Working With Your Custom Home Builder
You may have heard unpleasant stories about the home building process and contractors. Sometimes it is due to lack of research and lack of communication or just not being on the same page. A good relationship with your home builder will likely result in better quality work and and an overall better homebuilding experience. Here are some key points that will help you and your contractor during the home building process:
Work Hours
Trust that your builder is committed to completing your home in a timely manner. The standard 8 work hours don’t necessarily apply. Don’t call or text your builder at 2 am to demand answers. Ask your builder up front about work hours and the best time to reach him/her with questions or concerns. Sometimes, inspections and material delivery delays may stall construction.
Stop Re-Designing
At some point, you should stop yourself from browsing Pinterest. Continuing to browse will make you question your choices. Minor changes may be possible but at a certain building stage, changing things up is not feasible and will create delays and expenses.
Site Visits
You may have heard or read about randomly dropping by to check if progress is being made. Home builders usually don’t mind drive by visits but property tours should be communicated so that the builder can arrange for time to give a tour and to answer questions. Unannounced site visits can also pose safety issues.
Expect Delays
Even the most experienced builders and well planned construction projects will occasionally encounter material delivery delays. Becoming unraveled, panicing and blaming your builder will not help. Most contractors will compensate for the lost time, especially if they have a good relationship with customers.
Stay Professional And Courteous
Custom home builders are used to dealing with stressed and inpatient clients during construction but avoid taking stress out on them. Try to keep a good working relationship by keeping your attitude positive and professional. Tension between builder and client often leads to more stress and frustrations.
Reasonable Expectations and Response Times
Make sure you and your significant other or partner are on the same page and designate one as the primary contact. Ideally, the person should be the one who is easier to reach and and more available, especially for time sensitive deadlines. Miscommunication and mistakes often happen when the homebuilder is getting different answers from you and your partner. Set up a response time frame for issues that are not time sensitive – 24 hours is typically the norm.
Clients often wonder about gifts and tips once a project wraps up. There is really is no rule or expectation to receive an appreciation gift. While gifts and monetary tips are appreciated, a positive online review and referrals are most beneficial and helpful.
