Strategies on Working with General Contractors
Similarly to most other things in life, you would normally want to outsource work you’re not qualified for to the professionals. So, for those of you who aren’t so experienced in working projects around your house, hiring a contractor would be a good idea. However, the issue that comes with working alongside someone else, is that your “dream” has to be translated to someone else, which in turn ends up in a result that isn’t quite what you envisioned. Many of you may have faced challenges like these, but it is important to remember that it isn’t always the contractor’s fault, so here are a list of neat tips and tricks for optimizing results with your chosen contractor!
Create a Design Plan
If you aren’t working with a designer, then the one who is in charge of designing the space is you. While your contractor can make suggestions, their main role is just to execute your vision. It is important that when you design, you communicate all elements of the design plans with them. Don’t gloss over any details which you might think are insignificant, because more likely than not, if you don’t mention the specifics, they will choose for you – and details such as these, if they were to be missed out on, won’t just fail to execute your vision, but may end up costing you significantly more to change in the long run!
Allow for Time
Be sure that you allow plenty of time for the designing and planning phase. Before you even begin to undergo demolition, it is ideal that you already have all the items that you’re responsible for on site. This means that all the items that you have chosen should be ordered way before the contractor you are working with arrives with his workers.
In addition, bear in mind that a lot of things might have significantly long lead times, so it is extremely important that you allow for enough time for items to arrive so that there won’t be any annoying delays in between while you have to wait for things to arrive on site. After all, any delays and changes often cost money, so it is crucial that every aspect of your design and delivery is nailed down.
Clear Scope of Work
Having a good and well defined contract is in the best interest of both parties. Be sure that every detail is clear and don’t make assumptions. Ask as many questions as you would like and be sure that you have all your agreements written down clearly on a document describing the responsibilities and the scope of works of the people involved and the expected duration of the project.
Create a Project Timeline
It is always a neat idea to have a project plan to help identify key milestones which would in turn aid you in keeping track of everything that is going on in your project. This will allow for better communication between you and your contractor as you should both be on the same page when the date approaches.