When it comes time for home renovating, nothing is more important that selecting the right home renovation contractor to work with. It is not a process that should be taken lightly or with little regard for the required research.
Home renovating is very expensive and can be more complicated than building a new construction home. Understanding your home renovating needs and paring them properly with a home renovation contractor is key to a successfully house renovation project.
There are typically 2 standard approaches to undertaking a renovation project. The first is to have an architect prepare complete home renovating drawings.
These documents will be required for both acquiring building permits and solicitating home renovations companies to bid your work. This approach provides you with documents that will be used throughout the project.
The downside to this approach is if there are any errors in the construction documents or you want to make changes, you are likely to have to absorb the expense as the owner.
The second approach to preparing for a renovate is to choose a home renovation contractor that provides design to build construction documents and drawings.
Design build home remodeling contractors offer both design services and execute the home renovate construction activities. This process is a faster approach to completing home renovating and holds the renovating contractor accountable for both design and construction.
For additional insights visit design build contracting.
In either of these approaches, the preconstruction stage is often the most difficult phase of home renovating to find a competent and trustworthy renovation contractor.
Choosing the right renovation contractor can save your project and your dream home from turning into a nightmare. Even if you have had good previous experience with home renovating, it may be quite challenging for you to find a suitable home renovation contractor the next time around.
After you have decided which approach you are interested in taking concerning preparing construction drawings, the next important step is to determine which niche of home renovation companies fit your personal needs.
There are many different types of home renovation contractors. Some home remodelers specialize in bathrooms or kitchens, while other renovation contractors focus on exterior remodeling.
As a rule of thumb if your home renovating is a major house remodel project, you want to hire a house renovation contractor that offers complete contracting services as a full-service general contractor.
A major renovation project usually involves structural modifications to your house as well as the cosmetic improvements.
Using an experienced renovation contractor that understands the requirements to involve a structural engineer are paramount. If the changes you request affect the houses load bearing members such as the foundation or framing members, it is essential to involve a licensed engineer to develop the repair details.
Now that you understand the design approach you wish to take and the type of renovator you need, it’s time to prepare for choosing the right renovation company that fits you personally. So, let’s take a look at these 9 tips to choose the best contractor based on your requirements.
Learn About the Necessary Steps Required in Home Renovating to Successfully Execute
1. Develop a wish list
Developing a wish list begins with a lot of research like visiting house renovation idea web sites and decorating magazines. Get started with a specific plan and some clear ideas about your house renovation project.
It’s never a good idea to begin your project before talking with some contractors. A good renovator will provide you insights that you may not have considered.
This requires that you have prepared a wish list and can effectively communicate your ideas to the renovator. By ultimately developing a scope of work and some detailed plans a contractor will be able to provide you a reasonable price for your project.
For more insights review our home renovation resource guide.
2. Read reviews, ask friends, co-workers and neighbors for references
Word of mouth, is undoubtedly one of the best ways to meet a competent professional home renovator to pursue your job. Ask your friends, relatives, co-workers and neighbors whom they have had a good work experience with.
Don’t forget to ask what made their work experience better, if the renovating contractors work was quality and whether they would like to hire the same professional next time.
Read online reviews of different house renovation companies that you might be considering. Review their website to get a better understanding of the services that they provide.
These types of efforts go a long way in creating a short list of home renovator’s candidates. Find out some basic requirements such as whether the contractors have had impressive certifications and previous designations from reputable associations, along with the state and local municipal licenses.
3. Choose the right renovation contractor for the right project
Look for the renovation contractor who are experts in the field of your project and has experience with these kinds of projects. Someone who has successfully tiled your colleague’s bathroom, is not necessarily the correct person for a major home renovating project.
Don’t be shy about having a technical conversation with the contractor to get a feeling for the depth of their direct experience and knowledge about your house renovation project.
Phone screening saves both you and the renovator time in determining if they make the short list of qualified renovation companies you wish to bid.
This is important because if you do not have equally qualified bidders providing you proposals, your bids will be skewed and an unreliable bid quote.
4. Prepare a defined scope of work and construction documents
Unless you are planning on using the design build approach for preparing your construction documents, there is no immediate need to begin holding formal interviews with renovation contractors.
You can plan on doing a screening interview as part of the contractor hiring process, but you will be required to meet with all your home renovators again once you receive the home plan drawings.
In order to properly request comparable bids, you will need a complete set of construction documents and prepare a well-defined scope of work for the project.
If you do not have these documents, the renovation proposals you will receive will be very difficult to accurately compare.
5. Interview the short list of qualified home renovation contractors you have identified
Narrow down the list of house renovators you have solicited to set up in person interviews. During the interview rate the important points and attributes you like about each of the contractors.
Try to access which one you would like to work with most. Rank their answers and their bids to create a measurable method of evaluating them. Determine which contractor will best serve your needs by also listening to the questions they ask.
What you are attempting to determine is how “like minded” you and the home renovator are.
Are you similar in the way you resolve disputes?
Do you have the same standards of quality performance?
Do you agree on the frequency of meetings and communicating?
6. Ask for the license and insurance papers
Does your renovation contractor carry insurance to protect you from any kind of liability? If yes, get a copy of the contractors insurance certificates.
Review the policy total loss limits and what is covered under their comprehensive accident claims. Have a discussion with the renovator about purchasing a builder’s risk policy if this will be a long project and the scope of work includes higher risks tasks, like items exposed to severe weather risks or risk of damage to houses content.
7. Sign a comprehensive contract
Once the renovation contractor is selected, it’s time to look at the documents prepared by your renovator.
Read the contract carefully. If this is a large project that will take a longer amount of time, get an attorney to review the document. In short, whatever is said to you, ensure that you have got it in writing.
The home renovation contract should include the bid proposal, the required addendums, product selection allowance schedule and payment schedule.
8. Get prepared for the house renovation
The best professionals are the busiest ones. While wrapping up the hiring details of your renovator, it is essential to finalize the product selections. Items like cabinetry and special flooring products have a long lead time to fabricate and install.
Products that require shop drawings and engineering need longer lead times as well, such as special doors, windows stone work and stair railings. If the home renovating is less than a 6 months process, these fore mentioned items will present significant delays in the completion schedule.
If you are planning on relocating your family temporarily during construction, you will need time to properly coordinate your schedule with the renovation companies’ demolition and remodeling activities.
If you are planning on living in the house during renovations, you will need to make the required arrangements to avoid the expected disruptions.
9. Communicate, communicate, communicate….
House renovations is an ever-changing activity. Unlike new ground up construction, home renovating is far less predictable of unknown items being encountered.
Even construction plan schemes require modification to fit properly. As the project progresses many questions arise that should have the owner’s opinion solicitated.
Having an effective communication plan can address these items in a timely matter. It’s better to fix earlier than to repent later. Schedule routine progress meeting with your renovator.
So, stay in frequent touch with your contractor and address your potential issues when and if they occur.
Choosing the right house renovator is a great deal of work, but if the groundwork is appropriately planned the benefits of a well-organized project will pay handsome dividends on your project.
A quality home renovator will provide a valuable service to homeowners. Working together for a common goal will usually result in everyone’s satisfaction. To learn more about choosing the right renovator.
Conclusion
Home renovating is a rewarding but challenging process. It is best to be left to a professional renovator to guide you through the process and execute your project. Understanding and following the steps will substantially increase your chances of a successful home renovation.
