A house is often the most expensive purchase for most individuals. Adding an extension or a renovation project is an equally emotional decision and it also costs a ton of money.
One of the things that could make or break your project is the choice of the builder. If you happen to go with the wrong one, it might turn into an extremely stressful nightmarish situation. On the other hand, if you do your research before choosing a contractor, you’re likely to have an almost stress-free building process.
In this blog post, we will explore a few questions anyone undertaking an extension/renovation project should ask the builder before starting.
How are they going to protect appliances and other parts of the property?
A renovation or extension project usually requires demolition. Also, there is going to be a lot of dust. You are obviously going to live in the same house and you won’t want to come back to a house full of dust.
This is why you need to ask the contractor how they plan to protect your expensive appliances, fixtures, furniture and other parts of the property from damage during the demolition process. Do not presume that they will take care of it on their own. You need to ask them specifically about it.
Who should you talk to on a day-to-day basis?
When you hire the services of a builder, there are going to be a lot of people on your property. Obviously, not everyone is going to be a supervisor or a manager.
This is why you need to ask them specifically who is going to be in charge of everyday activities and who you should get in touch with to get clarifications or other such things.
How are they planning to communicate with you?
Are you going to communicate with the builder through email, phone, text or some other mode? Maybe they have a specific application where you can login and watch the progress or log any issues you might have.
Maybe they want to handle everything verbally but it’s not recommended. It is better to have some kind of communication where you have logs for later reference.
The contractor might also need to get in touch with you for approvals or some other things. This is why it is important for you to be clear about how communication is going to happen.
What’s the payment schedule?
Most people are smart enough to take care of this before they sign a contract but you need to make sure that it’s a part of the written contract and not a verbal agreement. Also, stay away from contractors that want a significant part of the overall cost as an advance.
How will they handle mistakes or variations?
Construction projects have this habit of veering away from the planned things. There are going to be changes which could be minor or major.
You might want to change the material or design or location of the window or it could be a hundred other things.
The point is you need to be clear about how such changes will be handled. Also, if one of the workers damages something, who’s going to be responsible for the damage. If they make a mistake, are they going to rectify that mistake without you asking them or whether you need to follow some process.
Final Thoughts
A house renovation/extension project is a huge undertaking. It costs a lot of time and money. Your experience during the project is going to depend, to a large extent, on the builder you choose. Make sure you do your research regarding their experience, licensing, insurance and other such important parameters. Also, don’t forget to ask them the above-mentioned questions to avoid having a stressful time during the project.
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