How to choose a contractor to be satisfied?
Practical advice on how to search and find, from real life, tested on yourself and others.
The advice here will tell you how to choose a contractor for construction finishing work. I‘ll talk about custom furniture manufacturers another time.
Here you will learn what to do to feel safe on your construction site.
The phone rings, an unfamiliar number:
– Mrs. Agatha, please save me!
– What happened?
– The contractor made us such a strange ceiling in the kitchen, there‘s a recess on a slant, lamps in odd places. He doesn‘t want to make it better. What to do?
– Did he make the ceiling according to the design?
– What project? After all, he said he didn‘t need a draft!
…
Everything you read here applies to the situation where you have a project and it is the basis for the contractor‘s work.
When I set up my own company and started to realize interiors for individual clients I saw that the practices I know from the largest construction sites in Poland are almost completely unused in the realization of private homes. Signing contracts is the exception, and the provisions in them are dictated by the contractors.
I think that finishing works in a flat is a similar risk for owners as building an entire housing estate for a developer.
The types of performers sometimes found that I advise you to run as soon as you can:
– i apologize to all good performers, this is not about you. 🙂
1. The “will be there tomorrow” type
A contractor who agrees to everything: “Of course, Mr. Manager, it will be on tomorrow“, inter changeable with “Madam/Manager” or “Boss!”.
He says tomorrow, and after a month he says he couldn‘t do it after all, and besides, it wasn‘t his scope of work.
2. The “as if I were doing it for myself” type
I met a contractor like that once – he did the work exactly like he did on his house. I‘ve been building my house for 10 years now and there‘s no end in sight.
3. The “I‘ll do my best” type
When asked about a deadline, he replies, “I‘ll do my best. ” No specifics, no commitments, and the most dangerous thing for him is the Contract!
4. “All-knowing” type
He asserts that he employs specialists in every industry, and that electricians are a snap. In fact, he seeks out an electrician when something doesn‘t work because he did it himself but it didn‘t work out. He looks for a plumber when a toilet leaks because he installed it for the first time, and he hires a tiler from his friends for two days to remove the tiles and lay new ones because they were “too difficult to lay“.
In my first apartment of my own – the Bizazza glass mosaic, a dream I had been putting off for a long time – ran off the wall and the contractor disappeared. In addition, when he was installing the door, he destroyed the floor because he was doing it for the first time and he didn‘t like to readt he instructions.
5. Smart-ass combiner
I remember a contractor who had a company with a long name and a description of extensive work experience on the website. The smart-ass combiner took an advance. Work progressed slowly, and every time I arrived at the site, I found different workers there. After 2 months, very little work had been done, there was no one on site, and the boss had changed his phone number.
It turned out that the entire finishing company consisted only of the owner and a website with information from nowhere. The owner would bring in workers from the job exchange every day, and they would quit after 1-2days, for lack of skills and support. The friend of my clients who recommended this contractor to them turned out to be his silent business partner…
The electrical alterations done by this people were dangerous.
The work was repaired and completed by a real crew, but because of the delay, the clients had to rent another apartment for several months. Investors have incurred serious costs. The scammer‘s company still exists, regularly changing names.
My tip: Check how many people are legally and permanently employed in your contractor‘s company!
How to choose a contractor? Talk a lot and verify information.
A contractor by referral is the best option, provided you know the referrer well and you have the same requirements and values.
Ask someone else to contact you, ask another customer for feedback on the contractor.
Consult timeliness, quality of work, communicativeness, circulation of information, orderly billing are examples of values that may be important. We have different experiences and pay attention to different things
Ask about the qualifications of the team leader – employees can learn, but supervision and substantive support is essential.
What does a good contractor do?
Pricing the work before it begins
He signs a contract with you
Has the necessary knowledge, experience, qualifications
Has its own work tools and transport
He doesn’t make decisions without you
Does not change design solutions without approval
Keeps you informed on the progress of the work and the implementation of the established schedule
He explains the scope of work to his co-workers – who often do not speak sufficient Polish
Completes the work within the agreed time
It is worth to know :
Even the best contract does not protect you from the stress of building and finishing your home. However, you can reduce stress.
There are many reliable contractors, it is worth waiting for their. A good contractor doesn‘t have a free date from tomorrow.
You can always ask the architect about issues that are worrying you.
Implementation of the interior requires precise coordination between manufacturers and suppliers of various elements of equipment. This is an important part of the manager‘s job or yours – establish your areas of responsibility.
Determine who does what shopping and when they deliver.
Be prepared for surprises. They almost always happen. It will help you make the best and quick decision –when you need it.
How do I know all this and why am I being so smart?
For several years I designed and at the same time worked on construction sites. In the beginning, I coordinated work on the construction site of the Hyatt hotel, and when the interior design from over lacked details, I drew them on the walls of the rooms, under the watchful eye of excellent Italian carpenters.
On the construction of Złote Tarasy in Warsaw I prepared tender materials, divided dozens of project volumes into work scopes, so that the best contractor could be chosen for each scope, negotiated contracts, and created rules for good communication.
Then working for international companies specializing in investment consultancy, I managed construction of office buildings, shopping centers and hotels. In the meantime I finished another course – Project Management at Leon Koźmiński Academy. I also passed the state exam for the Licensed Architect – to design without limitations. In accordance with my first education – Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology.
On behalf of the general contractor, I managed the construction of the tallest residential building in Europe –Złota 44 – designed by Daniel Libeskind – in Warsaw.
I learned best practices in construction, quality control, safety and communication by working with the best. The Swedish Skanska company remains my role model to this day.
Now I take care of your peace of mind 🙂
Agata Słoma, architect…
P.S. …who spent her sixth birthday with her dad at the hospital construction site, because the elevators were being installed. 🙂