Reference Reality Check
If you’ve been following along, you now know how to go about finding the right contractor to meet your needs, but what do you ask them to make sure they are the perfect one for you? Should you ask for references? What do you ask those references? So happy you asked! Below are key categories that you want to cover, as well as, specific questions you want to ask them.
QUESTIONS FOR THE CONTRACTOR
Vague questions won’t help you. Instead of asking things like, “Why do you want to work on this project?” try asking things in a new way to get concrete answers based on your wants and needs. I know these may seem like minor tweaks, but I guarantee you they will provide more solid answers.
Typical Question: “What is your schedule like?”
Instead ask: “How many projects will you take on at once?” or “How many project will you be working on along with mine?”
Why: While yes they may have several crews, you want to be sure where in the priority list you fall. Trust me, if they do have crews there is a good crew, a just okay crew, and then the don’t even bother crew. You want to make sure you get the top-notch service from the same crew each and every day. If you aren’t the top priority, you aren’t a priority at all.
I personally know a contractor that is not a good business person and focuses on quantity over quality. We no longer work together because he was funding poorly done projects based on how quickly he could get new projects in the door.
Typical Question: “How long have you been in business”
Instead ask: “How many projects have you worked on similar to mine?”
Why: I personally believe that while having years in experience under your belt is a great clout builder, it shouldn’t be the only factor. Older contractors that have been, “doing it this way for 25+ years” doesn’t necessarily mean their doing it right. There have been a lot of advancements and upgrade in the construction industry and if you’re working with a company that doesn’t like change or those new integrations might mean you’re getting a subpar final product. There are also younger contractors, that while they may have only been in business a few years, they’ve been in the industry for decades and take all of their knowledge and expertise with them.
Another story from my personal archives, I was working on a beach house and the contractor not only didn’t use the right drywall, but he didn’t waterproof the seams either. He said he has been doing it that way for years, and while it’s not wrong or illegal, it’s not the best solution for a damp environment. There are great products available now to reduce mold and mildew in showers that they refused to use.
Typical Question: “What is your design style?”
Instead ask: “What kind of project would you say you specialize in?”
Why: For the love of Pete! Please do not ask this question. The contractor’s style (or designer for that matter) is not important. I say this all the time and people get upset and defensive, but I believe it’s true. Style doesn’t matter, the home is being designing for YOU. I’ll say it one more time, a little louder for the people in the back DO NOT EXPECT YOUR CONTRACTOR TO DESIGN. If that is a service you need, you need to hire a designer before you even reach out to a contractor.
In my experience, you may want to dive a little deeper here. If you are looking for a kitchen or bathroom renovation ask if they have an NKBA membership or continuing education training. If you are looking for green design and sustainable solutions you may want to consider a LEED certified contractor. Maybe accessibility and livability are key to you, you may want to consider someone who focuses on universal design, aging in place, or ergonomics for disabilities.
SOME OTHER QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:
- What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve come across during a project and how did you overcome them? You may learn about their access to reliable resources outside their typical scope of work.
- Do you prefer new construction or renovation? You may get a glimpse into their process if they are more likely to recommend taking something out completely or working through solutions to reuse as much as possible.
- Do you have design services available? Again this will reduce pop up costs and timely change orders. For example, if they know upfront they need to price in a piece-by-piece herringbone tile and not a standard mesh backed, stocked backsplash you won’t get that upcharge price later when they had to bring in a custom tile installer and wait an extra 3 weeks for the tiles to be delivered.
BONUS TIPS TO HELP YOUR PROJECT BE A SUCCESS
- Get or create a Gantt chart. If you don’t know what this is, I have provided examples in another free resource on my website: http://www.prbdesigns.com/free-stuff-.html It is a graph/ timeline that represents when each phase of the project will happen, when it will be complete and what sequence things need to fall in to be completed on time. It is a key piece to have your larger renovations not exceed set timelines.
- Whatever your budget is, do your homework. Visit showrooms ahead of time so that if a contractor budgets $4 per square foot and you know the styles you’ve been looking at are closer to $8 per square foot you’ve just doubled your budget. It also helps you to understand when budget numbers come up, where can you splurge and where you need to save.
- Another cost saving conversation. If you are looking to save money, what parts of the project are you willing to take on versus pay someone to do. If you prefer to do the painting to save a few bucks, then let them know that upfront. If you’d like to pick the material then let them know that upfront. But beware, if it’s delayed it’s on you and your contractor may not have fit that additional time in his availability for your project.
QUESTIONS FOR THEIR REFERENCES
Keep in mind, their references are their BEST customers. I am shocked by how many people don’t ask for references or even reach out to referrals when they are provided. Do it. Ask for references (at least 2). CALL the references. It is your best source of information and will hopefully just back up any good notions you had about working with them.
Here comes the dreaded BUT. But, keep in mind, their referrals will be their absolute best customers, so of course they will should only have good things to say about them! Here are a few additional questions to help you sort through the details when reaching out to their referrals.
Question: “What kind of project did they work on for you?”
Don’t assume that their project was similar to yours just because they gave you the referral. Ask specific questions about the type of project they completed: was it a full renovation or just an update? Was it completed prior to living in the home or did they have to live through the construction process?
Question: “When problems arose, how did the contractor handle them?”
Don’t assume that everything went smoothly just because they are being referred to you. This is my own personal thought process, but if they say no problems happened, either 1 of 3 things happened.
- They really didn’t and you should find out all the details that lead up to that project being a success.
- There were problems and they didn’t know about them. Which in that case you need to decide for yourself if that’s how you would like problems handled.
- They’re lying and don’t want to share that part of the project with you and they’re not really a good reference.
Question: “Can you tell me about a time they saved you time, money, headache, etc?”
This may not be a question that they can answer if they aren’t the type of person to be involved with their project, but I always recommend asking it anyway because it can give you some ideas on how to save time, money headache on your project while working with the contractor.
Question: “Who showed up every day?”
This questions will be a direct link to how your project will be ran. If you are expecting the owner or a specific project manager to show up and be your main contact point then you will get first hand experience here. This will also give you an opportunity to be upfront and honest about who you would like to be the main contact point, as well as, how you prefer to communicate with them. You may prefer direct calls and get upset when they aren’t answered on the spot, but they may prefer emails because they can respond when they have a moment and aren’t in the middle of hands-on work.
YOU’RE ALMOST THERE!
By this point you should have a good assessment of the contractors that you would like to work with and the ones you don’t. While I can give you all my opinions, tips to try and share my experiences you need to keep the human factor in mind. Most people get feelings or vibes when they meet someone, the same goes for your contractor, if something seems off, don’t choose them. If they take (what you consider to be) a long time to get back to you and they aren’t willing to discuss ways to improve that, then maybe they aren’t a good fit for you.
Budget is always a huge factor in making a decision, but don’t let it override your judgement and evaluate established throughout this process.
We hope that you can learn from our mistakes and have a successful project on our own, but if you are looking for a designer to help you with the process, brainstorm ideas, or just do it for you please reach out to us!
