After hiring a general contractor, you should not lose your attention or be apathetic. Instead, for great results, you will have to actively handle the process. Here are four ways to be in control of the task and keep strong communication with your construction team and contractor. If you are still looking for a contractor, then we recommend visiting www.grabacontractor.com to make your search easier.
Avoid Allowances
An item listed in the general contractor’s budget for something that is to be decided is an allowance. For instance, if you are yet to choose the plumbing equipment for your master suite, then your contractor will place an allowance figure in it as just a placeholder. However, these products have various price points, so the contractor’s quote may be lower than the amount you end up spending.
Make the effort to sort out each of your product selections and material before they provide you with an itemized bid to do away with allowances. Or else, do sufficient shopping to offer them roughly accurate cost estimate for the work materials you are considering.
Set Up Good Communication
Just ask your contractor regarding how they prefer to exchange information with you. Some good options are as follows.
- Being present on the site and talking each morning before the work starts.
- Getting their telephone number and consent to text or call at any time of the day.
- Talking to the foreman daily at a predetermined time.
Attempt to meet the project’s leader once per day at the least. This is your chance to learn the work’s progress and discover what is scheduled for the upcoming days, plus to ask questions and voice concerns that you have.
Maintain a Construction Project Journal
You can use the journal for the following.
- To record the progress of your project
- Note down things you need to ask the contractor
- Write down ideas
- Note down coming delivery dates
- Record order numbers of products
The journal will help to keep your communication clear, plus provide a document of which party said what and when. This document could help settle your disputes at a later stage.
Track Every Change in Writing
It is likely that you include more work as your project grows, or your contractual team might just face unexpected structural problems. A fine contractor will be able to manage such changes very easily – just ensure that the contractor bid you with these in writing.
In your home remodeling agreement, specify that you need change orders for anything that will increase the total cost of the work. So that contractor has to provide you with a fixed rate for what the change will cost and its description. Be sure to have that change order signed by the contractor before they start working on your project.
