for Your Building Project

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Hiring a contractor for your building project frees you from much of the work and worry it entails. Before hiring a contractor, though, there is still work to be done. You need the proper preparations to ensure a successful working relationship with the contractor you choose to hire.

Residential Contractor or Commercial Contractor

First of all, you need to define the type of project you are doing. If your project is residential, you will need a residential or general contractor. If you are constructing or renovating a business site, you will need a commercial contractor. This distinction is very important because there are many differences in the requirements of residential construction and commercial construction.

Your contractor is supposed to be responsible for all the permits required for the project. Commercial and residential construction projects require totally different permits based on totally different government codes and regulations.

A commercial contractor will be able to give you advice on the most cost-effective ways of using your business infrastructure and floor area, as well as the level of electrical service you should apply for, taking into consideration future expansion. A commercial contractor will also be experienced at handling business equipment properly, and will be able to work on your commercial site with the least possible disruption to your business and your clientele.

Pre-Hiring Preparations

For construction from scratch, you will need to plan with an architect, engineers, builders and other professionals. Decide whether you want to hire a contractor who can organize all those professional needs for you, or whether you want a separate architect and a separate landscape contractor, for example. If you decide to hire a separate architect and any other professional, you will need to ensure that they all sit down with your contractor from the start of the project and all through its implementation so that everything is properly coordinated. This will prevent unnecessary downtime and, even worse, expensive re-working. It will be much simpler to get a contractor who can provide complete professional services and who will be responsible for all the coordination for the project.

For renovations, you will need to prepare existing building plans and blueprints. These will be needed by your architect in making new designs, and by your builder, too, eventually. Blueprints for the new design will, in turn, be needed in getting the various construction permits.

For full construction or renovations, whether for a residential or commercial project, be very clear about your own requirements. Make sure you know your bottom line in terms of function, style and cost. This way, you know to what extent you are prepared to solicit advice or accept changes to your vision.

Bidding Considerations

Once you are very sure as to what you need and want in your project, look for contractors from whom to ask for bids or quotations. It would be good to ask for recommendations from people you trust, as well as from government agencies and professional organizations.

Make sure the contractor has a valid business license. Find out how long it has been operating and whether its record is clean of complaints.

Check the contractor’s insurance. It should have public liability insurance, property damage insurance, and workers’ compensation. If any sub-contractors are going to be hired, check their insurance, too, and make sure they have all these.

Look at previous projects completed by the contractor and talk to their previous clients.

Only ask for bids from contractors who have passed all the aforementioned checks. The lowest bid is not automatically the best, either. Check for quality, too. Make sure the bid is specific in laying down the services to be provided, in identifying materials to be used, and in setting a definite time frame for the project.  Now you’re ready to choose and hire your contractor.