Selecting a Contractor

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Selecting a Contractor

by Lee Seward Construction, building a house, buying a new home, construction companies, construction contractors, Contractors, Custom Homes, Flood damage, florida homes for sale, general contractor services, Home Remodeling, houses for sale, licensed contractors, local building contractor, new home construction, new home florida, new homes for sale florida, Property For Sale, Real Estate, Rebuilding Homes, Renovation
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Choosing your next Contractor

We have a few tips to use when selecting your next contractor. We use this everyday when we are qualifying new subs. 

  1. Comprehension, does the person sound like they understand the work? 

  2. Details, what details are you picking up in your conversation? 

  3. Paper, are you receiving a detailed bid that lists the specific work?

  4. Money, are you being asked for money up front?

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If you are presented a story that ends with sign here and cut a check for 40% so we can schedule your work….RUN!

Contractors who are capitalized do not need your money to schedule your work. Contractors who are using your money to fund other projects want your money now. 

Proposals with little to no detail regarding the work and scope of your project have no idea what they are doing. Most likely the majority of work is missing in the price and what they are telling you will be the cost will end up doubling or going higher later.

Proposals with little to no detail of the project, but lots of detail regarding slander are coming from someone who is not intending to do your work, but intending to take your money. They will want high percentage deposits and then invoice you for more money while not much is completed in place. 

What do you do?

Be your own advocate. 

Pay attention to the details.

Do not pay ahead.

Some contractors have been burned by clients and the procedures they put in place are to protect them. Deposits up front are not an issue, large percentage deposits are. If your contractor is not willing to negotiate than maybe it is best to walk away. 

Do not sign a contract that has zero language about what you are purchasing. If the project is not built on paper with values assigned to each line item then you are walking into trouble. 

  We have taken over many projects that went bad. All of them have the same in common, no details, high payments made up front. 

 

   The way we operate is to provide a detailed estimate, this later converts to a greater detailed budget and then we go to contract. We do not request a deposit at all. We invoice our clients for work in place. You see what we did, you can touch it, and you pay for it. If we have to purchase materials or supplies we will invoice for the specific items we need and purchase them. The labor we charge relates to the agreed budget we are working off of. Change orders are created from client changes or from items listed as additional cost in the proposal. Change orders do not exist unless the client agrees in writing before. 

  We are not your bank and we only wait 2 business days from the time we submit our requisition to the date it must be paid in full. This is our procedure and the way we operate. Full transparency and no drama. 

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