Choosing the right company to oversee your commercial construction job will be a major deciding factor on whether the job is painless and successful or full of delays, budget changes and overall frustration.
When you’re deciding which builder to go with, there are some major factors that you need to consider. Let’s break down those factors together!
Experience
Finding a contractor with a proven track record success is one of the most things to take a look at. Working with an established contractor and construction worker will help you ensure that critical elements of your building are completed correctly, on time and on budget.
Make sure that your contractor has extensive relevant experience so that you can feel good about handing your project off to them once ground is ready to be broken.
Make sure you can have a positive working relationship
When you have narrowed down your options to two or three options, it’s time for you to schedule face-to-face meetings and interviews. This isn’t just to get face time and ask important questions in person, it’s also to get a feel for how you and a given worker might … well .. work together!
Jakob at T&I Commercial Construction reminds you to keep an eye on certain aspects of preliminary communication:
“Making a personal connection can allow you to work more easily with the contractor you end up going with. That ensures that you can enjoy clear lines of communication throughout the building process.”
When in doubt, go with an established company
Making sure that the contractor you are working with has an established presence in your area is a great idea so that you can avoid issues with warranty work or follow-up after the project is completed. A company that has worked to create a solid reputation in your area will likely be more responsive when you ask for warranty work, because they’ll want to make sure that your positive review remains positive.
On top of that, it’s always good to go with an established company because you can be more confident that they’ll remain in business for many years to come, should you need additional work on the same – or a different – project in the future.
Check with references
Remember when we were talking about that in-person interview? Another very important question to ask during that interview is to see their list of references and past clients. That’s not just for you to glance over and nod at. You should take that list of references and call each and every one to get a better idea of each worker you do meet with.
Ask about how the project went, ask about any unexpected occurrences that took place and how the worker dealt with them. Above all, make sure to ask whether or not they would work with that contractor again, and if they would recommend that contractor to you. That will certainly help you along your way of making a final decision.