One of the most essential components of a successfully completed home remodeling or renovation project is having a contract that is both specific and all-encompassing with your general contractor. It can be the deciding factor between completing a project that you will be proud of for many years to come and one that will turn out to be a costly nightmare for you. You, your finances, and your property are all better off when you have a contract protecting them, therefore while you are negotiating the terms of your agreement, make sure to take into consideration the following points:
Licensing
Make absolutely assured that your contractor possesses the appropriate licensing to meet the criteria of your city as well as any licensing that is required to undertake specialty work, such as electrical or plumbing work, before hiring them. Make it a point to get the license numbers and information written into your contract.
Insurance
You have the option of requesting that the insurance information pertaining to the contractor be included in the contract, even though the contractor’s proof of insurance documentation might not be physically attached to the contract itself. Find out what the required minimum level of liability insurance is for your region, and then make it a requirement that any contractor you hire possesses at least that amount of coverage.
Scheduling
On the job of home remodeling, one of the most typical causes of issues is the haphazard scheduling of tasks. You should still have timetable details established in your contract, even when there is a possibility that you won’t be able to avoid delays caused by the availability of materials or the weather, and even though minor delays are almost certain to occur. Important dates to include are not only when the project is anticipated to be completed, but also when significant milestones will be reached along the road.
The parameters of the project
You will be able to maintain control of both the timing and the prices of the project if you provide specific details regarding the extent of the work that needs to be done. The length of the list of job details may vary greatly depending on the specifics of the project you are working on. The scope of work required for an undertaking as easy as the installation of new flooring will be significantly less extensive than that required for the construction of an additional room, which will necessitate the employment of a greater number of different subcontractors. Before you start working on any kind of project, you need to make sure that everything is documented in writing. Specifications for the materials, the kinds and colors of finishes, expectations for on-site upkeep and cleanup, definitions of who is responsible for certain permits and licenses, and a great deal more might all be included in the details.
Payments
Having a written payment schedule ensures that you and your contractor are on the same page regarding when payments are to be made, which helps to avoid any confusion over the billing process. You should condition the receipt of payments on the achievement of specific milestones, a certain percentage of project completion, or the delivery of things like new windows or carpeting. No matter how you choose to organize your timeline, you should never pay the complete amount for a job that is not yet complete.
Warranties
The vast majority of professional contractors in all fields of work will provide some kind of warranty for their finished product. Make sure that the warranty provided by the contractor clearly sets out what is and is not covered, as well as the length of time for various coverages, before you sign a contract with the contractor.
Having a contractor who is pre-qualified might provide you with much-needed peace of mind.
Because it might take a significant amount of time to evaluate the credentials of a number of different contractors, many homeowners decide to bypass the evaluation process entirely and instead employ the first contractor they get in touch with. Unfortunately, this can leave you helpless against dishonest contractors or poor craftsmanship. At ML Pittsburgh Contractors & Renovations, we have completed all of the necessary screening work so that you can have peace of mind about the contractors we refer to you. Because the expertise, licensure, insurance, and qualifications of every contractor in our network have been validated, you can rest assured that you will be working with a reliable professional. Simply enter your postal code in the box above, and a competent contractor will get in touch with you as soon as possible to provide a cost estimate that is free of charge and comes with no strings attached.