Who Are the Pros?

There are two of different types of "Pros" that you may be dealing with during your home building adventure:

• The General Contractor - The General Contractor's (GC's) role before, during, and after the construction phases of building, which can be one of the most important, as well as most risky positions for one to take on.

  A GC's role may include the performance of some or all of the following:

• Consult with you about the appropriate land for your house plan and visa-versa.

• Present your blueprints to the Zoning Board for approval.

• Figure the construction costs and materials needed to complete the job.

• Schedule sub-contractors to perform their work in sequence of events to make sure that the building process runs smooth and on time.

• Plan the purchase and delivery of building materials to be at the job site when they are needed.

• Give specific instructions to, and supervises the sub-contractors work.

• Meet with the Building Inspectors to make sure that everything is built to specifications for the ordinances in governing the area.

  If you are considering the role of the "Owner-builder", you might think about hiring a G.C. to either utilize as a...

  ...consultant to assist you in one or more of the building phases that you are unfamiliar with, or to perform part or all of the general contracting roles.

• The "Sub-Contractor" is an independent contractor who performs the work specific to his or her trade. There may be several different "Subs" that are hired to build your home and each one should perform the following:

• Figure materials and labor in detail from your submitted blueprints.

• Propose, to either your General Contractor or yourself, a "Bid" for the job they are to perform including all labor, materials, and length of time it will take for them to perform the job.

• If hired, performs the work as stated in the bid within the allotted time.

A Personal Story:

My husband and I decided it would be in our best interest to hire a General Contractor, because neither one of us had the appropriate time to commit to overseeing the full extent of the job.

We discussed with our General Contractor prior to hiring him if he would allow us the option to use some of our own sub-contractors that we either knew, or that had given us a better bid.

That was not a problem for him, and even though he would lose out on some money, it would free him up to do other things. Our GC's only requirement was to:

Keep the Subs that we hired on schedule as to not interfere with his schedule.

We decided to hire a company we knew to install our wood floor. In doing so, saved us nearly half of the bid that our "General" gave us. We also decided to paint our entire house inside, outside, and upside down. Let me tell you...

... we were so sick of painting by the time we were done. If we had the extra money to hire it done, we would have, however, we chose to put the money that would have been spent in paint labor to finish off our basement.

It was either paint the house or live with an unfinished basement. Because we didn't want the hassle of having to work on our house after we moved in, we chose to paint, and paint, and paint...

...and are quite happy with our choice.

Stay off the Losing End

"Finding The "RIGHT" Contractors can make the difference in the

strength, endurance, and satisfaction of your home. Therefore,

before hiring anyone...

ChooseWisely!"

If a contractor fails to do his or her job correctly then your home could come crashing down. Although, it may not literally come...

...crashing down on you, there are a myriad of problems that could arise from the works of poor construction.

Following are just a few examples that could happen if you fail to draft the right team-players:

• There could be long delays in the completion of your home.

  Failure to properly contract, schedule, and supervise each building phase to make sure that all the work is completed properly and on time could add up in $$$'s.

• The building inspector could find major inadequacies in workmanship and/or code violations that warrant tearing out the problem area and re-doing it.

  A "Poor Contractor" or one not familiar to your area may not know the proper building codes or may make shortcuts to get around doing the job properly.

• The house may not be placed within the proper set-backs, as defined in the building ordinances of the area.

  Oh yes, I have heard of brand new homes having to be torn down and rebuilt because they were positioned outside the proper set-back requirements.

• Your home could be subject to water and air leaks.

  Improper construction of the basement walls, plumbing, roofing, insulation, and moisture proofing could subject your home to leaks.

• You discover that you have Radon Gas leaking into your home from your basement. Make sure that your contractor utilizes the proper methods and materials to prevent this from occurring. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/pubs/

• You find that you are always blowing breakers in your home every time you have more than one item turned on.

  This represents the failure of the electrician to install an adequate electrical system. Make sure that the wiring, receptacle boxes, outlets and switches are all appropriate for your home.

• When closing time approaches, you find that there have been liens attached to the property.

  There has even been at least one case, that I personally know of, where the general contractor took the money allocated to pay the subs and materials leaving the unsuspecting homeowner high and dry with a lot of bills, numerous liens, and an unfinished home.

• Your foundation has big cracks in it.

  Make sure that the footings are set at the proper depth—below the frost line and that correct reinforcement methods and materials have been used to prevent foundation cracking before, during, and after construction.

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WISE TIP!!!

Protect yourself and your family by hiring the "Right Contractor(s)" to get the

job done right the first time and prevent the loss of your hard earned money.

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I don't intend to totally frighten you away from wanting to build, but yet I want you to be scared enough so that you do a thorough enough research to find the good guys, so you can leave the bad ones behind.

Don't get left hanging...

...out on a limb. "SeekWisely" as you build your team.

Drafting Your Team Players

It is vital, to the outcome of your home and the security of your finances, that you take the steps necessary to find the right team-players. It is also vital that the person in which you are seeking, is someone you can...

...trust, is skilled to perform his or her job with quality, and you can work with as a team.

I don't have to tell you that personalities can clash, and at times it may be merely impossible to get along with someone that has a distinctly different personality than your own.

You need to do more than just...

...skim the surface to get to know a team-player, you must dig deeper to find out if you can meet eye to eye.

There are some wonderful professional contractors and sub-contractors out there. Therefore, not all are bad.

My husband and I have personally found that you can find the good guys, you just need to...

...Look for the following Star Qualities in each potential team player:

• Is licensed to perform the duties as hired by the area in which your home will be built.

• Is well established in his, or her business practice.

• Has proof of construction bonding for your protection—insurance coverage in the event that if he or she fails to do the job right, or destroys something on your property in the process.

• Belongs to a professional association specific to the job that you are hiring the person or company to do.

• Will provide you with a detailed job proposal and guarantee a bid at no additional charge.

• Is organized—observe both their office and their vehicle.

• Is in good standing with the Better Business Bureau—have had no legitimate complaints documented against them.

• Is more than happy to sign a written contract.

• Invites you to visit a job site that he or she is currently working on.

• Will give you a detailed "written guarantee" on the work at the time a contract is signed specifically stating the terms and conditions thereof.

• Offers you names of customers and businesses to research references.

• Your personalities synchronize—you have a good gut feeling about this person.

• Quotes you a reasonable bid for the type of job.

Now, let's add a few more qualities to this list that specifically pertains to the "General Contractor's" role.

• Will provide you with a detailed description of the materials that will be used and the methods he or she used to build a home.

• Will provide you with a copy of the bid proposals from each sub-contractor that has been submitted.

• Shows proof of Workman's Compensation Insurance for his or her employees.

• Gives you a detailed "written guarantee" covering your entire home from construction defects for an agreed upon period.

The National Association of Home Builders hosts a web site that contains a consumer information article: "Choosing a Builder", as well as other valuable information. Click here: http://www.nahb.com/consumers/new_home/newhome_04.htm

Before you go out and actually hire someone to build your home, it is "WISE" to...

...read through Buildwisely's Home Planning Guide at least once, then...

...organize your finances, do your research, plan a strategy, and then turn to Rounding Up Your Team Players for ideas to consider before hiring anyone.

Now that you have the information necessary to work with a contractor let's go
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