Interviewing Home Construction Contractors
How to Hire the Right Contractor for Your Home
Construction Project
By Mark J. Donovan
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If you are planning to build a
new custom home or home addition you will need to interview home
construction contractors. Interviewing home construction contractors can be
an awkward and uncomfortable experience. Between you knowing very little
about the home construction industry, and the contractor promoting himself
as the end-all and be-all of home construction, you can feel worlds apart
during the interview process.
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With some upfront research and
planning on your part, however, you can make the process of interviewing home
construction contractors much easier.
From my experience there are three
stages in interviewing home construction contractors.
Interviewing Home
Construction Contractors – Phase One
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The first stage is simply phoning the
home construction contractor and scheduling a time to meet to go over you house
plans. During that first phone conversation you should be able to get some sense
of who you are dealing with based simply on the initial introductions, the tone
of the conversation and the questions being asked by the construction
contractor. During this initial discussion / interview you should also be able
to get some sense of how interested the contractor is in your project based on
his level of questioning. For example, you should expect to hear questions such
as (1) what type of home, or home addition are you looking to build, (2) do you
have a set of plans already, and (3) what is your timeline for construction. If
these types of questions are not being asked this should be a red warning flag
that the home construction contractor’s level of interest may be weak.
Interviewing
Home Construction Contractors – Phase Two
The second stage of interviewing
home construction contractors involves sitting down with the contractor and
going over you house plans. As I have already alluded to, it is important to
have as complete a set of house plans as possible. By doing so, you can
ensure a productive meeting with your prospective contractor. During the
interview you should carefully go over the house plans and any other
specifications to the home you may have. |
Photo by Mark Donovan |
While going over the plans listen
carefully to the questions and statements being made by the contractor. If there
is push back on your plans, or alternative solutions being suggested, evaluate
them for being constructive or not.
In addition to reviewing your house
plans with the potential contractor, make sure to ask about his history in the
home construction business. For example, ask him how long he has been in the
business and working under the current corporation name. If either are short
periods, this should raise a flag in your mind.
Also ask about references. If the
home construction contractor is worth his salt, and is serious about working on
your project, he should have brought with him for the interview photographs and
references of his previous home construction projects. Pay attention to the
timeline of the home construction projects shown to you. Ideally you want to
hire a home construction contractor that has been around for several years and
has examples of his past and recent work. Ask the contractor if he is
comfortable with you calling any of his references. Also see if he has a list of
other contractors, subcontractors and building material supply houses he has
worked with that you can call for references.
Also make sure to ask about the
contractor’s availability and timeline for working on your project to determine
if it is consistent with your plans.
Finally, find out if the contractor
is licensed, insured and affiliated with any professional home building
organizations. If he is lacking in any one of these areas this again should be a
red flag.
Interviewing Home
Construction Contractors – Phase Three
The final phase in the process of
interviewing home construction contractors is reviewing the contractor bids.
Each contractor that bids on your home construction project should sit down with
you and carefully go over their bid. The more comprehensive the bid the more
likely it will be accurate, so shy away from the home construction contractors
offering you a one page bid for building a home. Building a custom home, or even
a home addition, are large projects with many details. If the contractor fails
to provide you with a detailed construction bid then move on to another
contractor for your project.
Make sure the new home construction
bid includes a full cost breakdown for every major phase of the construction
project and that if subcontractors are going to be used their names and contact
information is included.
Also make sure that the construction
bid includes a detailed project schedule that is broken down for each phase of
the project.
In addition, make sure there is a
complete building material list submitted in the bid and that materials being
used are consistent with your house plans.
Finally, make sure there are no cost
allowances included in the bid for such items as cabinetry, lighting, and
landscaping to name just a few possibilities. Your house plans should clearly
specify these types of items so that cost allowances are not needed in the
quote. I have found over the years that cost allowances just set the homeowner
and contractor up for disappointments and heated debates.
To help in obtaining accurate and
consistent home construction contractor bids, see my New Home Construction and
Home Addition Bid Sheets. Each bid sheet includes a separate request for quote
section that you can provide to prospective home building contractors. They also
include a comprehensive cost breakdown table, in Microsoft Excel format, that
allows the home construction contractor to include his projected home
construction costs for every phase of the project.
So with these simple tips on
interviewing home construction contractors, you should be able to sift the wheat
from the chaff and find the right home building contractor for your home
construction project.
For a more comprehensive new home construction
checklist, see my
New Home Construction Bid Sheet. The New Home Construction Bid
Sheet provides a request for quote checklist section that you can provide to
prospective building contractors. It also includes a comprehensive new home
construction cost breakdown table, in Microsoft Excel format, that allows the
contractor to include his projected new home construction costs for every phase
of the project.
How to Finance your Home Remodeling Project -
can help provide funds for your new home improvement project if financing is
required.
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