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What to Look for When Hiring a Building
Contractor
By: Mark J. Donovan
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When planning to
build a custom home it is critical that you hire the right building contractor.
If you hire the wrong one, you may end up with a poor quality built home that
took many more months and dollars to complete than you budgeted for.
To ensure you hire
the right building contractor for your custom home project you should look for
several key attributes in your prospective building contractor. |
| First, a building contractor should have a proven track
record of building quality homes. Make sure the building contractor has been
in business for several years and can provide you with a list of completed
homes. The list of completed homes should include a number of references
that you can call and/or visit. Make sure the reference lists includes
projects that were done recently as well as ones that were done several
years earlier. |
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Call and visit some of the
references. While visiting the reference properties examine the quality of
construction and ask for feedback on the homeowner’s experience with the
prospective building contractor.
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Second, make sure the prospective building contractor has
actually built a home similar to your plans. You do not want to hire a building
contractor that has only built basic spec homes if you are planning to build a
unique custom home. Custom homes typically have complicated floor layouts,
complex roofs, and use higher end materials that frequently necessitate training
and expertise for proper installation. |
Third, look for a building contractor who demonstrates good project
management skills and is methodical with his planning and construction. Building
a custom home is an expensive endeavor and you want to be absolutely sure that
the building contractor can be trusted with your money to build your custom home
correctly. If you sense the building contractor is “winging” it during the
proposal/bidding phase, steer away from him. Formal bids on a custom home
building project should be well documented. Documents should include a bid
proposal with accompanying architectural drawings of the home to be constructed.
The bid proposal should clearly state all project costs, as well as a detailed
timeline for work to be started and completed. Payment terms and schedules
should also be included. The bid should also specify all material types and
subcontractors who the building contractor will use.
Finally, make sure
the building contractor is financially stable and has the track record and
backing of a bank to support your custom home building project. The last thing
you want to have happen is to hire a building contractor that goes bankrupt
halfway through the building of your home. If the building contractor is
planning to use a construction loan, insist on the name of the bank that he is
getting the loan from. Check with the bank to make sure the builder is truly
planning on using the bank. If the bank is providing him with a construction
loan, then you should be reasonably comfortable that the bank has also done a
background check on the building contractor.
To learn more about how to be your own
general contractor or how to hire the right contractors for your new home
construction project see
Home Addition Bid Sheets from HomeAdditionPlus.com.
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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