Building a new home, renovating an existing house, or doing home improvements to properties, involves considerable planning and has large financial implications to all involved. It is therefore extremely important to appoint a contractor who has the neccesary background, expertise and a good track record.
When looking for a contractor you may want to consider the following suggestions:
1. Do not accept the lowest tender just because of the price!
- Ask at least three (3) contractors to quote on the work you want done.
- Stipulate what detail you want specified in the tender and compare the tenders to ensure that the contractors have priced all items and then evaluate the tenders.
- Compare all prices against each other to evaluate why one tender is cheaper than the other.
- Request the contractor to specify in his tender, in detail, what materials are to be used and where, in order to avoid disputes later.
- Contractors may price some items provisionally in order for you to choose from other related products, or if they are unsure of the quantities.
- Make sure that tenders allow for the same provisional quantities and products.
- Carefully examine the tender, and award the tender based on specifications, not only on the price.
2. Read the contract
- Read the contract and make sure of your obligations before signing it.
- Be careful for biased wording in the contract.
- Do not sign any documentation until you formally award the tender to a specific contractor.
- The contract must be properly understood and signed by both parties.
3. Check the contractors references before awarding the tender
- Ask for references and follow them up by phone, or go and see the work that was previously carried out.
- Check whether the quality suits you and find out how the contractor treated his clients before signing, also ask them of the after sales service they received, if any was needed.
4. Do not pay deposits without security
- It is common for contractors to request large deposits up front.
5. Do not pay whenever the contractor request payment
- Payments should be scheduled in the contract and paid accordingly, on receipt of a invoice. Keep record of all payments.
6. Keep records and do not negotiate in good faith without documentation.
- A full written record of all decisions taken between yourself and the contractor should be kept. Dates and pricing (where applicable) should always be mentioned.
- It is normal for decisions to be taken during the contract to change original specifications.
- Before the contractor implements any changes, make sure he has given a price (additional cost or saving) for the change, and be sure that you keep records of all the additional costs, as these extras can mount up in value and influence your budget.
7. Do not accept poor workmanship
- If you are unhappy with any aspect or quality of any portion of the work, inform the contractor as soon as possible as certain aspects may be difficult or impossible to rectify later.
- Insist that mistakes are rectified before final payments are made.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Refrigerator water, but drain is open?
By: godking | 07-08-2008
The fridge keeps filling up with water, on all shelves and in the crispers. Have cleaned out the drain numerious times, including using a snake, but have never encountered any plugs. The drain itself isn't in the lowest spot on the fridge. The water tray below the fridge is almost always empty (only times I have ever seen water in it is when I flush the drain). Water has been pooling up from when I purchased the fridge, about 4 years ago, but over the past 6-8 months has been getting much worse. Before, I had to clean it out once a month or so, which wasn't a problem as I clean the fridge that often anyways. But now, each shelf is full of water within 2 days of cleaning it out. Fridge is level. The fact that the drain isn't in the lowest spot makes me think that this may be some sort of design flaw, although I have never heard of this much water in a fridge before that wasn't caused by a pluged up drain or a bad seal in a humid environment. The fridge is a Whirlpool imperial series.
Moisture in a crawlspace
By: Brian | 07-08-2008
I bought a house with a crawlspace underneath it.It has several little vents in the exterior walls for air .I thought it would keep the floor above warmer in the winter if I insulated it.So I bought faced insulation and crawled under there to do it,but i just recently crawled back under there to work on something and I noticed that it was very wet under there,the insulation was soaked,what's the problem and the fix.It was dry before the insulation was installed.
Howling noises from frig
By: tbt | 07-08-2008
My GE side by side refrigerator (with an ice maker) has been howling periodically. It is a fairly loud howl that seems to stop most of the time when we shut off the ice maker. Any ideas on what we should check first?
Tub drain problem (parts rusted solid)
By: Tim | 07-08-2008
I have a tub drain problem. Basically, under the floorboards, there was a leak (a pipe nut rusted out). I cannot disconnect one of the pieces because another nut is rusted solid to the pipe. There is no space to work, getting at the pipes from the basement is difficult because there is a hard-cieling in the area. I managed to cut out a piece of cieling and can get a pipe wrench on the rusted piece, but cannot budge it. What should I try? House was built in 1959, and this could be original piping.
Thanks, Tim
Leaky toilet around base
By: john | 07-08-2008
our toilet is leaking around the base and I changed the wax ring twice now.What else could it be?
Can i fix my clumpy exterior house paint? (It was ...
By: bdonley66 | 07-08-2008
can i fix my clumpy exterior house paint? (It was left in the shed in extreme temperatures) I know about filtering it through a screen & such but can I add mineral spirits or something?
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