). This can be provided at the conclusion of the project as a package, along with a list of all the details such as the fixtures, the paint colours, and any other relevant details.
“What concerns do you have about the project?”
Experienced contractors have a well-trained eye for seeing the potential trouble spots in your home and should be able to answer questions for you.
“How do we resolve disagreements?”
Sometimes miscommunications happen, either on the part of the contractor or that of the homeowner. If it’s something that the contractor is directly responsible for, they should fix it. However, if it’s something that the client has changed their mind about, or maybe another professional has made a mistake about, then the contractor is not responsible. He or she would have to discuss the mistake with the professional involved and come to an agreement regarding refunded.
For more information, check out our podcast All Things Renovation at www.AllThingsRenovation.com or click on the Podcast page at www.woodbeart.com. The first series of episodes focuses on hiring a contractor.
