Finding contractors for your home building and renovation project

Ensure you find a building contractor capable of doing the work

​​A building contractor must be selected that can execute the type of construction work you require doing, that has the capabilities, and who operates in your region. There are often thousands of contractors (bricklayers, builders, electricians, painters, joiners, tilers, roofers, plumbers, etc), but even so it can be hard to find one willing and capable to do your building project.

• The best solution is to approach contractors you’ve previously successfully worked with on other building projects. However, it will still be necessary to check that they’re interested in carrying out the work and that they have the required resources available. Since you last worked with the contractor circumstances may have changed and they could for instance have new managers who aren’t as focused as the ones in place when they last worked for you. They may also now be committed to other building projects and have limited resources, or only the ‘B team’ is available for your construction work.
• A simple solution is to search for construction contractors on the web. By typing in the trade and the location it’s possible to obtain a selection of contractors. Visiting their websites usually provides more useful information including their contact details. Often websites provide details of previous construction projects. Sometimes though, not all the possible contractors come up in a simple search since some may not have websites and others might not be shown as operating in your location even if they are. There’s also often little indication of the size of construction work that the contractor can undertake, nor of their resources. Websites also only give examples of their satisfied customers. For example: I required a retaining wall to be replaced, but a number of contractors I approached weren’t willing to price the project. For some the project was too big, while for others the project was too small. This wasted lots of my time.
• Looking through local newspapers, or even the relevant trade publications will sometimes produce advertisements of contractors working in the area. Again it’s difficult to gauge their reliability or their capabilities.
• There’re often forums and associations in many regions, such as ‘Master Builders’ or specific trade organisations and groups. These associations should have a list of building contractors operating in the area who would be capable of undertaking your construction work. The fact that the contractor belongs to such an organisation provides some level of comfort, although often there’s no restriction or qualifications required to belong to the forum or association (other than paying a fee), and few of these organisations can punish members that don’t perform, unless they’re serial offenders.
• Driving through the area you’ll often see sign boards, vehicles or equipment with the names of contractors working in the area. Stop at these work sites and talk to the project owner, perhaps even view the contractor’s work to see their quality and professionalism.
• Often acquaintances, colleagues, businesses and neighbours may have contacts for contractors (painters, plumbers, tilers, electricians and builders) that have worked for them in the past.
• In some areas, local tradespeople and building companies can register with a central tendering (pricing) or quotation company. The central company can be contacted and the project’s requirements and location specified. Usually a number of suitable companies will respond and provide a price for the work. Sometimes these systems have a well-established website and it’s possible to review what past clients said about the work of each of the contractors. This is usually only useful for smaller projects.
• Designers, architects, quantity surveyors, project managers and engineers working on the project will always have an extensive list of suitable building contractors that they, or their colleagues, have worked with in the past.

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It's important that you find the right contractor capable of doing the work you require them to carry out. I'll discuss this topic in more detail in future articles.

To find out more read my new book 'An Introduction to Building and Renovating Houses: Volume 1 Hiring Contractors, Managing Construction and Finishing Your Home' which also contains lots of valuable information to save you money and ensure that your home build or renovation project is a success. Click on the image below to read a preview on Amazon. The book is available in paper or ebook form from Amazon and other online stores, or ask your local bookstore to order a copy for you.

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