Working With Contractors
The relationship you have with your contractor and his team will have a direct effect on how smoothly things go when remodeling your home. How they feel about you will have a direct bearing on the quality of their work and the cost of your home. Interviews Are a Two-Way Street When you meet with a contractor you are trying to decide if you want to hire them. Keep in mind that a contractor is also interviewing you. They spend a lot of time working with customers, and if you are a difficult customer then some contractors will decide not to work with you, others may increase their price if they think you will take more of their time or be harder to work with. Avoid Changes Contractors hate changes, and when changes occur, it slows down the building process. Contractors are often unable to charge a customer for the full cost of the changes. When you make changes it forces contractors to reschedule work they have planned for other houses, or her may need to shuffle work crews or equipment from other projects to handle your changes. Changes can harm the morale of a crew. Craftsmen take a great deal of pride in their work. If they have to tear down and rebuild things then they may feel like they wasted a lot of time doing work that was thrown away. Don't Bother the Crew A building crew earns their living by producing work and so if you continually ask them questions, you will then you slow down their work and you reduce their income. This may also cause them to fell that they are not trusted by you. Let the Builder be in Charge Any changes, questions, or concerns you have should be directed towards contractor himself. Trying to work directly with the crew can make things more difficult on everybody. Your contractor knows about everything that needs to be completed, and he will pass any changes down to his work crew. Trust the Builder Sometimes "home remodelers" start the building process by being suspicious and untrusting. Your contractor and his crew are part of your team. Treat them like a team member rather than an adversary. There's nothing wrong with being careful, but don't go overboard. Respect the Workers Sometimes customers who are white-collar employees have a poor attitude towards blue-collar workers. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Just because someone works with their hands or gets dirty at work doesn't mean they don't deserve your respect. Visiting the Site You should check the home remodeling on a regular basis, as this will allow you to catch any errors early. It will also help to be available to answer any question contractors may have for you. |
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