What Makes a Great Contractor?

As the building and construction industry continues to grow, so many contractors are finding their ways into the trade. However, the majority of them are half baked contractors with very little to offer. Below, we discuss some of the key traits of a great contractor that you should look out for when hiring. 

List of References

Sometimes, proof of license is not enough to show that a contractor can successfully handle your project.  A good contractor should provide you with a list of references or the clients that they have served in the past. That will give you a better idea of their expertise, reliability and other things that are often overlooked. To be sure that you are hiring the right contractor, contact the references that they give you before signing any contract. 

Organization 

The way in which the contractor presents themselves and handles projects is critical to the success of your plan. Great contractors emphasize well trained staff with experience on the job. Besides, they also have adequate staff including sub-contractors that make sure projects are done to standard within the given timeline. A good contractor should at least give you an overview of how they handle operations including conflict resolutions and contingency plans. 

Great contractors have the right people and provisions for ensuring better project management. 

Competitive Pricing 

One way to gauge the skills of contractors is by looking at their rates. Contractors that offer very cheap quotes are likely to do a low quality work. On the other hand, contractors with extremely high rates may not guarantee the best quality. Great contractors do not come cheap but, have reasonable rates that appear somewhere in between. Requesting and comparing quotes from different contractors will enable you to find a fair price range for your budget. 

Great contractors do not attain the title in a single project but, through a series of successes. They focus on developing continuous and long term working relationships for the mutual benefit of their companies and clients. …

Tips on How to Speed Up a Construction Project

Planning a construction project and executing it is basically a balancing act. Art Terrazas, of GT Roofing & Construction explains to us that your goal is to get the best results within the shortest time possible. But, reduction of the time taken to complete a construction project can compromise quality. What’s more, addition of extras to the project can move its completion date.

However, there are ways of speeding up a construction project without compromising quality. Here are tips to help you speed up your construction project without sacrificing quality of the build.

Don’t Delay Decision Making

Delayed decisions can delay the construction project. Therefore, be efficient in making decisions and motivating your team. Delayed decisions are generally expensive and their repercussions can be long-term. To avoid delayed decisions, have a log book for the project and talk to your team about the project timeline.

Multi-Task

Your construction project will have several strands run concurrently. Have an eye on them to ensure that no aspect of your project stops running. Keep in touch with your project team and always review the paperwork to stay updated.

Maintain Communication

If you lose track of what your construction team is doing, your project can be delayed. Therefore, make sure that you are updated on what’s happening and that your team is updated on what needs to be done. Additionally, give your construction team feedback on what they have done while updating them on what should be accomplished in every phase of the project.

Delegate Duties

Effective delegation of duties disperses the tasks that a single person is responsible for. It also instills a sense of responsibility and trust in the team. Therefore, delegate duties to show your construction team that you trust its experience and competence. That way, you will get the most from your team and speed up the construction process.

Track and Communicate Changes

Changes are bound to occur during the construction process. That’s because each project has variables like materials and time. It’s however important that you track changes and convey the information to your team. This ensures that your team is updated on what to do to adjust to these changes and ensure that your project is not brought to a halt.

Follow these tips to ensure that your construction project is always on track and that it’s completed faster.
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Ways to Increase Your Home Value This Year

Increasing the size of your home is the most obvious way of increasing its value. You may also consider fitting a new bathroom or kitchen to boost its value. However, there are other ways via which you can increase the value of your home this year. Here are some of them.

Make it Look Bigger

The value of your home is definitely affected by its size. However, you can influence how the size of your home feels to visitors and potential buyers. For instance, throw away or pack the clutter in your home. Store treasures safely while having a reasonable number of ornaments in display. If there are chunky curtains in your home, replace them with blinds. Also move furniture around and install plain carpets that make space look bigger.

Clean, Finish, Replace, and Repair

Imagine that this is the first time for you to see your home. What can you notice first? Ensure that the pathway and the front garden are tidy and neat. If there are broken steps, slaps, and concrete, repair them. Remove weeds and empty gutters. Make the exterior paintwork tidy. Ensure that windows and front door are clean. Replace or finish parts of your home to make them more presentable. You can also apply a fresh paint coat if necessary.

Ensure Defined Purpose for Rooms in Your Home

If you have a multipurpose room in your home, make it more defined. This can be the room that works as a laundry room, a play room and an office. Decide how you want that room to function. For instance, you can make it an extra bedroom, play room or office. However, this doesn’t mean buying new items for the room. You can reshuffle the furniture in it to ensure a more effective layout.

If you intend to sell your home, follow these tips to increase its value and make it more appealing to potential buyers.…

Common Construction Project Disputes

There are many causes of construction disputes. Nevertheless, some construction project disputes arise more often than others. Here are some of the most common construction project disputes.

Conflict over Construction Quality

A detailed contract ought to explain what a construction project entails. However, conflicts still arise over the quality of the provided workmanship. A developer or property owner can feel that the contractor or even subcontractor did a substandard work. This can lead to a dispute or lawsuit against the person responsible for the objectionable work. A contractor can file a lawsuit if the client refuses to pay them for the work they think is substandard.

Conflict over the Used Materials

This is also related to the quality of the construction. A construction quality can minimize the chances of having this conflict. Nevertheless, when a contractor does not use the materials that the contract specifies or substitutes the specified materials with low quality material, the owner can refuse to pay. Basically, a property owner can refuse to pay when unacceptable materials are used. This can lead to a construction project dispute.

Conflict over Construction Delays

A construction project can take longer than anticipated. Litigation can occur when a contractor fails to complete the work within the agreed timeline. But, even if the contract does not specify the deadline, a construction project should be completed in a timely and efficient manner.

Nonpayment Conflict

In some cases, a contractor may complete the work using the specified materials, do the work properly, and within the set deadline but the property owner fails to pay as agreed. In that case, a contractor has the right to file a claim for nonpayment. To force the property owner to make payment, a contractor can put a mechanics’ lien on the property.

These are some of the common causes of construction project disputes. It’s important to have a construction contract and understand its provisions and implications of violating this agreement. This will enable you to avoid some construction project disputes.…

Things to Keep in Mind when Building a Custom Home

Things to Keep in Mind when Building a Custom Home

Most people are paying to have their custom homes built. In other words, they want to be the ones pulling strings and in charge of making major decisions in terms of how big or small their residences are. When you build a custom home, you also decide the features it will have.

Here are things to keep in mind when building a custom home:

Have All Details Ready Before the Building Process Commences

This implies knowing more than just the floor plan. You should know how you want each room to be designed. Designing an entire house may seem easy. However, the many choices available can make this process overwhelming. You need to decide on size, color, and pattern that will match walls, cabinets, and faucets.

Hire the Right Experts

This may seem obvious but you are likely to compromising when trying to save money. To end up with a quality home of your dream, hire the right experts. Choose licensed professionals and contractors. Ensure that the professionals you work with are insured with a reputation of delivering excellence.

Avoid Building Too Big

Maybe you have a lot of stuffs and you may long to own a mansion. However, it’s important to think hard and long about the project. What you may consider ideal now may no longer be ideal in the next 10 years. Cleaning and maintaining a larger house is harder and expensive. Therefore, most people are going for smaller houses.

Consider the Resale Value

You may not intend to sell your custom home. May be you would like to pass it to your descendants. However, assume that you may sell the house someday. Build your dream home but don’t make living or owning the same house a nightmare for a potential buyer.

When building a custom home, it’s easy to have the reality clouded by your dream. To avoid this, have these things in mind while building your custom home.

Check out this website for last minute national homebuilder recommendation.…

Why people are hiring the wrong construction contractors

You might be surprised about how many people are hiring the wrong construction contractors. There are so many that have regretted using contractors for building their project. In order for you to know that you aren’t making the same mistake, you should know why they are hiring so many wrong construction contractors. These are some of the top reasons why people are hiring the wrong construction contractor.

They don’t take the time to hire the best contractor

This is the biggest mistake that contractors can make. They don’t take the time to hire the best contractor that they can find. They are hiring the first name that came up.

There is always a chance that you might hire someone that you can’t trust. A contractor that has a bad reputation and that even might steal your money and get away with it. Take your time and make sure that you are hiring someone that you can trust. Time is money, we know but, in some cases, this is the best thing that you can do. To take your time before deciding on a contractor.

People don’t do enough research before hiring a construction contractor

When you are doing as much research as possible, you are making sure that you are hiring someone that is honest and that will do the best they can. With doing research, you will know for sure that the construction contractor comes highly recommended and that there are many positive reviews about them.

The more research you are doing, the better you will understand about which contractor you should use. There isn’t such a thing as doing too much research.

They don’t believe in doing interviews with more than one contractor before deciding which one to use

The more interviews you are doing, the better you will know which contractor is best for your project. There are too many people that don’t believe in doing interviews with more than one contractor. How are you going to know that you are using the best contractor there is?

There are many reasons why people are hiring the wrong construction contractors. And, the yare regretting it for years. This is why you should make sure that you are hiring the best contractor you can find. Even if this means that you should take your time, do research about as many as possible and doing more than one interview. Then, you will have the best contractor for your construction project.

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