Remodeling or building your home is exciting. It gives you the opportunity to redesign it according to what you like. However, if it is not done professionally, the quality of your home may suffer. Therefore, it is better to consult professionals and leading home builders.
If you plan to contract a home builder and seek for some professional service, here are some of the necessary things you need to ask before hiring one :
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Licensed Builder
As much as you will not go to an unlicensed physician to care for your health, you must not also compromise your home to an unregistered contractor. Contrary to saving a few bucks when hiring unlicensed ones, it will give you more expenses in the long run.
Your home is an investment so don’t settle with second-grade quality. It is also disastrous when local government officials discover that you employ an unregistered contractor to remodel your house because they would shut down the project. It may leave you an unfinished kitchen or half-finished patio, or patio firepits that don’t work well.
Licenses depend on the state you are located. Some may even need two or more licenses to perform various things such as plumbing. Do not rely on your contractor’s statement of being licensed, ask your local government if the builder is registered to work in your area.
Valid Insurance
You must not forget to ask your potential builder whether he has insurance. To validate such information, inspect the actual certificates. A professional and credible builder will not hesitate to show proofs.
Your contractor must show all of the following insurances before they start working:
- Personal liability
- Workers’ compensation
- Property damage
These insurances will help you save a lot. It will minimize the expenses you will incur on property damage or injuries during the project. Also, it will cover all delays and protect your financial assets if ever your contractor disappears or die.
Solid References
Don’t just settle with a builder recommended by your friends or relatives. It is important that you also review the previous works of the builder to save you from hiring an incompetent one.
If the contractor is hesitant to provide you with a list of references, be wary. But if they provide you with a list, ask these questions from the previous clients:
- Are there delays during the process? How often?
- Does he provide specific details as to how the remodeling is done?
- What works need improvements throughout the years?
- Is the overall quality satisfying?
Specific Expertise
There are a lot of home builders with different specializations, and some even have limitations. So it is essential to prepare your list of areas to be improved.
Ask potential builders if your remodeling project is in their area of expertise. If you are only restructuring one or two rooms in your home, ask your choices of builders if they can work on it. Some may specialize in outdoor remodeling while others have the only experience on dealing with floor, wall, or ceiling.
But if you are remodeling almost all of the areas in your house or you are starting from scratch, contact builders and ask for sample projects you can evaluate.
Available Materials
Ask your contractor if they will provide the materials needed for your remodeling. It is less expensive when they supply the materials since they will be responsible for its replacement. If you want to add a personal touch to the design, ask for choices they can offer so you have the chance to choose what suits best.
Also, if you are uncertain about which areas in your house needs improvement, ask the following:
- Are my flooring tiles too obsolete to fit the new reconstruction design?
- Does the roof need a simple repair or full replacement?
- Does my wall needs repaint?
- Is my HVAC too outdated?
- Is my home secured or does it need more security doors, windows or shutters?
Needed Subcontractors
You need to know if they have subcontractors for your project. If they do, then you should know who they are and in what area will they be working. It is essential to know who comes in and out of your house.
Here are some essential benefits of having subcontractors around:
- Provides quality output since the concentration lies on a specific task such as carpeting, finishing, or roofing, or even a dumpster company, in larger jobs. To keep pace with the times you can rent an ecodumpster.
- Subcontractors have their equipment and tools essential for their work
- Contractors supervise while subcontractors do the job
In A Nutshell:
Home construction or even a slight remodeling needs the expertise to prevent future and expensive repairs. However, the quality of your home will rely on the choice of contractors you make. Your house is an asset that you need to protect, so it is crucial to choose the right people to alter your home.
