Before beginning the process of finding a contractor you need to decide what attributes and criteria are most important to you. Ie price, quality, speed, integrity, etc. Some of the criteria are mutually exclusive. In other words you can’t get cheap, great quality and fast. You can choose any two and the price should reflect that. On the the selection process…
The best way to find a contractor you can trust is to ask friends, family and associates. I would also ask local lumber yards for the names of contractors they work with who have a good reputation. Once you have a list complied I would see if any names came up more than once and add to your preferred list. Next I would do some internet research to look for contractors with good reviews and have a clear record with License bird and BBB. You may start to notice a pattern.
Now you are ready for the interviewing process. Contact each contractor of interest and ask them if they are licensed, bonded. Insured and interested in bidding on your job. In that conversation you should talk about size of their company, how many jobs they take on at a time, size of their crew, references and timeline. You need to know if they have the financial capital to complete your job on time and budget. It is risky to hire a contractor that does not have the operating capital to keep your job running smoothly.
Schedule an in-person meeting with each contractor you are still interested in- no more than 4! Ask the contractor any questions you have about their process and get estimates. Expect it to be only an estimate at this point as there are a million variables until contract signing.
By now you should be narrowed down to 3 contractors. You should ask for references and see some job sites they have going or recently completed and feel out the home owner.
Once you have gotten to this point you should have some pretty solid designs and a good idea of who your top 2 contractors would be. Compare the designs, the level of service you expect to receive, level of quality, cost and make your decision. You should review the contract In detail on your own and with your contractor to make sure nothing is missed. Remember if it’s not listed you are not getting it!
Be careful not to give a large down payment. CALIFORNIA law requires 10% or $1,000 whichever is less. Sometimes you need to order cabinets or windows where you need to put down a sizable deposit but other than that you should be paying progress payments as work gets completed.
It may make sense to have a third party inspect work and approve payments, much like a construction load would be structured. This makes sure your billing is in line with you percentage complete.
Once the job has started stay in constant contact with your contractor every day to make sure there is good communications. Remember things come up, things change. Make sure any changes or change orders are documented and signed. Other than that try to enjoy the process and don’t sweat the small stuff 🙂
