A construction project is something which requires a significant amount of investment and this is why having the right contractor for the job is very important.
It is best to run your project where a sizeable amount of money is invested to have the best person overseeing it.
The kind of contractor you choose can determine the success of your construction project. Here are some of the factors that you need to keep in mind when looking to hire a construction contractor for your next job.
Tip #1: Hire a licensed, insured and bonded contractor
The best way to know the person you’re dealing with is a professional and know what they are doing is to go for a contractor who has all the credentials.
This basically means that you are working with someone who is knowledgeable and credible. The other reason as to why you need someone who is insured, this is because even if they are injured when on the field you are not held liable.
There are a few different ways to check their credentials, such as checking they are on the federation of master builders list.
Tip #2: Interview multiple contractors
There are many contractors out there and when you are looking to hire the best you need to interview a number of them.
Talking to different contractors gives you a chance to gauge them and determine who suits your project.
In interviewing them you need to have a number of questions prepared beforehand and the responses you get determines who gets the job. In interviewing potential contractors you need to find someone who you can work with.
Compare them all and then make a decision based on who you think will do the best job, not necessarily who is the cheapest. Ask for examples of their previous work and if you can contact a past client to get a reference.
Anyone who is of high quality will gladly allow you to do this before starting to work with them.
Tip #3: Cost
The other equally important consideration is the cost, different contractors will charge different rates for the project.
It’s advisable that you request quotations from your shortlisted contractors. The cheapest price is not always the best.
In considering the price, look for the packaged quotation. This is where you are charged for the entire project unlike for the divided individual task.
Depending on the contractor you can agree to do it on a milestone basis, where you pay in parts as sections of work are completed.
Make sure to ask for their best price because you are going to be comparing them to other contractors.
A good question to ask is “Why are you better than other contractors?” and “How do you think your quote will compare to others?”. As a follow up you can ask them why they think they will be cheaper/more expensive and how they justify that cost.
You may find that some people find these questions hard to answer or get defensive. If that’s the case, maybe they are not right for the job.
Top #4: Experience
The other important consideration is the experience that the contractor has. This is because you want someone who has extensive in-field experience.
Working with an experienced contractor means that you are working with someone who knows how to deal with all the challenges that come with construction and will be able to deliver.
To gauge the experience you can request to check their previous work as this will give you an idea as to the kind of work they do.
Hopefully they have been asked this a lot before so have brought together a profile of work for you to easily view.
Tip #5: Check references
When you are looking for the best contractor for your construction project you need to check their references.
These are the people who have previously worked with the contractor and can talk about their work ethics and professionalism.
The reference should be able to tell you about their working relationship, how they handled the problems which were encountered and if there was good communication.
The references should also be able to tell you if their project completed in the scheduled timeline and whether there were extra costs.
For more information there are plenty of resources online. https://buildme.ie/ is very helpful for choosing a construction contractor, for example.
