Choosing the best team for your building project is a tough choice. There are many excellent contractors in the Denver area, but getting paired with the right one for you and your desired result will take a little bit of thought and effort put into the process. Milo Construction has built relationships on solid foundations for over 20 years now in the Denver area, but you should take the time to consider your options before jumping into hiring a contracting team for your building.
Choosing The Best General Contractors
There are many things to remember and consider when finding your contracting team, but here’s a few important components:
- Get recommendations and references from people you know and trust
- Decide on exactly what you want before drawing up any sort of contract or making any decisions (though some contractors specialize in helping you through this process during the Pre-Construction phase)
- You’ll want to set up interviews with several different contractors to ensure that you’re exploring all your available options
- Do your research to know what sort of questions you should ask and what type of information should be provided to you by the contractor prior to hiring.
- Look for contractors who are experienced in the types of projects you are looking to complete.
- Be aware that you will likely have to wait for your contractor to become available to work, as all the best contractors are usually pretty booked up and planning delays with the city are always likely.
- Google search the contracting team and look into contacting businesses who have used your prospective contractor in the past. Be very wary of online reviews– you never know how petty someone is; they may have some sort of personal grudge against the contractor, so their opinion is built solely on bias and nothing relevant to their work.
- Don’t pay more than 10% upfront before any work is done. In the case that materials need to be purchased immediately, a solid 30% upfront is appropriate, but just be sure to run background checks and assure that you won’t lose your money. A good contractor will be able to provide purchase order backups or other documentation to reassure you.
- Ask for an employee list so you can make sure your contractor actually has the employees he says he does, rather than hiring some random guys off the side of the road. You’ll also want to keep up with all lien information and receipts so you can know that your contractor’s vendors were paid by him, so that they can’t put a mechanic’s lien on your project.
- Look into FORMAL complaints made by past customers and businesses who have hired your chosen contractor before.
- Find someone who is well-versed in this industry to type up your contract, or have a lawyer review the contract provided, and make sure all parties involved sign it!
- Make sure all licenses are up to date
- Set ground rules for working hours and other components of your project and include them all in the contract.
- Keep in contact with your contractor frequently!