Ask the right questions - get the right building contractor!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) December 14, 2011 -- Anyone who has followed this path can probably recall some “unusual” and sometimes painful experiences you can recall with regards to the selection and appointment of builders, contractors, project managers and sub-contractors.

However with today’s hectic lifestyle most property owners seldom have the time or skills to do their own DIY property improvements, and hiring contractor to do the work is often the only manner in which they can handle improvements.

And here the selection of the right contractors is a critical area - if you wish to keep both your sanity and your bank account intact. In the same way as you would be careful when selecting your surgeon, financial advisor or estate agent, you need to employ the same thinking to home improvement. To do this home-owners need to do their home-work – and part of this means asking the right questions up front, before they turn their prized property into a construction site.

Remember the old saying, “measure twice, cut once”. When it comes to selecting your home improvement crew it’s never been more apt! The alterations you make are going to have an influence in many areas including the future value of your property, the amount of time (and aggravation) you will be inconvenienced by the project and the amount of grey hair you may accumulate along the way.

Homeowners doing alterations to their property too often focus simply on the cost and duration and get caught up in the excitement of getting the project underway. Be cautious, take a little more time vetting and questioning and you may find you spend less time reaching for tranquilizers.

The type of queries you should be directing at your prospective contractors include:
• How long have you been doing this?
• Do you have references in terms of recent projects of a similar nature recently completed?
• Will you be preparing a written plan for us on the project/timeframes/dates?
• Is there going to be a full time project manager on site, and if so who is this person?
• Are the people on the contract employed by yourself or sub-contractors?
• Will you stick to your written quote?

• Are there and hidden costs I need to be aware of?
• Do you carry insurance for people who will be working on site?
• Is your work guaranteed?
• Ask questions about how they work – what time they start / finish, how they handle rubble and debris removal on your property etc

Once you have your answers, put your property Private Investigator hat on and make some calls – talk to homeowners who the prospective contractors have done work for and ask them how they found the experience, if there were any hitches, did the work start and complete on time, where there any/many snags, did they have to come back and handle problems and if so was this handled promptly, were they satisfied with the final results, would they recommend or use the contractor again. Spend the time upfront confirming that the contractors are trustworthy, ethical and reliable.

Once you are happy with this – then you can look at moving forward. Remember however that it really is not advisable , however persuasive the contractors argument may seem to provide cash up front – this should ring alarm bells – if your contractor cannot finance this part – you need to ask some hard questions. If they are cash strapped – will they be able to pay their people and finish? You may need to look further.

If part of your agreement is a payment schedule or draw system, stick to the plan and ensure whatever was required to be completed to that point of the agreement is wholly completed before your fork out your cash. And finally – when the project is complete – get it checked – independently – this is particularly important if the work involves the likes of plumbing/electrical/major structural work – if there are problems or additional work required to make this compliant – get it done immediately.

Your home is your castle, and for most of us it’s our single biggest investment – do the homework and protect it!

For more South African Property information visit our website at http://www.chaseveritt.co.za

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