Questions To Ask Your Prospective Contractor

Taking on a construction project can be an intimidating task, but finding the right construction company can make all the difference. Whether you’re renovating your house or building a new home from the ground up, your project will likely take several months, and there will be critical decisions along the way. Too often, clients find themselves working alongside contractors who misinterpret their vision, expectations, and budget requirements. However, a dedicated team committed to excellence and transparent communication will guide you through the process effectively to ensure top-quality results. Here are four questions to ask your prospective general contractor before hiring:

Can you provide a list of references?

One of the best ways to learn about a general contracting company is from credible sources. Ask your GC for a list of previous clients, contact them to hear about their experiences, read testimonials, and look through project galleries on their website. Good client relationships and returning customers are a true sign of a company’s trustworthiness.

“Bailey was available and present throughout the whole remodeling process and his construction supervisor was top notch. The neighbors were so impressed with the workmanship and professionalism of everyone involved in Clear Construction and their subcontractors are first-rate too. Finally, Bailey communicated well about the timeline and he completed the job by the date we agreed upon. The team worked hard to stay within my budget and offered me options when there was a choice of materials. The final product exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend Clear Construction!”

-Meg Dana, Oliver Road

What are my responsibilities as a client?

Each general contracting company offers different services, which means your responsibilities as a client with one company vs another will vary. Some contractors provide only construction, while the client, or a third party, creates the design plan and orders materials. Other contractors manage the entire process from design to completion. Ask your contractor to clearly summarize your role as their client.

As a design-build contractor, Clear Construction enables you to choose your level of involvement. If you hire our team simply for construction, you will play an active role in your project - responsible for creating a design, specifying materials, and ordering fixtures and appliances - while receiving timeline guidance from our crew. If you choose to use our design team as well as our construction service,  we’ll take care of the entire process, leaving you to enjoy the simplicity of yes-or-no decisions. In both cases, we are committed to creating a positive construction experience.

Who are my points of contact?

Efficient communication is essential for any construction project. Questions will arise regardless of the size of your project, and your general contractor should provide points of contact that are easily accessible. Ask your contractor how they plan to communicate and make sure they have a developed system.

Behind Clear Construction is a workforce of dedicated individuals. While each person plays a key role, we designate three points of contact who will lead you through the entirety of your project - your sales representative, design project manager, and construction project manager.

Before your project begins, a member of our team hears about your vision, learns about your requirements, and helps you decide if our company is the right fit. During the preconstruction phase, your design project manager collaborates with you to create  a comprehensive scope of work, initial budget, and a custom set of drawings that they then usher through the permitting process. Once the project details have been finalized, you will be provided with a detailed construction estimate and a dedicated construction project manager who will be your main point of contact for the remainder of your project.

How do you handle changes to the scope of work?

While unforeseen changes are common, there are systems and strategies for navigating these challenges that can provide you with clarity about their impact on the budget and schedule. Ask your GC how they handle changes to the scope of work.

Using Procore, a world-class construction management software, our team can swiftly communicate any changes to the scope, collaborate in real-time, and find effective solutions that everyone can agree upon. Our operations team then prepares digital change orders that can be reviewed and signed using DocuSign, providing you with clarity of the work, and allowing our team on-site to continue moving forward efficiently.

As an innovative general contracting company, we are committed to simplifying and elevating the construction process - from concept to completion.