How to Interview General Contractors for Your Home Renovation Project
New home renovations can be stressful, and finding the right person to manage the renovation is only the half of it. That being said, finding the right general contractor for your new home build or renovation can be the difference between a seamless renovation and a money hemorrhaging nightmare. Before you go ahead and just hire the first general contractor in your area that shows up on your search engine, or letting your co-worker’s “guy” take on the job, consider speaking with a few general contractors. Here are some interview questions for finding the best general contractor for your home renovation project, or new construction.
#1 “How long have you been working as a general contractor?”
On average, most businesses fail within the first year, but those businesses who succeed past the first year and go on to operate for four more years increase the likeliness of success after five years.
Companies with more experience are more likely to have systems in place to handle unexpected influences to project timelines and resources to handle more complex projects and requests. Knowing how many years a builder has been in business is great, but what may be equally important is their level of success rate, once again, checking references will be key in determining this.
#2 “Do you have the proper licenses and additional credentials for the job?”
If you’re thinking about doing any size renovation, if you’re hiring outside help you’re going to want to hire a general contractor who is actually licensed. Cities, states and even counties have different requirements on whether contractors must obtain a license or an alternative credential, if things are to go wrong, it’s better to be dealing with a licensed general contractor with business insurance than a “guy” your coworker recommended. As a homeowner, you’ll want to make sure that the general contractor you hire has gone through all of the necessary channels to obtain any required certifications specific to their field of expertise as well as a business license.
#3 “Can I see your certificate of insurance?”
This should be a no brainer for any professional general contractor. Not only should they be able to provide a certificate of insurance, but note that it is important to confirm the type of insurance they hold includes general liability and workers compensation.
#4 “Will you be able to obtain the required permits and set up the required inspections for this job?”
Not every renovation will require permits or inspections, but most remodeling projects that change the structure of the home do. This should be something your potential general contractor outlines in the timeline and price associated with their estimate.
#5: Have you handled a project like this one before? If so, tell me about them.
Most general contractors will tell you that they are up to handling any project, large or small, but it'd be going to have to take more than that to win over your job bid. A general contractor that is truly up for the job should be able to give you specific projects they worked on, the details surrounding those projects, and how those projects were similar to yours.
This doesn’t mean because a general contractor hasn’t completed a job exactly like yours that other projects they’ve completed couldn’t have faced similar setbacks and challenges and having similar requirements. If they have a website or a gallery of their completed projects, check them out to determine the quality of work, and confirm their experience in handling renovations similar to your own.
6) Do you provide assistance for design and selecting finishes?
From drawing to color schemes, there are a lot of design aspects to home renovations that even the most skilled eye of a homeowner can’t tackle alone. What level of assistance in the design work will your general contractor provide as far as structural changes, and finishes.
#7 What is your typical construction sequence for home renovations (or new builds)?
An organized general contractor with a high project success rate should be able to walk you through a complete outline of your project before actually beginning the renovation. The right general contractor should be able to confidently explain the construction process from start to finish during the interview.
#8: Can you give me some references and former clients I can call?
Checking references as well as speaking with former clients is an important part of the interview process for hiring a general contractor. If they have an online presence, be sure to check out their online reviews. References and happy former clients are great but if there are any bad things to be said about your potential general contractor, they will likely be in the comments sections of their online reviews. That being said, one bad review doesn’t mean they aren’t up to the job, you can try, but you can’t please everyone.
Ask former clients about their projects and what they liked best about working with the general contractor and if they would hire them again. Be sure to inquire about any unforeseen obstacles and how they were overcome. Ask references about the level and quality of communication they received from the general contractor and how the projected timeline compared with the actual timeline? Did the budget vary from the original prediction?
#9: How do you determine the costs of the renovation and what is included in that price, what isn’t included?
Cost is going to be a major factor in deciding which general contractor to hire for a home renovation or new build. More experienced general contractors with longstanding reputations will have no problem sharing their methods of determining cost. In their estimates, each general contractor should be able to outline the details of the job and the costs associated. Knowing what is not included in those costs will help a lot with budget planning as well. Don’t be afraid to have each general contractor list out the factors they take into consideration when pricing out projects, this only helps you understand exactly what you’re getting into costs wise for your renovation. If an estimate is more, does it come with more services, design, drawings, finishes, permits, are they included? Have your potential general contractors outline what isn’t included in their estimates so you can determine what additional trades and resources you may need to seek out and price out for your project. The more detailed of an outline your potential general contractor provides, the better assured you can be of the quality and success rate of your project.
#10: What is the timeline for this project?
Now understand that this is a hard question to answer and be wary of anyone who seems to be promising anything unrealistic. It can be difficult to plan for the uncertainties but someone willing to give you a narrow time frame range rather than a definite completion date is probably the more honest of the bunch and more likely to realistically communicate project details.
The experience of past customers will also give you an indication of reality, but it’s important to get an honest estimate of the timeframe prior to any agreement. Ask your potential general contractor for details surrounding their estimated time frame including material sourcing time restraints, subcontractors time requirements, and permit wait times. In addition to asking for a detailed timeline, consider these questions to help further clarify your projects estimated timeline:
Are there any other projects you’re currently involved in that could affect the timeline?
Do you have any current bids that haven’t been finalized that would pull you from this job?
How will you adapt to unforeseen obstacles to the timeline?
#11: What happens if there are cost-related discrepancies during the building of our home?
This is another question that past customers will help confirm, the quality of work provided by your potential general contractor. Thanks to technology advancements, contractors are able to give more accurate pricing than ever before, but this doesn’t mean their won’t be any miscalculations or missteps along the way. Construction projects are notorious for their unpredictability at times. When you’re interviewing your prospective builders, ask them to describe a recent project where unforeseen costs came up and how they communicated that with the client and remediated the situation. It’s critical that your general contractor be clear that they won’t spend any more than the agreed upon budget without first gaining your approval.
#12 “What is the payment schedule?”
The Better Business Bureau advises never paying for the full price of contracting work upfront, and be wary of any contractor that asks you to. When interviewing general contractors, it’s important to discuss payment terms before construction begins, and to get it in writing. Any contract should outline exactly how much is due and when, either by specific dates or based on completed stages of the project.
#13 “Will I have a dedicated team working on my job?”
General Contracting companies often work on multiple projects at a time and utilize subcontractors for trades they don’t specialize in, so it’s important to verify that you can count on consistency in who comes to work on your home each day. You’ll want to ask your general contractor what their experience is with working with subcontractors, the length of time they’ve worked together professionally, and what trades will be contracted out. Each general contractor will have different areas of expertise so learning how they manage subcontractors will be an important factor in your project timeline, and costs. Some builders manage the entire process from design to finish, and other’s subcontract out nearly everything. If there will be subcontractors hired on to the job, do you want to be a part of that selection process? Is that an option your potential general contractor is willing to discuss?
#15 “Is there a warranty for your service or for the materials you’ll be using?”
Besides the standard 2, 5, 10 Home Warranty which is required by BC Building Code, Most general contractors will offer a warranty or guarantee on their work, but it’s important to know ahead of time what that guarantee covers and how long it will remain in effect. In addition to your general contractor's warranty, the materials used on your renovation project may have a manufacturer’s warranty, and you should request a copy of this information before construction on your project begins.
For more information and advice on hiring a general contractor, and for general contractor bid requests in Lauderdale Lakes, FL and all of south Florida, email us at chadley.renovations@gmail.com