A home is one of the biggest investments in one’s life. Therefore, the whole process should be thought through, especially when you’re constructing your custom home.
When you connect with home construction companies to get everything started, there are numerous things you might want to consider.
In this post, we’re going to have a quick look at the 10 questions you must ask from the contractors before you decide which home building company to go for.
1- How many years have you been in business?
You obviously do not want to go for a home construction company that doesn’t really have any prior experience in this field, nor any portfolio.
Thus, you must ask that particular company how many years they’ve been in this business and their past projects.
Ask them how many homes they have constructed, and to show you their work. This way, you can easily determine if a home construction company is suitable for you and whether their prior work and projects reflect your vision of your new custom home.
Moreover, it is also important to see whether they have built anything similar to what you want in your custom home.
2- Are you licensed?
This is one of the most important questions you must ask a home construction company after inquiring about their prior projects and experience.
You must know that licensing is an important factor in numerous industries, especially if we’re talking about construction companies. Therefore, upon meeting a construction company representative, you must ask for a copy of their license.
Also, you must contact the issuing authority of this license to ensure it is still current and in good standing.
3- What makes you different from other home construction companies?
Now, this should be the selling point of any home construction company you are going to interview.
Ask them why you should choose them, and especially what actually makes them different from other construction companies out there.
Discuss what aspects you will benefit from them when this particular construction company is going to be constructing your new custom home.
Here, you can look out for several aspects, such as aesthetically pleasing designs and architecture, energy efficiency, high-quality materials, low cost, and more.
4- Which types of insurance do you carry?
Having insurance could not be strained much upon. Therefore, you must ask the construction company whether they have insurance and which types.
In most cases, your contractor should have general liability insurance that is going to protect your new custom home and property. In the event of an unexpected and unpredicted accident. For example, in case your house gets flooded, you won’t panic knowing that they’ll take care of the cost of this type of unforeseen disaster.
Besides that, you must also discuss workers’ compensation insurance with your contractor. This will protect you from liability in case someone gets hurt while working on the construction site.
5- What is the expected timeline for this project?
Knowing when to expect to step into your new custom home is a must. You must ask the construction company about the expected timeline of this project so that you will know. When the construction and work on your project will begin and when it will end.
This is more important in case you have a specific deadline in mind. For instance, the birth of a new baby, more family members wanting to move in, or the urgency of moving out of your current home.
Therefore, this is when you must ask for a proper expected finishing time from your contractor, and also ask them whether they’re working on other houses as well, and how many.
6- Who will be supervising my project?
Of course, you won’t be able to overlook and supervise your new home every day for numerous hours. That is why it is crucial to have someone to supervise and look after the whole construction process, and whether everything is on the right track or not.
Ask the construction company who will be supervising your project, and who is going to stop by from time to time to check on your projects and if everything is going as planned.
This is also when you should consider asking your contractor who the on-site project manager is, and who will be contacting them directly with questions.
7- Do you have any written warrant?
Although most construction companies you come across will guarantee their work, you must still ask for a written warranty agreement.
This warrant will include everything included in the construction, as well as what isn’t included.
This should clearly disclose what is covered in the build, what is not, and for how long. You will most commonly come across a one-year warranty. But keep an eye out for at least two years warranty (if possible).
8- What is your payment schedule?
The payment schedule is imperative for you and the construction company you will go for. You might also have to prepare for your finances and funding in time. Therefore, especially if you don’t pay the full amount upfront, you must ask for a proper payment schedule from your contractor.
Have a meeting involving the payment terms before construction begins, total payment amounts, as well as due dates.
9- How do you communicate with your clients?
Knowing the mode of communication between you and your contractor is crucial. Therefore, you must ask your contractor how they usually communicate with their client. Especially if they have any specific queries and concerns.
Having a designated point of contact and details about the best way to get in touch is important. This can be through phone, text, or even email, whichever is most convenient to you.
Knowing the time period when your contractor will be contacting you is important too. And this can be on a daily or weekly basis, to keep you updated on the ongoing process.
10- Ask about your responsibilities
After asking all the important questions as discussed above, you must know your part in the whole construction process as well. For instance, do you need to take care of more paperwork? Do you need to be on the site during the whole construction process? How often do you need to visit the site?
