How to Work With Contractors

Most of us rely on the ability of contractors to judge a building's soundness and to give us an estimate on the cost of rehabbing. Some contractors are talented, good natured, and hardworkers.  Some are not too good at estimating the costs, perhaps because they are optimists and unrealistic. At some point and time, you will have to rely on their honesty to look over a building. The character of your contractor, as well as his knowledge in this field will have a major impact on your financial well being. Once you find that trusty, reliable, and knowledgeable contractor, along with good workmanship, treat them very well.

You can lose money when your contractor has not delivered on what he/she has promised. This can cause lots of frustration and stress, let alone time and money well spent. There are some contractors that work on multiple contracts at one time, therefore putting your building on the back burner for a moment. Some contractors will promise you the world at the beginning of your relationship. So be on the lookout for those fast talkers. You will want to establish up front what it is that they can do for you, and what your expectations are. This way, you can say to yourself, "I know what I am getting into,". Do your homework.

When hiring smaller contractors you may perhaps be able to strike up deals that you may not have been able to with the larger contractors. The best advice though, is to pay more to a larger contractor. If you get a bargain, you may have to run around checking and rechecking their work. Figuring out what is important to you will aid in making that final decision when hiring a contractor. If you want to be able to sleep at night, paying a little extra will make this happen. Hire contractors with their own transportation, along with a good reputation. If you have already worked with a less expensive contractor in the past, then by all means, go with him/her; you've struck gold if you have.

You will usually come into contact with two type of contractors, the handyman who has got the skills, but he/she can't back it up, because they may not have all of the tools and equipment that is necessary to do an efficient job. Then you have the general contractor who looks good with the fancy truck and equipment, but this one may farm out the work to other handymen, this operation is called middleman, rather than a craftsman.

Most general contractors will ask for half the job's estimate up front, this will help pay for the materials needed for the job. Once this is paid upfront the balance of power goes to the contractor. This is where you will see another side of a person. Once you give up your money, the other person has control. Oooh! They stop calling; it's kinda like those new romantic relationships. Hard to reach, unavailable, busy, will get right back with ya. To avoid this shifting of power in this short term relationship, go ahead and ask for seperate estimates for labor and materials. If you agree, go pay for the materials yourself, put them on hold for your contractor; he'll think you are the nicest person he/she has ever met. Now, if we do it this way, you can make payments for the work that has been done. Make sure that you all agree on the payment schedule. Last but not least, offering a little extra to your contractor may motivate him/her to stay on your job and finish quicker. Only offer this if your contractor has stated that they can have the job done in a certain amt. of time.

 Good Luck!