I am considering an addition to my home. What are the "must ask" questions for a builder?

Renovations Additions
2

Have you done this specific type of project before?

What would be the client contact?

If an architect, was involved what is his contact information? (Architects can advise of many aspects of the process that may not be known by the Owner interms of substitutions, performance, quality compared to competitiors, etc.)

Will YOU (the person being interviewed) be the one running the project from day to day? Is not, could I meet and interview that person?

Ask whether the subs he is planning to use on your project are the same ones he used on the project he is using as a reference. (If not, you may well get a different result).

Ask concerning any BBB complaints (always check out BEFORE meeting him).

3

well that is a wideopen question,

first, ask for license, insurance and comp of contractor and all sub.

second know what the scope of work is, if the scope of work is well defined then you and contractor/subs will be on same page.

third, inspect the work and ask questions, if you are doing a project and unable to be onsite or unfamillar with scope, hire another contractor or private inspector to review work, they can help with approving applications for payment.

4th before paying anything make sure that paperwork is in order, lien releases, inspections passed, time to review work, there should be a 10-15 day period between request for payment and payment.

4

Ask to see other room additions the contractor has completed. In Ohio the only two trades that must be licensed are plumbers and electricians. Building permits are always required. Ask your contractor how he plans to tie the room additon into the existing residence. Be on the same page when it comes to material selection. Also you must consider how will you get heat to the new room area. Consider the purpose of the room and make sure you discuss the additonal electrical load to your breaker box. You may need to upgrade if the room is going to use a lot of electricity.

5

As said in a previous answer, that is quite an open ended question but there are some questions that should be asked of everyone who you consider.

First and foremost ask for their insurance and licensing information. Check with insurance company to see that policy is in force when they start work.

References that are recent (within the year) Make sure you check them all

Ask them to specify the timeframe of the project and hold them to it.

Ask them how they can show you that their work will hold up to time and elements. Guarantees.

Get a detailed estimate showing pricing and expectations for the completed project. Do not allow overages in price. Hold them to proposals.

6

The first things to be sure of are that the contractor is licensed and insured. They should be able to show their license or at least provide a license number. Insurance can be tricky. Make sure your contractor has Workers’ Compensation and Disability insurance. Again, they should have a certificate of insurance to prove it is in force. General Liability insurance is also an item you want your contractor to have, especially for larger projects. Be sure that any sub-contractors your contractor uses are also licensed and insured.

This simple step eliminates many of the “fly by night” handymen who can leave your house in worse shape than before they began.

7

How long they have been in business.

List of recent jobs that are similar to yours.

List of subcontractors they will be using.

Referals or recommendations by third party.

Suppliers they will be using.

Overall appierance and professionlism.

8

There are a lot of great answers to your question in regards to checking licenses and quality of previous jobs. If I were you, I would do everything listed in these answers.

The one new item I would add is to open up a dialogue with your potential contractor in regards to your ability to live in the home while this addition is being completed. How invasive is the construction to the existing structure? Will the house be exposed to the elements for an extended time? Protecting the existing structure and finishes from the weather. Dust control. Will A/C or heat be disabled? Etc.

A good contractor should be able to help you navigate through these concerns. However, it’s important to establish this strategy early becasue it is cheaper for the contractor if he doesn’t spend the extra time needed to control these issues. Make it clear during the interview process!

Good luck!

9

Dont ask, look for there license yourself on state webite.

Ask for an insurance certificate from there insurer before each payment. (make sure they are current)

Find outside sources for referrals. They will just give you a list of good ones. Ask for some that wouldn’t refer them to see why.

Check with trade organizations for current membership.

Check public records for lawsuits.

Check BBB for complaint history.

Personally interview owner and superintendant. They may be great at what they do, but you may not like there personalities.

10

Without going into too much detail I would narrow it down to the following:

  1. Are you licensed, insured, bonded and does your company have workers compensation? This is a good first step to weed out the companies with a lack of experience and or unprofessionalism.

  2. Can you please send me three referrals for room additions and can we please go see one or two room additions you have done or are currently working on? This will allow you to visualize the craftsmanship and professionalism of their job site; in addition referrals in my opinions are the strongest way to find out if you can trust a contractor. I would suggest also searching the web for reviews and check them out on BBB.

  3. What is your cost per square foot? Always try to find out before you make a set of plans with them so that you have an idea what you’re getting yourself into.

  4. There are probably at least 50 questions you can ask when doing a room addition, but the last must that I would ask would be if the contractor will or can offer a cash penalty for every day they are late past the agreed upon job completion date. This will entice any contractor to finish the job on time and not take there sweet time.

Hope this helps,

11

During the planning phase, make sure you have enough funds to cover the cost of an addition, check for the correct contractor’s license with an specialty of (BLD) on their license, general liability insurance of at least 1 million with a $2million agregate, workers compensation insurance for the general contractor and subs. Decide if you will be hiring an architec or if the contractor will provide his own. It’s highly recommended that General COntractors should provide their own architec to avoid any issues before, during and after the construction project is completed. Another thing make sure all agreements are done in writing to avoid any misunderstanding.

12

There are many questions that you need to ask your contractor after you’ve checked that he is licensed, insured, bonded and carries workers comp.

Here are the most important ones.

  • Ask for references from past customers
  • Ask to see actual jobs.
  • Ask for a time frame
  • Ask for a clear definition of stage payments.
  • Check that all inspections have passed in a satisfactory manner
13

Are you Licensed?
Do you have references I can call?
Are you insured and can I have a copy of your policy?

14

Hi,The first thing you need to do is get a reputable contractor.
Then have him get a budget set on the project.Of course check with the Registrar of Contractors to see if he’s up to date and has no complaint’s/insurance/ec…

Get a designer to help in the plan design process,or if you feel comfortable with your design’s discussed with the contractor,if he’s any good he should be able to come up with a good design.Their are also Architectural home designers you can pay and you can get a full pdf plan with a finished product/pdf walk through of each room with finished products 3/D and with an architectural plan for your permits/city submittal.

once a plan/budget is set in place and agreed,submit the plans for a permit.keep in mind any changes made which most likely will be in the building process of most remodels there is usually a change or a problem that needs to be resolved in the remodeling process such as each city is different and may ask for certain requirements or added items that weren’t addressed at the city plan submittal and will be addressed on the job site,remember just because the plans got permitted doesn’t mean items weren’t missed or building codes weren’t set in place on the drawings most likely the inspector will address these missed items if any on the job site as the project is in construction.just keep that in mind most the time the items are a easy fix but can turn in to a added change order/extra charge just expect that in the budget.

Then get a set schedule set and expect delays for inspections/weather/eced…

Make sure you get a itemized contract telling you what products/materials will be used for each project being completed and make sure you are clear so you no what product you are going to get and you’ll be happy with the product.Or as agreed in the building process depending on the job it may be possible to use a different product at the same cost that can be discussed during the building process as most remodels are designed as they go to your likings.

Then you’ll be on your way to your dream being built.

15

-Communicate your goals for the project as clearly as possible.

-Ask to see examples of the contractors construction documents. Work agreement, change-order, estimate, and conflict resolution clauses. These contract forms are very important to any construction project and will maintain a professional relationship throughout the project.

-Ask what specialty certificates the contractor holds in addition to their state license. Green building certificates, ASHRAE certificate, HERS rater, LEED certified, engineering, or design.

-How comfortable is the contractor using technology for design, communication etc.

-What is the contractors fee schedule?

-What type of contract will the contractor use? Fixed-price, cost-plus, etc.

-Is the project in a cold climate?

-Will the project need any specialty work? Structural, site work, local zoning or town ordinances, mechanicals, green technology, media, etc.

-Will the project have to meet any standards in local or state building code, seismic engineering, energy efficiency?

Andrew Fischer
BuildZoom
Director Contractor Relations
[email protected]

16
  1. Beside the those already mentioned it is in my experience that you
    should know and educate yourself with the amount of work you are
    intending to engage.
  2. By understanding the work that could potentially arise due to
    unforeseen conditions would be a great advantage on your side.
  3. ask contractor for all licenses, research the local board for any
    complains as well as for references and prior permit number so that
    you could confirm the work was actually performed by the company
    you are considering
  4. request the same for the information from the potential sub-
    contractors.
  5. Request to be added as additional insured under the GC &
    Subcontractors insurance.
  6. Check online for workers compensation, many company use the
    and choose for exemption as owner, this is ok as long as the work
    to be perform is done by 1 person only "the exempt Owner(s)"
    W.C. will allow up to 3 owners to be exempt. if you see more than
    what they are covered then you know they are working without
    proper insurance.
  7. Request release of LIENS from all Subcontractors as well as
    their suppliers, many time the GC will release and give you a
    release for certain amount of money on a given payment period but
    you should know that the subcontractors will still have the power to
    lien your property for non-payment; yes even if you have paid the
    G.C. doesn’t mean the G.C. paid their Sub’s (a commonly problem
    in the industry)
  8. Request that subs should match the same amount of coverage as
    the one carried by the G.C you planing on using.
  9. Make sure all inspections are called, and approved and that no
    permit remain open for your property this could be a potential
    headache down the line if you planing on selling.
  10. NEVER give more money than the work can substantiate…
  11. if you cannot be on the job site try to have someone
    knowledgeable assist you in visiting and knowing what is been
    build and that GC and Subs are not cutting corners.
  12. Always request Shop drawings and material/equipment submittals
    for everything you are installing in the project this give you an
    advantage to identify what they are installing allowing you to ask
    ahead of time why what is been installed is not the same as the
    one that was proposed.

There are many thing to be aware but the above will give you an idea of the process and the importance of your involvement along the way.

Best regards

17

Outside the basic questions that have already been covered (IE: License, Insurance, Previous project history, customer review) I believe one of the most important things is to just have a conversation with the contractor and/or project manager who will be handling your project. Make sure that you can communicate easily with each other, make sure that there is clear understanding in the simplest of conversations. If there is not clarity then when things get more difficult there will be major confusion and problems can arise. Secondly make sure that there is good feeling between you and the contractor. All things equal on the basics, it should boil down to which contractor you feel the most comfortable with. Most people have an inner voice, they just need to learn to trust and listen to it.

19

Licensed, Verify Insurance, check reviews, and contact references. If you really want to go deeper, ask the contractor to show you work he is currently working on. A busy contractor is usually a good sign of a quality and honest contractor.