What to consider when choosing a contractor
What you need to know:
When building or remodeling a house, the person you choose to do the job is important. But to know if they are right for the job, there are certain things you need to look out for
We all aim at choosing the best experts for our work for it to be done professionally and beautifully. This is the same thing when choosing a home builder or remodeler. We need to look for the best people in order to get the best results in our projects. Before settling for a particular contractor, there are certain things you need to consider. Some people will demand for experience, others license and the demands vary from person to person. Here are some of the professional things that you should demand from your home builder or remodeler.
REMODELER
Experience
Mathias Omona, structural engineer, with Homeplan Architecture says you need to know how experienced the person is to trust them with the work of remodeling your house.
“Experience doesn’t mean 10 years or so but how the person does the work, some people might have been in the field for more than 10 years but do the wrong thing, so by experience, I mean having the ability to produce good work regardless of the time you have spent in the field,” he adds.
He says the remodeler should be able to show work they have done before.
Know the person
Omona says you should also know the person going to work for you well, you may not be able know them on a personal level but you can consult with people they have worked for or do research on your own.
“Some people have bad records on their former projects and you might fall victim. So it’s better you look into who they are keenly before hiring them,” he notes. They should be financially stable.
Steven Kayiwa, an engineer, with Homeplan Architecture says if it’s a big project, the contractor should be financially stable to carry on your work till it’s finished without getting bankrupt.
“When you sign a broke company to do your work, they will delay you a bit as compared to one which is financially stable,” he says.
Have technical expertise
Omona says every good builder or remodeler should be good in the field, they should have the capability to produce good work on ground and to him the best way to see this is by looking at some of the projects they have done before and this will give you a clue on what they are able to do.
Labour
Kayiwa says labour is another key issue one should consider before choosing a home builder or remodeler. “Some people will charge you twice the required amount and some will charge lower the same work so it’s better you look at different people and stand for the most reliable source.”
References
Omona adds that referrals are the best option for those looking for a good builder or remodeler because people will refer to those who they are sure are good at the game.
License
Kayiwa says the contractor should have a license because if not, you have no protection when things go wrong. “When a contractor has a licensee, its one way to show you that they are professionals.”
ADVISE
Omona says that it is important for one to be keen when choosing a remodeler because these are the people who put things in place.
While it is important that you follow the architect’s pla, some contractors can’t that is why you should choose the person who is going to put paper work into reality carefully to avoid regrets.
