Contractor Selection
Selecting your Contractor: Everything you need to know about contractor selection.
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Most of us have all heard stories of renovation projects gone wrong. Most consumers undertake renovations every few years and finding a good, honest, reliable Contractor is no easy task. Armed with deep experience in this field, we have a front row seat to the poor choices made by unsuspecting consumers. We trust this article will provide guidance to ensuring the appointment of the right contractor.
Capabilities
Not all Contractors have the same capabilities, although many would want you to believe they are a “jack of all trades”, the truth is most are only a “master of some”. Ask pointed questions about their experience in the specific tasks you need done. Ask questions such as “how many Clients have you done this type of job for?” or “What issues do you encounter when doing this sort of project?”. The quality of the response will provide an indication of their experience. “I know a guy” referrals by friends and family may help however be sure to rely on recommendations only if that Contractor did exactly the same work you need done – it doesn’t mean that someone who is a good Painter is indeed a good Tiler.
Qualifications
Enquire about the qualifications the prospective Contractor has and don’t be shy to ask to see their certificate. In many cases, you can validate these using online portals. Also ask what qualification and trade certificates their team has. Be as specific as possible. If someone is installing electrical, ask about their electrical qualifications.
Regulatory Bodies:
Several trades in the construction industry are regulated including Home Builders (NHBRC), Electricians (ECA/ECB), Plumbers (IRB) and Gas Installers (LPGSA/SAGA etc). These bodies ensure members maintain the appropriate standards and often offer recourse in the case of poor workmanship.
Industry Bodies:
A host of voluntary industry bodies exist to promote specific trades and delivery of quality within those trades. Ask your prospective contractor which bodies they belong to. These may include Laminate, Wood and Vinyl Flooring (Flooring Association), Glass installations (SAGGA) and Plumbers (IOPSA). Again, ask to see certificates. The Consumer Goods and Services Ombud enforces the rights of Consumers under the Consumer Protection Act. If your Contractor is a paid-up member of this body, greater reliance can be placed on the seriousness with which they will deal with issues of poor workmanship.
Public Reviews:
It’s a good idea to google both the company name and owners name to see if there are any reviews in the public domain. The number of reviews will give you a good indication as to the quality of their score with more reviews showing greater reliability.
Professionalism
One of the key tell-tale signs of how a Company will approach your project is to evaluate how they approach their own business and brand. Serious Contractors are more likely to have a dedicated email account, informative website, registration with industry bodies, trade certifications, uniforms, vehicles in good condition, business cards, professional quoting templates and more. These small signals of professionalism are an important component in building credibility. Arriving to appointments on-time, listening to your needs, advising on where to purchase materials and saying “I don’t know” are also important in building an overall impression of the prospective contractor.
Budget
A mistake we find people make is to buy beautiful materials and expect them to be installed cheaply. While you may think you saving a buck, the risks of poor workmanship increase exponentially and the cost to fix mistakes will far outweigh the saving. Ensure you budget enough to purchase quality materials and have them installed professionally. If you are going to use “cheaper” contractors, ensure you upskill yourself on the correct installation methods and perform regular check-ins to ensure these are followed. In all construction projects, it is prudent to add 10% to 15% of your total budget for unforeseen expenses.
Manage the risks:
- Be as detailed as possible in defining the scope of work at quoting stage.
- Should you receive vastly different quotes for the same job, be cautious. It could be that one contractor misunderstood the scope, or another is planning to cut corners. Even worse, a prospective contractor could be “low-balling” with the intention of getting the work and then asking for more money while the project progresses. Seek to understand the reasons for the differences.
- Decide if you will purchase your own materials. Some contractors will purchase the best as they wish to protect their reputation while others will purchase the cheapest to maximise profit. If you control the buying, in consultation with the contractor, you can control the price and quality and, in many cases, save on this component while reducing the risk of paying for materials which are not on-site.
- Very few renovation projects adhere to the original time frame. Don’t unnecessarily rush the contractor as quality may decline and short cuts may enter.
- While some personalities like to leave contractors to get on with the job while others like to closely manage, be aware of micro-managing the contractor and his team. We have experienced most failures take place where contractors are less present on site and property owners tend to micro-manage.
- For multi-day projects, meet the contractor once a day. Set down a recurring, non-negotiable time to review work done the previous day and agree on decisions for the current day. Use this opportunity to identify which materials are at risk of running out and pre-emptively order these to avoid delays.
- Ensure the contractor keeps a written snag list which must be attended to at the end of the project/phase prior to sign off.
- Make use of businesses such as The Installation Company, which have experience dealing with contractors and have mechanisms in place to manage disputes, complaints and snagging.
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