When you choose a contractor to build your custom home remodel project, you embark on a long-term partnership. The average home remodel, or renovation project, takes an average of six weeks to three months (or more) to complete – depending on the size and scope of the project. And that doesn’t include the initial design and permitting phases.
You’ll be in close relationship with your contractor and their subcontractors during that time, so finding the right one is essential to a stress-free and streamlined experience. So, in addition to vetting a contractor’s professional qualifications and abilities, you should be looking for a company that makes you feel comfortable, at ease, and that earns your trust. That’s the only way to guarantee the honest communication flow required for this type of work.
5 Steps to Find Volusia County’s Best Home Remodel Professionals
Here are five steps to guarantee you find the best person for your upcoming project.
1. Plan to Meet With at Least Three Prospective Local Design-Build Teams
The contractor selection process takes time, but it’s worth the effort. The only way to get a good feel for each candidate and how they operate is to meet with several and see which one feels like the best fit. We recommend meeting with at least three and up to five local design-build teams – emphasis on the local.
Hiring out-of-town professionals capitalizing on today’s seller’s market is your ticket to a cookie-cutter approach. Builders who don’t live in the community where they work have less interest in a job well done because they can cut and run, regardless of the outcome. Plus, they are harder to get in touch with and keep on schedule, as are their outsourcing subcontractors and specialty work.
2. Verify Licensure, Bonding, and Insurance
Before you schedule meetings with any prospective builder, schedule a quick meeting with the local building department. While you’re there, building department officials can verify that the builders are licensed, bonded, and insured, all essential tenets before getting into contract.
Another bonus is that building officials work with local contractors day in and day out. So odds are they’ll have insights and experience with the experienced local builders you’re considering, and their opinion is worth tucking away as you begin meeting with the prospects. You can count their input as a referral of sorts.
Another bonus is that they may have recommendations for preferred builders based on the type and scope of your custom home remodel, especially if you’re planning to renovate or restore an older home.
3. Compare and Contrast Portfolios
In theory, experienced custom home builders can build anything, and we do. However, it’s also true that we all have our niches of expertise. For some, it’s the renovation of historic homes or traditional home ornamentation and woodworking details that only true artisans can complete. For others, it might be the uber-modern home design/build niche, which requires the ability to hide and mask standard home systems in a series of parallel lines and 90-degree angles – amidst an abundance of concrete and glass.
Ultimately, you want to work with a home remodeler that excels in the type or style of remodeling you’re designing. Comparing and contrasting their portfolios will give you a feel for what they create, which can help you narrow your choices to the top two or three.
4. Speak to Recent Referrals
Ask each prospective contractor to provide a list of recent referrals. You want to speak to people who’ve completed their custom home build or remodel in the past year or so. If you speak to clients whose projects were completed further back from that, you run the risk of hearing about superintendents, former, or subcontractors that no longer work with the company. Also, the details of the day-to-day design-build process could be hazy.
We recommend speaking to referrals before meeting with the contractor/team whenever possible. That way, you can question the contractor up-front about any issues previous clients had regarding scheduling, budget, communication, attitudes, job site organization/cleanliness, etc.
A sample of questions to ask includes:
- What type of work did the contractor do? Can we see pictures?
- Were you satisfied with the communication flow and their responsiveness?
- Did they keep you informed, educated, and filled in on what was going on?
- Were the employees, subcontractors, and laborers polite and respectful?
- Was the project completed in close adherence to the provided timeline/construction schedule?
- Did the contractor stay on budget? If not, why?
- Was the job site kept clean and organized?
- Would you work with this contractor again? Why/why not?
5. Go With Your Gut
At the end of the day, we recommend going with your gut. Assuming you interview prospective home remodel professionals with vetted credentials and positive referrals, your gut instincts and personal preferences are the best guide to choosing the contractor you’ll most enjoy working with from project start to finish.
Fogle Constructors Will Make You Feel Like Family
Like we said at the start, you’re in the process of forging a long-term partnership. Therefore, it’s essential to choose local, licensed contractors you enjoy working with and trust implicitly. Fogle Constructors is committed to ensuring your vision is carried out thoughtfully and with respect to your budget and timeline. Contact us to schedule a consultation at 386-279-0901, learn more about us, and obtain a list of referrals. We would love to be a top consideration for your upcoming custom home remodel.
