Working with a contractor can be stressful for many reasons. The main reason is knowing whether or not you are working with someone trustworthy or up to completing the job. Whether you are working with a contractor on updating a bathroom after a leak or remodeling a section of your home, it can be stressful finding the best one for the job. These are a list of questions to ask contractors before hiring someone.
There are so many contractors out there that are good and a lot that are not. Many of them have their own way of working and don’t like to deviate from their own ways. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but it’s also not great. Finding the best contractor for your job is one of the most important things to do. Asking the right questions will help you determine the best contractor for you.
You can ask friends to recommend contractors that they have worked with, look online, or even work with someone such as a designer who provides the contractors you are looking for. Sometimes it’s hard to know the best approach to construction, especially when you don’t know how it works. Deciding if this is something you can handle on your own or hiring someone to help can be overwhelming. My guide can help you understand if you should hire a designer or if you can manage the project on your own.
Questions to ask contractors before hiring
Will they provide an itemized bid?
Staying on budget is one of the most important aspects of a construction project. Something that can help you understand the total cost of whatever project you are working on is an itemized bid. This will help you know what each update, change or alteration will cost. One of the questions to ask contractors before hiring them is if they can provide an itemized bid detailing the cost of your project.
If something costs more than you were expecting, you can change the direction or choose something else. As an interior designer, I try my best to provide clients with itemized pricing for every aspect of their project. This way, they can know exactly what they requested costs. Many times, if they come over budget, we help guide them in getting the cost down.
Providing an itemized bid isn’t always a contractor’s normal practice. In fact, some of them will say it will make it more expensive. That is because they combine costs of materials, labor and taxes on products. At the end of the day, if it is more expensive, it’s not by much. If you ask and they won’t provide one, it may be a sign that they aren’t the right contractor.
Do they have their own team or do they hire subcontractors?
Some contractors have their own teams and others hire out subcontractors. Neither one is right or wrong, it is just a difference in teams and how the job flows. One of the questions to ask contractors is if they have their own team or if they hire out subcontractors. I have worked with both types of teams and each one has their pros and cons.
If they have their own team, you know that they have a team of people that they know and trust. These are people that they have hired and trained to work for their company. There is also a level of knowing that if something goes wrong, they won’t be able to just walk off the jobsite or run off if something goes wrong. It is a team that works together.
If they hire subcontractors, they don’t have their own team but you know they will be hiring people to do very specific work that they are specialized in. This may make you feel better having specific people working on specific things rather than a team working on everything. However, they will be juggling more schedules which could cause delays in construction.
If they hire subcontractors, do they work with them regularly?
If the contractor does hire subcontractors, it is important to know if they work with their subcontractors regularly. This will help you understand their relationship to each person they work with and if they trust them. One of the follow up questions to ask contractors is if they hire subcontractors is do they work with these people on a regular basis?
Hopefully they won’t hire anyone that they don’t trust. It is normal for contractors to work with new subcontractors. If you ask and they admit that they haven’t worked with them yet, don’t be alarmed. This will just let you know that they are working with someone new and you can ask them follow up questions such as ‘will they be there to monitor their work’ or ‘do they know other contractors that have worked with them before’ or ‘have they checked their references’ or ‘have they checked their license number for any complaints or issues’.
Subcontractors are very good at what they do. There are good ones and there are bad ones. It’s okay to feel hesitant but as long as you trust your contractor, you can trust that they are doing their due diligence with who they are bringing to your jobsite.
Will they provide you with a construction schedule?
A construction schedule will provide an outline of what the construction plan is. It will help you understand their plan for whatever project you are hiring them to do. One of the other questions to ask contractors before you hire them is if they will provide you with a construction schedule.
A construction schedule is always a good reference point to understand where they are in the project as someone who doesn’t know what a normal construction process is. It’s important to know that a construction schedule is more of a reference tool and not a specific timeline that will work out perfectly. Construction is filled with all sorts of surprises, delays and other factors that can change the way a construction project works.
Not all contractors provide a construction schedule. However, it is a very normal thing for you to ask them to provide. It will help you know what to expect and can help them stay accountable to what they tell you.
Do they have any references?
This is one of the most important questions to ask a contractor. Do they have any references that they can provide to you? This way you can reach out to other people that have worked with them and get an honest review.
Checking references is a good way to ensure you are hiring someone trustworthy and competent at the job. This is a good chance to ask any questions you have about their timeliness, jobsite composure, and anything else that you may want to know.
If they don’t have any references or won’t provide you with any, that could be a clear sign that this isn’t a good match. Providing a list of references is a very common practice and you have every right to ask for them. You are considering hiring this person to do work on your home, it is very normal to call past clients and ask for their honest review.
Conclusion
When you are considering updating, renovating or even adding on to your home, it is so important to trust that you are hiring the best contractor for the job. These are just some of the questions to ask contractors before deciding on the best one to hire. It’s important to create a list of questions before talking to anyone to compare Asking the best questions will help you know who the best candidate is for the job.