4 Questions to Ask a Building Contractor Before Renovation Work Begins

When you need some building renovations or remodeling work done and you're looking for a good contractor, asking if they're licensed and insured is not enough to find one that will do a quality job and that you can trust. You need to do a bit more probing in order to choose a reliable contractor for your buildings renovations, so consider four questions to ask any potential contractor before you make a hiring decision.

1. Who is the on-site project manager?

A reliable contractor or company will have an on-site project manager to oversee the entire project; never should a construction crew be working without a manager for any length of time. The on-site manager should be there every single day to ensure the work is being done according to schedule and that quality work is being done as well. If a potential contractor does not offer an on-site project manager you may want to reconsider hiring them.

2. Will you sign a "time and materials" contract?

This refers to any additional charge that homeowners may face if the contractor runs into unexpected problems. Some unreliable contractors may try to charge a homeowner much more than they should for additional time and materials that are needed to complete a job after something unexpected, but signing this contract ahead of time will ensure that there are limits to any additional expenses.

3. How long of a guarantee do you offer?

A contractor should always stand behind their work with a guarantee and the length of the guarantee will tell you something about the quality of work you can expect. If they only offer a six-month guarantee this might be a bad sign about the quality of their work. A good contractor should offer a much longer guarantee about their work; a year, five years, or even ten years is the best choice of answers you can expect.

4. Will you agree to a termination clause?

This type of clause allows the homeowner or contractor to terminate the contract under certain conditions. For example, if the homeowner stops paying according to schedule, the contractor can walk away from the job without legal entanglement.

However, if the contractor doesn't show up for work or falls too far behind schedule, the homeowner may want to include those conditions in the termination clause so he or she can have another contractor step in to finish the work.

Remember these four question when you need building renovations done and use them to help you determine the best choice of contractors for the job. Start talking to local options such as Adelaide Hills & Country Building Services.