Questions to ask a Contractor
Why should I trust your company?
Marwood Construction works very hard to earn and maintain our clients trust. We have been serving clients and investors since 2002 without any unresolved issues or serious disputes. We also have never had a claim dispute filed with the BBB. We take great pride in our companies reputation of dealing with clients with the foremost in integrity. We are an accredited NAHB / GHBA general contractor as a Graduate Master Builder and Licensed Certified General Contractor, CGC045381.
What happens when we find unexpected financial surprises discovered during remodeling?
Unfortunately there is no assurances that we can provide our clients that when we uncover unwanted conditions that there will not be conditions that require unseen repairs or updating. If we included the cost of all the anticipated repairs that could go wrong, our remodeling prices would reflect over charging our clients if these conditions did not materialize.
Will your work crews clean up each day after work and what does your firm do with the trash?
Yes, we practice good housekeeping routinely. We also benefit from this practice through being organized and safer job environment practice. We discuss the removal of trash and debris during the pre-execution phase with our clients and determine how to handle this matter on a case by case basis.
What about my personal safety if I am at home alone with your workers?
Marwood Construction understands the importance of taking extra precautions to ensure the character and conduct of the personnel that are commissioned . We perform both self performing work and use subcontractors to complete your project. Marwood takes great care in doing background checks and drug testing its direct employees. We go the extra effort in contracting with our subs to require that they sign a personal behavior agreement before commencing work. This agreement outlines our conduct standards for behavior while on our job sites. In addition we make it a priority to plan for securing the residence during construction improvements if we have to breach the homes envelope.
What if I do not have building plans for my remodeling project?
We are a complete design build contractor that will personally see your project through from concept through completion including our extended warranty program. We offer our clients collaborating architects and designers to prepare timeless designs that reflect our clients lifestyles. The added value for our clients is that by hiring Marwood as your design build GC, we provide confirmation budget pricing during the design phase to keep your the construction cost within the pre-established budget. It is worth mentioning that this process reduces project cost by virtually eliminating design errors and allows for value engineering throughout the process.
What if I do not like the design after I see it built?
This is not likely to occur. If we are conducting a design build renovation, we have presented sketches, blue prints and 3D models to assist you in visualizing your project as it will look when complete. These technological aids are extremely helpful to our clients in capturing a clear understanding of the product, space and colors of their future project finishes.
What happens if I do not like the quality of your company’s work?
This seldom happens after completion. More likely our clients make comments prior to completing our work while inspection during progress. If some reason the work is not acceptable, we will correct/adjust our product to meet or exceed industry standards and specifications. We will make all reasonable efforts to satisfy your expectations.
Do I have to move out during the remodeling project?
This is always a personal decision. It depends on the magnitude of the project and if we can provide temporary facilities to conduct your normal lifestyle. We can always implement phased construction for large projects to accommodate your family. These project can take longer to complete, but are far less disruptive to your routine life. This decision almost always comes down to a personal family choice.
How do we secure my home and valuables during a renovation project?
We go to great lengths to secure your home during and remodeling project. It begins when we openly discuss our execution plan in detail prior to commencing work. During this period we closely review entrance/exit options, working hours and all available methods to isolate the work area from the remaining portions of the home. We are also interested in securing our materials so they don’t grow legs until they are placed.
How long does the remodeling project take?
Most often the design process can take as long as the remodeling project. The length of the construction depends on the magnitude of the complexity of the project. Our process is vetting the design to confirm that our client has a clear understanding of the finished works appearance. Once the design is accepted, we order the materials and equipment that are critical to expediting the completion of the project. We are very cautious to avoid advancing with dismantling existing conditions if we do not have the critical components which could cause extended delays in completion.
Who is responsible to pay if something is damaged in my home during remodeling?
Things happen that are not intentional or planned for. We remain accountable for our work and the unexpected consequences of our work causing residual damages to your home. In the unlikely event that the damage is a significant loss, we are fully insured and will stand behind work.
Who should I call if I have a problem during construction?
Prior to commencing with construction, we conduct a kick off meeting with our client to make proper introductions and discuss the project specific requirements. This is the period where we do Q&A with our crew and site supervision sharing the details that your design team discussed and agreed. We will provide you with business hour contacts and emergency after hour contact information at that time.
I just replaced my hardwood floors and now I want my windows replaced. Are you going to ruin my new floors when replacing my windows?
We work in people’s homes on a regular basis that have expensive finished products. Our standard protocol is to dust proof our work area and to install protective covering over all finished products that are not part of the scope of work. We plan these protective steps prior to commencing work.
How do you keep dust from going everywhere during remodeling?
I most cases we can create a dust barrier between the finished home and our work area that suppresses dust and dirt throughout the remodeling process. We also use a special cover over the return air filters to reduce the unwanted distribution of dust through the home. At the completion of the construction improvements we will not only clean our work area, but will also clean your entire home.
Are you insured and what happens if one of your employees gets injured at my home?
We are in fact fully insured. We carry general liability and workmen’s compensation. We also require our subcontractors to be fully insured and provide certificates of insurance. In the event one of our workmen is injured requiring more than onsite first aid, we will get him immediate medical attention at the appropriate emergency medical facility.
Where will your crew go to the bathroom?
We can provide a temporary toilet if requested by our client or we can use as a dedicated facility if this is acceptable to our client. We do in fact discourage the side yard…..
Will they be required to wear shirts on the job?
Our employees and subcontractors will dress appropriate to avoid offending anyone. Although you may not like some of their hair cuts……..
What kind of warranty guarantee do you provide?
Our standard warranty is referred to as 1/2/10. This is a 1-year warranty on all products & workmanship, 2 year warranty on mechanical and electrical and 10 years on structural components. We also offer an extended warranty through our HRMA program. For certain projects we can arrange a pre-paid home warranty policy for your home.
How much am I going to have to put down as a deposit to get started?
We understand that up front deposits worry people. We typically only need a nominal amount of deposit when executing the contract. With that said, if you have specified special products that require deposits by the vendor, we will communicate the need to accommodate the vendors and make arrangements for the secured advanced partial payments that may be required.
Do you offer payment plans or financing?
As a common practice, no. Although we do have financial associates that offer very attractive secured and unsecured forms of financing for up to 30% of the value of your home. We will also work with your lender to provide the required documents they may require.
What if the design and products I want are substantially greater than our predesigned budget?
This happens quite often. Once our clients begin to shop for products, they can get carried away with some of the beautiful products and fantastic design features that are available. There are a few options other than reselecting alternative products or redesigning. The most popular option by our clients is to reduce the scope of work of the current project and carry some of these items to future project phases.
Before the design stage and after we have completed our Home Remodeling & Maintenance Assessment, we have prepared a global budget to improve and update your home. One of the reasons we provide this complimentary service is because we have learned that our clients remodeling and restoration projects can grow in size. As you might expect during or after a important part of the home has been substantially improved our clients want to bring other parts of the home up to these improved conditions. So being proactive as we are, we discuss these possibilities early in our design process and provide some budget estimates for planning’s sake. These improvement area budgets are itemized in menu form to help the client understand a comprehensive global plan of improvements and the cost associated with them. This allows our clients the flexibility of rethinking their home improvement priorities and redirecting resources to future improvement phases, which can free up resources for financial planning short falls.
