Of all the construction projects you can take on, building a home just might be the most important. Constructing a brand new living space for you and your family — a structure that will last for decades to come — is an exciting and crucial endeavor.
When it comes to building a new home — even more so than with other renovation projects — it is of utmost importance to hire a qualified contractor. You want to make sure your builder of choice is experienced, reputable, honest, effective, and skilled in communicating.
Here are some important criteria to keep in mind while shopping for a contractor to build your new home.
Licensing
This should be a pre-screening requirement for any builder you consider hiring. The results of working with an unlicensed one can be disastrous, and it’s virtually never worth the price cut.
You can search for a builder’s licensing status online in a few minutes, so it’s relatively simple and easy make sure that everything checks out before you even consider a given builder as a viable option.
Experience in your area
Don’t forget to ask a prospective builder if he or she will build in your area. If the site of your new home is too far from where a builder currently lives and works, the deal might not be to your advantage. Working out of one’s physical zone of experience might require a builder to hire sub-contractors that are unfamiliar and whose quality is less than guaranteed.
Construction Supervisor
Obviously a builder isn’t going to construct a whole house independently. There will be a team of other people on board as well. You may not be able to check the credentials of each and every worker, but one person you should think about is the construction supervisor who drives the quality of the work. Ask who the supervisor will be, what experience the builder has with this supervisor, and do a little research about him or her as well.
Conflicting projects
Make sure to ask a prospective builder what other projects he or she will be working on at the same time as your new home. It isn’t uncommon for good contractors to have multiple projects going on simultaneously — but really, the fewer the better. You want your builder to be focused on and committed to your project, instead of juggling it with a dozen other projects. This tactic will help ensure that your home is finished faster with fewer other projects on a builder’s plate.
Finding the Perfect Builder
Whether you do your research online or ask around for recommendations in your network, pay close attention to these factors when choosing a home builder. If you’ve already narrowed your options to just a few, ask for references of recent clients, and also to visit their most recent projects. By getting to hear about customer satisfaction and seeing the finished projects first hand, you’ll have a much better shot at a perfect all-around build — or as close to perfect as you can get!