5 QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE HIRING A HOME BUILDER

To buy a house or to build one has always been a challenge for prospective house owners. Not only do people face this battle of choices in the process of owning a residential building, but also offices and stores. To build from the foundation has minimal flaws, especially when you hire an unqualified building contractor, and this can lead to devastating results.

Trust me, you do not want to experience this nightmare, loss of money is one, another is the loss of lives and properties. Buying an already built house from Estate managers has its flaws too. Imagine buying an overpriced house which doesn't even suit your taste or that of your spouse – What a waste of time and money.

Moreover, many of these already built houses have a dubious foundation, you will be surprised to know that most of these houses are built with cheap materials, while some are built in a not-so-good environment and terrain.

With all of these likely risks, then "why buy when you can build"?

How do you know the right building contractor to hire? It is simply by asking the right questions at the right time, and that is what this post will expose you to. You can gauge people by how well they answer their questions, either orally or by evidence.

So, let us jump straight into the right questions to ask before hiring a building contractor.

1. Are you licensed?

2. Can you provide testimonials?

3. Realistic timeline for the project

4. Building permits?

5. How much experience?

Are you Licensed?

This should always be your first question, I will not advise you to hire an unlicensed contractor. This is because a licensed contractor would be able to cover the costs of any accidents that happened while working on your project. Your prospective contractor must be insured because if they are not, you will be liable for their safety. If your prospective contractor says no, please walk away, It saves time, and a lot of money. And if he does have, check the expiry date of the license to make sure that it is up to date to avoid potential problems later on. According to a Legal practitioner, Section 6 of the Building Work Contractors Act 1995 (SA) (Act) makes it an offense to undertake or give the impression of carrying on a business as a building work contractor if you do not have a license.

Are you a Builder who can you provide testimonials of your past clients

This is a test of credibility, transparency, and quality assurance. A credible contractor should not have any problem in providing a list of past clients and pictures of building projects he has done for them.

Some well-digitized building firms can even refer you to their site to check our testimonies of past clients and pictures of past projects. And if online testimonies/reviews don't convince you, you can visit at least 15-20 clients for whom the client has done a similar building job, this is according to the guys at Marriott Construction, who have the right idea about this.

Ask if he can provide a realistic timeline for the project.

Everyone works with time, and no one likes to waste time. If you feel the same way, then ask your Builder to give you a realistic time for the project to be completed. And yes, some unforeseen circumstances often arise in the process of building, weather conditions can have their own ways too, so can faulty machines, etc. But an experienced building contractor should be able to pinpoint a realistic timeline for the completion of the project.

Not only should this schedule outline the completion date, but it also includes various milestones.

Ask if he can take care of the building permits.

Obtaining a building permit is something you can do by yourself. By contacting the Building Control Body(BCB), and checking the building regulations. But you as an outsider to this system may face challenges that could cost you a fortune, unnecessary stress coupled with additional time wastage before you can get this permission. But in a perfect world, your contractor should be able to take care of that for you. They know the "system" because that is their Field.

This will make your project run smoother and also in compliance with rules and regulations.

How much experience do you have with this kind of work?

This is a basic question that demands an honest answer. This is because the last thing you want is having a bunch or pool of novice in your site handling your building projects.

By asking a prospective contractor for their years of experience in the field, it exposes you to how long they have been in the business. Even the popular saying "experience is the best teacher" should have already taught you that an experienced contractor is the best contractor.

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