Renovating your home is an exciting experience, but it can be soured by construction contractors or builders if they aren’t as honest and upfront as you would like. Most homeowners have had bad experiences with builders at least once, whether they’ve presented you with a much higher bill or carried out shoddy work on your property. We had a bad experience with contractors when the husband ask him more details of the material’s prices. It way too different from the actual price in the stores. It can make you feel foolish for not choosing your contractor more wisely, but the thing is, there are some things that builders simply won’t tell you, which makes it difficult to choose wisely.
Here are some of the most common things builders will neglect to mention when you’re in the process of hiring them:
Their Low Bid Probably Isn’t Accurate
As a homeowner, you probably get a number of quotes before hiring a builder, which is the sensible thing to do. What isn’t sensible, however, is to choose the builder who’s offering you a significantly lower price than the others. That’s because he has probably underestimated his bid purposely in order to get the work, and once you’ve hired hi the price will keep rising. This is particularly problematic if you plan to get the money for the renovations from a homeowner loans company, or if you’re on a very tight budget. It is, then, a much better idea to ask him to show you detailed figures for the job or go with a different builder entirely.
There are Extras Built into the Contract
A lot of builders will add hidden extras into their contracts, which you might not need and which could end up costing you money if you don’t double check before hiring them. For example, some builders may put low-cost materials into the contract, only to try and get you to upgrade with persuasive language later on, or they might quote a lower number of hours to complete the job than actually necessary and then charge you by the hour for any time they run over. This is really something you need to look out for.
They Don’t Have Insurance
I can’t state how important it is that any builder you hire to work on your property has their own appropriate insurance. A lot of builders will neglect to declare that they don’t have insurance, or skirt over the issue when you bring it up, and if they do this, you should be very wary of hiring them because, should they be injured on your property, you could be liable! Ideally, you should always ask to see their insurance documents before you sign any contracts.
They May Cut Corners
I can pretty much guarantee that your builder isn’t going to tell you upfront that they may well cut corners on your job, but many do. Usually, they will ensure that any cosmetic jobs that you can plainly see are done to the high standard you’re paying for, but they won’t do quite as good a job on hidden elements of your renovation like hidden plumbing and drywall.
If you can, it is then, a good idea that you, or another person you trust, is on hand to supervise them. This should ensure that they do exactly what they said they would with the quality of materials you’re paying for.
They Shouldn’t Come to Your Door
Builders who come to your door trying to convince you that you need a new roof or that your foundation needs to be repaired are never going to tell you that good builders don’t need to go from door to door plying their trade. Most of the people who do this are little more than scam artists and opportunists looking to take the money and run or do a shoddy job and pocket the difference. If a builder calls on you at your home, thank them for pointing out the ‘issue’ but politely decline their offer and have your own builder check it out to see if any work really needs to be done.
They Aren’t Registered
Unfortunately, there are a lot of cowboy builders out there operating without a license. They’re hardly going to tell you this, which is why you should check that they have a license, and check that the license they have covers them to do the kind of project you’re paying them for. If it doesn’t, don’t sign a contract!
Now you know the things builders won’t tell you, you can be sure to ask them and ensure that you only hire kosher builders who will do a good job on your home renovation projects.