Tips to Choose your General Contractor

Shouldering the responsibilities of owning or renovating a home or office is too big and complex. Taking account of the best ways to procure high-quality building materials at affordable costs and managing the schedules of various jobbers (electrician, plumber, etc.) while staying committed to your office work might throw your work and personal life off balance. Result? Burnout and a botched real estate project. Thus, experts recommend delegating the work to a professional; hire a general contractor, albeit the best one! Here are the best tips for hiring a general contractor:

Search and Shortlist

While finding a general contractor for your site, it is best to go the reference and review route. Hiring someone by looking online, without going deep into his background, often ends up in huge financial losses. Ask your friends, family, or someone in your area whose site work you may have liked. Get complete feedback about the contractor vis-a-vis his work quality, price range, and dedication to work. Also, check his longevity in business, considering a minimum of 3 to 5 years acceptable. Based on all these factors, shortlist about 3 to 4 top names.

Get Quotes and Know Them

Having selected a few best contractors, you must talk to them personally. Discuss your needs and seek their suggestions along with the pricing structure. Also, ask about their previous projects with visual proofs, and ensure to visit at least one site to gauge the quality of work.

Dive into Details

Knowing the certifications, licenses, contracts with subcontractors, personal liability insurance, indemnification cover, and specialization in your project type would help you rate them all on the scale of bad, good, and best.

Money Matters

Before zeroing in on the best contractor, always discuss money matters openly. The one asking for all the money upfront is surely a fraud. Go for the one who is scheduling a payment in installments, with the final payment to be made only after inspection. Also, steer clear of one quoting a price that is not enough even to cover decent-quality material costs.

Formalize Terms

Once both parties consensually agree upon all the terms, formalize to have legal proof (in case of disputes). Draw a contract mentioning every minor and major term and condition like project start and completion date, payment schedule, proof of liability, worker's compensation, quality of material agreed upon, etc. Make this contract a Bible for your site until the work is accomplished satisfactorily!