วันพุธที่ 1 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2560

Building a New House Or Addition - How to Pick a Great General Contractor

1. Make sure you check out a contractor thoroughly. Make sure you check references and visit one or two projects he/she has finished successfully.

2. Have your architect interview him/her, if he/she does not already know him. The architect will know whether or not the contractor is qualified to do the job by going over the plans prepared for you with him, and listening to his questions and comments.

3. Ask on what size jobs he/she usually works. It is important that this be a match. You don't want a large contractor if the job is really small. The project will get very little attention. You don't want a small contractor if the project is really large. He might not have the experience in handling a large, complicated project.

4. Make sure the contractor is licensed. Hiring an unlicensed contractor and not getting a permit could be a reason to have to pay a penalty to the building department. In addition, you may have to tear out the work and re-build at least part of the project.

5. Make sure you have good rapport with your contractor. Construction can be very difficult at times, and if there are conflicts, you want to know that you can communicate what you want and need. You want to be able to develop a fair and businesslike relationship with your contractor, where you think there will be open lines of communication.

6. Make sure that the contractor carries all the required insurances. Normally, this includes liability and workmen's compensation insurance. The latter is particularly important. If the construction company is very small, some states do not require workmen's compensation insurance. You should require it even if the state does not. If something were to happen to one of the workers on the jobsite, and ฝากขายที่ดิน there were no workmen's compensation insurance in place, then you could be sued and your homeowner's liability insurance would be at risk.

7. If the house you are going to build is really large (a million dollar house or above), you may want to consider hiring a bondable contractor who has a bond the size required. Most residential projects do not require bonding, but a bond does offer additional protection from a contractor walking off the job and not finishing the project for the amount in the contract. Normally, you would be expected to pay for the bond fee (1% to 5%) over and above the bid estimate.

8. When you have the architectural/engineering construction documents finished, you should submit the plans to several contractors, which you have pre-qualified using points number 1 to 5 above, for obtaining cost estimates. Go over each bid and make sure you are comparing apples to apples. If one bid is way below the other bids, do not select this contractor. This usually (though not always) means that the contractor made a mistake on his bid. If you insist that the low bidder is the contractor you want, make sure to go over the bid again to make sure everything in the plans that is specified is included. If a written cost estimate with a breakdown is given to you for you to review, and later, the contractor wants to attach this breakdown to the contract, do not allow this unless you have not had complete plans prepared for the job. Here is South Florida we have to prepare complete plans by the architect and 3 engineering disciplines, mechanical, electrical, and structural.

9. Once you have decided on one contractor, get an original certificate of insurance directly from the insurance company or their representative. Do not allow the contractor to give you a copy. Obtaining an original normally guarantees that the insurance is still in place at the time you begin your project.

If you follow all of the above steps, you should pick a very good contractor for your project.


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