Key Takeaways
Of course yourcontractorseemed cultured and competent when you first assemble with him . That’swhy you hired him . But sometimes a individual can seem like Jekyll initially and then right away get act more like Hyde .
It ’s good you recognize this Hyde - similar conduct early on , when you have n’t : a ) trounce out a net ton of money for incomplete or cheapjack work ; b ) fix far enough down the phone line with the contractor to make it difficult to get out ; or , c ) push yourself nearly batty with foiling and/or rage .
A bad contractor can do anything from bribe cheapjack material and bag your superfluous dough to use drug and alcohol on the job , endangering himself and others . How do you know when it ’s time to replace him with a better manakin ?
10: Asks for Too Much Money Up Front
First and obviously , your contractor should n’t require for an undue sum of money up front . Yes , he needs money to get the undertaking started , but postulate for more than 15 percent evoke a red-faced flagstone , and most states set aside contractors to demand for a maximum of 33 percent of the total cost up front [ source : Chicago Tribune ] . Your contractile organ should have enough credit to pay off the residual of the up - front price . If she does n’t , it might be because she ’s messed up a previous Book of Job and had her credit revoked . That ’s not a contractor you need .
After the up - front cost , additional monies should be tied to major milestones – for example , the end of excavation and founding work , framing , plumbery , electricity , siding , roofingand last work . Similarly , a contractile organ who attempt to tie money to dates rather than construction milestones is going to do you untimely .
A downhearted bid should also leaven warning flags . mind the common scam in which the contractor assures the homeowner that the home base will be used as an example for ad use and that ’s why he ’s capable to bid so much dispirited than the competition . In fact , it ’s almost never deserving it to underestimate a dictation for the payoff of a portfolio piece . or else , a depleted bid almost always equals poor work . It ’s just that simple .
9: Keeps Strange Hours
What does the job site front like at 10 a.m. on a Monday morning or 2 p.m. on a Friday afternoon ? If the answer is " placid , " you demand toreevaluate your contractor . but put , acontractorsets his or her own hour and these hours not only regulate how quickly your projection is completed , but they reflect a contractor ’s overall professionalism and his commitment to the project . A 30 - 60 minutes hebdomad , shaved at both end , does n’t imply professionalism .
That said , when you notice your contractile organ absent , it ’s your job to expect about it instead of mutely grudge until you ca n’t stand up it anymore . There may be a perfectly lawful grounds your contractor never shows up on Mondays until noontide . Is he buy cloth ? Is it received for your contractor to take Monday mornings to wed up paperwork and permits ? What looks like slack to you may in fact be necessary study . So ask .
8: Uses Drugs or Alcohol on the Job
What yourcontractordoes on a Friday night is his business organisation . What your contractor does on the line website is yours . Specifically , you ca n’t tolerate drug , alcoholor excessive prescription drug function on your website . Whether your contractor gets his drug of choice from the nursing bottle , a street - corner dealer or from a doc , if it spoil his ability to do the line of work well and safely , it might be clock time to find someone who can do the job right . And the same go for your contractile organ ’s employee . If there ’s substance abuse on your job site , it ’s the contractor ’s fault .
Most large catching firms have a zero - tolerance insurance for drug and alcohol use on the job . If you hired your contractor through one of these firms , you may be capable to supervene upon your contractor without modify your contract bridge too much .
7: Won’t Sign a Contract
A contract bridge is more than a bureauocratic hoop to jump through . In the showcase of dispute or even misunderstanding , it ’s the document that keeps both you and your contractor secure . Say yourcontractorlayslinoleumwhere you wanted hardwood flooring , or set insulation bats where you wanted it blown in . You agreed on a monetary value for very specific body of work , and the contract should spell out that all out . ( Likewise , if you agreed on lino and are now demanding hardwood , it ’s the contract that protect your declarer . )
A contractor who does n’t desire to sign a contract is n’t one you require . In the same vein , a contractor who does good work should be able to get permits for reasonable work . And a contractor who stress to talk you out of the need for these license is suspect . Is she lazy or is she essay to reduce corner ? Either way , you do n’t want any part in it .
6: Has Poor Communication Skills
You ’re no construction expert . But as thehomeowner , you have a rightfield to have it off what ’s going on . It’syour contractor ’s jobto effectively communicate this information to you . A missed call is one affair , but failure to return a call right away is another . If communicating is vague , unmanageable to understand or delivered with ill temper , your contractile organ is n’t doing an authoritative part of his job .
In addition to timely and unspoilt - natured communicating , your contractor should be capable to bring exactly what ’s going on . In the same way you should be untrusting of a hard - to - contact declarer , you should beware the vague declarer . A good contractor should know everything about a job ’s advancement . And he should be willing to severalize you about that progress . An evasive or undefined declarer is either incompetent or has something to hide .
think back , your declarer works for you , and regular reports to his boss ( you ) is part of the job description .
call up that declaration ? It ’s a binding agreement between you and your contractor that spells out just the employment to be done . If you notice that work particularize in the contract bridge is being done differently , shoddily , or not at all , it might be fourth dimension tofire your contractor in favor of one who ’ll get the work done right .
This includes not only how thing are made , but what they ’re made of . Your contract specifies thematerials to be used , but you’re able to reckon there are tawdry alternatives . The price difference between the contracted materials and the belt - offs the contractor buy would go directly from your pocket to his . So consider non - contract , deficient materials a version of thieving and do by it consequently .
The same is true of cutting labor price . If you ’ve contracted for a certain amount of Department of Labor - intensive stonework , you should get exactly that amount . A contractile organ who slights the contract slight you .
4: Manages Subcontractors Poorly
If you have a wonderfulcontractor who hires horrible subcontractors , the sum of the employment starts to search a small less rosy-cheeked . Like a business organization manager , part of a contractor ’s skill should be in hiring good people , and the contractor who shrugs his articulatio humeri in apology for speculative subcontractor is passing blame that is really his .
Similarly , a well declarer should manage these subcontractor and other workers well . Screaming slave drivers rarely rent the right workers or get the best piece of work from them . So , if you see your contractile organ acting cruelly to his crew , it ’s not only the correct thing for the workers , but in the best pursuit of your project , to replace the contractor with a better hoi polloi person .
Also , it ’s your declarer ’s job to hire people on the site that work well with you , the householder . If you ca n’t get along with a declarer ’s employee , it ’s the contractor ’s line of work , not yours , to correct the difference of opinion . If your contractor ca n’t get disembarrass of a bad egg , you should consider getting disembarrass of the contractor .
3: Steals From You
Like drug andalcoholuse on the problem site , theft is a no - brainer . But theft from the job website might be a little trickier to spot than a Thomas Kyd in a candy store with bulge out pocket . Instead , your contractor might over - lodge supply and then simply truck away the overindulgence when that part of your occupation is done . Who ’d ever know that a contractor was using " extra " supply to reforge his own lavatory ? Or using your extra supplies on a 2nd Book of Job situation and bag the funds from the other householder ?
If you suspect this sort of theft , liken the Bill of Materials list included in your contract with receipts for the material your contractile organ actually orders . In extreme cases , you might need to monitor the materials delivered to your site [ source : HomeAdditionPlus.com ] . But once you ’ve turn over the spot of count boards , you ’ll wish you ’d fired your contractor long ago .
You ’re not digging the Panama Canal in 1911 , so neither property nor citizenry should be damaged in the course of mental synthesis . In fact , as you in all probability know , the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ) has specific and rigid rules order guard in many workplaces , with limited rule for construction sites [ origin : OSHA ] . These criterion handle everything from sprains and strains in construction laying brick to the personal protective equipment required of building worker . For example , workers should have fall protection for any piece of work done above 6 foundation ( 1.8 meters ) off the ground , and all workers should wear appropriate footgear .
Yourcontractorshould watch these guidelines and check that his or her workers follow , as well . If you see unsafe behavior on the job website , it ’s almost certain your contractor has seen it , too . Or he should have . Whichever the case , unsafe demeanour is your contractor ’s error and is a blood-red sword lily that perhaps your time together should end .
1: Can’t Solve Problems
There ’s areason you lease a contractorinstead of overseeing the labor yourself : competency . Your contractor should be perfectly able to do the study he sound out he would do ( what ’s outlined on the declaration ) . You do n’t need to put up with misleading , slapdash or dangerous employment .
That said , you ca n’t and should n’t expect everything in a material body or remodel to go absolutely smoothly . Tools break , workers get sick , and the neat line on your onetime planetary house may not be so square . Whatever the issues , there are probable to be some bumps and contusion along the path to your pipe dream theatre or dreaming increase . It ’s not necessarily a complete want of these bumps that indicate a competent declarer ; it ’s whether your contractile organ is capable to roll with the lick . There ’s always a way to make it work . If , time and time again , yourcontractorcan’t make it work , you may require to interchange him .
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Just out of a master ’s broadcast , I pick up a span day ’s work with a Quaker who had somehow lucked into a contractor ’s license . I had no idea what I was doing and , truth be told , I do n’t think my friend had much mind , either . We stumbled around the nail - studded job site in our running shoes and hung out the upstairs windowpane to pry off siding . Sheesh , for a million intellect that I ’m now cognizant of , we should ’ve been fired immediately .
