Tips To Deal With Your General Contractor

Home remodeling is a big investment both emotionally and financially. The general contractor takes full responsibility for purchasing materials, hiring tradespeople, bringing in sub-contractors, creating schedules, supervising and getting the remodeling done for the estimated rate. For the successful completion of your project on time and budget, you need to work well with your general contractor with diligence. Here are some tips to get the most out of your contractor,

• It is best to avoid allowances

An allowance is a budget element which is separately identified in a contact estimate in place of something that hasn't been finalized yet. For instance, if you haven't chosen accessories for your brand-new baths, your contractor might add an allowance number instead of the actual price. However, there is a wide range of collections with different prices for such products and the estimated budget could be lower than the money you would need to spend in future. The right thing to do is to go through all the material selections before your contractor makes the bid.

• Speak with your contractor freely

You should establish regular communication with the contractor. You can either meet with him every morning before the work begins or contact him through texts and calls. A good contractor would make you comfortable enough to ask any questions and voice any concerns without any reservation.

• Put everything down in writing

Having a project journal is the only way to avoid various potential problems in the future. It can help you to record the work progress, note order numbers and delivery dates, write down any new ideas and to enter things you need to ask your contractor about.

• Inspect the work area

You need to be pro-active and check your contractors work regularly. The best time to do this is after the crew left your place. You can see if the model number of the materials bought matches with your records to verify if they are the right ones, compare the location of the windows and doors with the blueprint and also make sure that the work doesn't have any quality issues. If you have doubts, you can always ask your contractor for clarification.

• Do not pay for incomplete works

You can establish series of equal payments for your project and the last one would be made only after the work is 100% complete and satisfactory. Never pay more than 10% as an upfront fee.

Above all, let the contractor and crew enjoy working for you by being a good customer so that they would be motivated to give their best for you.

The author is an interior designer with a special interest in remodeling projects. She has written various blogs on Kitchen accessories, home remodeling designs, and basement finishes. She recommends Reconstruct for residential remodeling projects. To know more, visit http://reconstructkc.com/

REconstruct is fully licensed and insured as a residentail and light commercial.contractor. We are a full service remodeling firm with resources and skill level to remodel baths/kitchens as well as additions, bump outs, dormers and basements.