When you are working with a general contractor for a new home, an addition, renovations, or any other work on your property, there is a lot to look forward to when you have the completed work that you are planning for. That said, there are a lot of things that can go wrong during the process of having your work done that can be frustrating, cause setbacks, and make your overall experience more difficult than you may have wanted.
Take a look below to get an idea of a few of these common problems, as well as how you can deal with these issues. If you are looking for reliable general contractors, this will be a good resource during your process.
Running Over Your Budget
When you start working with a contractor, one of the most important things that you will need to discuss is your budget. Having a clear budget that you and your contractor will be able to work with is one of the best ways to inform all of the decisions that you are able to make together about the upcoming project.
Once you have established a budget and a plan about how you will stay on track for this work, it is important that you have check-ins with your contractor in order to make sure that you are still on target. It is easy for a project to overrun the budget, especially when you need to make decisions throughout the work about different fixtures, changes to the work, or unforeseen obstacles. By having a weekly check-in, you can make sure that you are not surprised with the final price.
Issues with Subcontractors
When you hire a general contractor, it is very likely that they will bring their own subcontractors onto the job in order to complete the required work. If you find that you have any issues with a subcontractor, the best thing to do is to leave it up to the general contractor to handle the issue. A general contractor understands that a big part of their job is to interface directly with the homeowner, whereas a subcontractor was not hired directly by the homeowner and is working under the contractor that you have hired.
Since the subcontractor has a separate scope of work through the general contractor, there are a lot of opportunities for miscommunication between the homeowner and subcontractor. If you feel that there is a misunderstanding, do not pursue it any further, and speak directly with your contractor in order to find a solution.
Missing Deadlines
When you initially outline a project, you will have a series of deliverables and deadlines that come with the project in order to make certain that the work is on track. There are many different reasons that a job can be set back, but the best way to make sure that you understand where you are in regards to deadlines and timeline of your project, you should address this each week in your check-in with your general contractor. Just like these meetings are important to discuss your budget targets and whether or not you are on track, they are equally helpful in order to understand your current timeline.
Essentially, there are a variety of issues that stem from miscommunication. The most important way to avoid issues with your general contractor is to make certain that you are in contact with each other as often as possible, and that there is complete transparency with the work being done. Talk often, get your agreements in writing and make sure that there is no confusion about what you and your contractor are agreeing to each step of the way.
