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| This page contains answers to common
questions clients have concerning building or remodeling along with some tips
that we have found useful when contracting. |
Make sure the
contractor himself or one of the high-level foreman/lead carpenters
is on the job daily whenever work is being performed – especially
when sub-contractors are being used. The responsible party must be
intimately familiar with all aspects of your project. Remember, If
you won’t be home during the construction you will be leaving your
house unlocked, or leaving a key with the contractor, you must feel
comfortable. You can’t be worried about what is going on when you
are not home.
What are the risks? The risks are many and varied, basically
you are hiring the general contractor who you have met and has
established a level of trust with you. However, many contractors are
nothing but salesman, acquiring the job and selling it to someone
else to complete. Someone who you have never met and have no control
over choosing to do the work. Even if the contractor keeps the work
in house, who is going to show up everyday? Will it be the
contractor or his foreman with years of experience, or will it be
unskilled and unsupervised workers?
Yes we are. Always
make sure the company you are considering is properly licensed.
Also, remember that anyone can say they are licensed, make them
prove it with a copy of it, check the expiration dates, you can call
the issuing authority and verify their licensing is in good
standing.
What are the risks? Generally contractors without licenses
don't have them for a reason, which is a huge red flag. Licensing
requires passing written tests on codes and building practices,
experience requirements and many other aspects that prove you are
competent at what you are doing. If somebody isn't licensed there is
probably a really bad reason why not.
Yes we are. We carry
one million in general liability insurance. This is the insurance
that protects your home from damage or negligence of the
contractor, his employees or any sub-contractors he hires and brings
on your property. A one million dollar policy is the standard of the
industry. Also, remember that anyone can say they are insured, make
them prove it with a copy of his insurance certificate, check the
expiration dates, you can call the issuing authority and verify
their insurance is in force.
What are the risks? If something goes wrong you have three
choices, (1) to pay for the damages and repairs out of your own
pocket. (2) to go after the contractor for the costs, which means
suing him. Which of course is the where the real problem starts. If
a contractor can't afford to carry insurance what are the chances
that he has anything to sue him for? You can get a nice judgment of
$50,000 against him, but how do you collect it from a guy that does
everything illegally anyways and doesn't have anything of value? (3)
you will have to ask your homeowners policy to cover it. There is no
guarantee of course that they will cover the loss. Insurance
companies do their best to protect themselves by having verbiage in
their contract with you that might require you to only hire licensed
contractors and prove the work has been properly permitted.
Contractors without insurance usually don't follow many of the other
rules that insurance companies usually require either.
This is one of the
most forgotten questions for customers. You wouldn't buy a car
without a warranty would you? Ask about the warranty and ask if it
is in writing. Never accept a verbal warranty of "If something
breaks, don't worry, I'll fix it." a verbal warranty will be worth
the paper it is printed on. Always insist on a warranty in writing.
The warranty should clearly spell out what is covered and what is
not and how long the warranty is good for. A one year warranty is
standard with all projects.
What are the risks? It's pretty simple, with nothing in
writing you have no warranty. The moment the contractor cashes your
final payment you have nothing to protect you from poor workmanship
or an innocent defect.
We do,
and any good contractor will be happy to provide you with several
written references. One of the best ways to gage a companies
abilities is by talking to their past customers. Ask them how well
the company met their promises, did they deliver on time, and most
importantly would you hire them again or recommend them to others?
Ask them what they like the most about working with them and what
they could have improved upon.
What are the risks? Basically you are entering blindly into a
relationship with someone on nothing but blind trust and hope. Most
people operate in a pattern of repetition. Hopefully you got lucky
and the person you hired will be one of the contractors who does
competent work.
We pull all our required
permits. Some contractors hate to pull building permits because they
add costs to the project and they slow a project down. But is very
important that your contractor pull all required permits, this is
your only assurance that things will be done to code. Inspections
put a independent 3rd party in your corner and offer you protection.
Also most homeowner's insurance policies will only cover your home
for work that is properly inspected.
Some contractors may ask you to get the permits. This is usually a
warning sign that they are not able to pull the permit because they
are unlicensed, or the work is outside of their license.
What are the
risks? Your home is your biggest investment, you may be putting
it unwillingly at risk as most homeowner's insurance policies have
clauses that allow them to not pay claims coming about from
illegally done work.
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