Lakeland Contracting

Our goal is to put together a page which contains lots of relevant information to educate readers and clients on all aspects relating to residential building and renovations.

CONTENTS:

How to Choose A Contractor

10 Tips to help you in the search for the right contractor.

1. Do they call back in a timely fashion? - This could be a good indication of how the communication throughout the rest of the project will go.

2. How many years have they been in business? - A company which has been in business many years
may have more experience to offer and a better likelyhood of being around after your project is finished
to look after any warranty issues should they arise.

3. Have you seen any of their previous work? - Have a look at some of their previous work. This will
indicate the level of quality you will get on your job.

4. Do they have liability insurance? Do any sub trades involved have insurance? - If anything were to go wrong on the job you want to make sure that all parties involved are properly insured.

5. Do they provide a written contract for the project? - For most people it is important to know the
costs of a project before it is started.

6. Does the contract describe all the processes needed to complete the project to your specifications?
- Having a detailed set of specifications lets you know what you will be getting before the project begins.

7. Do they provide a warranty on their work? For how long? Do they honour their warranty? - If anything should go wrong with the work after it is completed, will they return to fix it? Best way to confirm this would be to ask their previous customers.

8. What condition will the property be in when the project is completed? - You don't want to be left with a mess.

9. Will they provide you with references? - One of the best ways to find out what kind of work they do,
and what they are like to deal with is to talk to previous customers. Make sure to ask lots of questions including:

Did they keep the job site clean?
Were they respectful of the property?
Are the workers polite and easy to deal with?
Did they start the job when expected?
Did they stay on the job until completed? With the exception of any delays beyond their control.
Were communications prompt and regular between yourself and your contractor?
Did they honour the contract.
Was the work completed to their expectations?

10. One of the best ways to find a contractor is to talk to a friend or neighbour. Ask them who they used for
their project. You are not likely to get a recommendation for a contractor who did a poor job!