Deciding to build a new home or renovate your existing one can be a monumental occasion. Not only are there a lot of decisions to make, but you’ll also be handing over tens of thousands of dollars to a business to help bring your ideas to life.
With a great deal of money on the line, you’ll want to do your due diligence for peace of mind. Here are some of the most important questions to ask your preferred builders before you hire them.
Do You Have Insurance?
Even if you’ve had a building company referred to you by friends and family who were happy with the finished result, don’t be afraid to ask whether they have insurance. You can click here to learn more about the types of insurance builders may have, but there’s also no harm in hearing it from the horse’s mouth.
Ask about what happens if there’s damage to your existing property or materials are stolen or damaged as your renovations or construction are underway. Essentially, you want to ensure that if anything goes wrong during the project, you won’t be financially disadvantaged by it.
Do You Offer Warranties and Guarantees?
Builders utilize a wide range of products and materials, and they generally opt for high-quality options for buyer peace of mind. However, faults can become apparent even with some of the most reputable brands used in the construction or renovation of your property.
Ask your prospective building company whether they offer warranties and guarantees with products, materials, and labor. This can be important for ensuring that you’re not going to be disadvantaged if there are any issues during the building process.
How Long Will the Renovations or the Build Take?
Most builders can’t say how long your renovation or new build will take with complete accuracy. However, they may be able to provide you with an estimated timeframe that takes into consideration any delays caused by the weather and access to materials and tradespeople. This can be an essential question to ask as it allows you to plan your life around the build or remodeling project.
How Long Have You Been in Business?
Experience counts for a lot in the construction industry, especially when you want complete confidence that the building company you’ve chosen has experience working on similar projects to yours. Ask about how long their company has been in business, the experience of the team, and the qualifications they have to complete the job to a high standard.
How safe is the process?
When it comes to construction, we don’t want to jeopardize the safety of the workers and your property. It’s best to know the process they will do to ensure the work is done safely. For example, handling with concrete should be done safely as one wrong move can create more damage. Concrete scanning is a process that is done to measure the depth of the material before drilling or cutting. Diamond Cut Concrete recommends this process before any construction is done in the property.
Do You Outsource Work?
Many building companies handle everything from the framework to the roofing and everything in between. However, other much smaller companies outsource these tasks to contractors. While this is standard practice, it’s something you may like to be made aware of so you know just who’s involved in your project.
How Do You Stand Out From Other Builders?
When you start looking for builders and building companies to handle your renovation or new build, you usually have your pick of dozens of options. You can often gain a sense of a company’s professionalism by looking at their website, but there’s no harm in asking them what they think sets them apart from other builders in the area.
This gives the company a chance to highlight some of its unique features, such as having in-house architects and interior designers.
It’s not always easy choosing a builder, especially when many are available in your area. However, by asking some of these questions above, you may be able to narrow down your options significantly and make the selection process a little more straightforward.
