With spring in full bloom and summer on the way, many people are getting their homes ready for events, gatherings, and parties. If you are planning to remodel your home, consider hiring a contractor so that you can continue with your daily responsibilities and have your remodel completed precisely how you’ve imagined it! If you’re looking to utilize the help of a contractor and renovations team, you need to know how to best communicate with them so that your projects turn out successfully.

Vet Your Contractors

Since a home remodel project includes allowing your contractor and workers into your home, it is very important to vet your contractor before hiring them on the project. Vetting someone not only means having them prove their loyalty, honesty, and work ethic but can also refer to doing some research on the individual’s background before you hire them. Social media allows for easy access to a portrayal of a person’s lifestyle and can reflect a lot of things about their character. Making a few calls to former employers can provide further insight into your contractor’s quality of work, priorities, and reliability. Vetting is a very important step in many relationships, but especially business transactions. Your contractor will be in your home, around your valuable possessions, and more importantly, your family. You want to make sure that you find an honest, hardworking contractor that you can trust, so it is important to vet them and research before hiring them. There are many resources online that can help you to know how to vet someone in order to protect yourself, your home, and your family.

Discuss the Budget

Once you have hired your contractor, the next step is to present them with your desired project outcomes and explain your project budget to them. By discussing your budget and financial expectations at the beginning, your contractor is able to make plans for materials that need to be bought, workers that need to be hired, and how long the project will take. If you don’t discuss your budget at the beginning of the project, your contractor will have a lot of difficulty in moving forward with your project, since he won’t know how much money he can use to complete the project. While it will be wonderful to have your beautiful home renovated, that thrill won’t last long when you get a surprise charge from your contractor that is way out of your budget. It is extremely important to discuss the project budget with your contractor not only at the beginning of your renovation project but throughout the construction process. This helps your contractor to know if he is staying on track with the budget, and it will help you to know how you can spend your money to make your project turn out to be the home of your dreams as you see the work progress and unfold.

Visiting the Worksite

You will probably want to visit the worksite, and often when you are working on renovating part of your home. Depending on how much of your home is being renovated, you may even still live on the premise. However, you must give your contractor and workers notice ahead of time if you are planning on visiting the worksite, even if it is in your own basement or backyard. Your contractor may have tractors or large vehicles on-site that could be moving around without expecting surprise visitors. There may also be pieces of dirty materials or sharp debris which could be dangerous for you and your family if your contractor can’t anticipate your visit and clean up the worksite. One of the ways that you and your contractor can make your worksite safer is by buying or renting a trash hopper. Trash hoppers are large containers that aid in the collection of materials or waste to keep the worksite more organized and clean. Trash hoppers can make the worksite safer by keeping debris out of the way.

Ask Questions

Just like it is important to vet your contractor before you hire him, once your project is underway, make sure that you stay in constant communication with your contractor. There are many questions that you can ask your contractor throughout the process to see how his team is working together if the project is progressing within your desired timeline, and how successful your planning has been going. This kind of communication can ensure that you clear up any confusion that may exist in your instructions so that your finished project meets your expectations.

Establish Good Communication Patterns

In order to guarantee that your project goes smoothly and you get the outcome that you’re hoping for, make sure to establish good communication habits with your contractor early on. Good communication makes or breaks any relationship! When you first hire your contractor, make sure to get his phone number and ask how you can best reach him when he is at the worksite. Try to call or text him regularly to clear up any questions that he may have. Another great habit to establish is to talk with your contractor at the beginning of every day. In doing so, you can discuss his goals for the day of work and give any pointers that he may need for that part of your renovation.

Plan the Project Together

When you begin working with your contractor, it is a good idea to give a binder or folder of pictures that have inspired your project so that he has a visual example of your project vision. Also be sure to include written instructions so that he won’t forget any of the project details, especially those that are most important to you. Try to give as much detail and as many pictures as possible. As you discuss your project together, you’ll be able to better plan the materials, time, and budget that will be needed. You also may want to keep a project journal or renovation diary so that you have a record of what you’ve planned and spent.

Discuss the Most Important Parts of Your Project

Make sure that you tell your contractor about the most important parts of your project and give him time to ask any clarifying questions about bringing your designs and dreams to life. If you have certain features of your project that you’re expecting to be completed in a certain way, it is imperative that you tell your contractor of those expectations. For example, if you’re taking a wall out of your kitchen, you need to describe exactly how you envision your kitchen afterward and what parts of the wall you want to be demolished. You might even want to sign a contract before demolishing such a big section of your home to record your consent in the agreement and to ensure your contractor’s responsibility.

Familial Agreement

Most important of all, before you even start looking to find a contractor, make sure that your spouse, significant other, or family can agree on the proposed project . If you’re still having conflicting opinions about parts of the project when it is already underhand, you’ll be forcing your contractor to either take sides or play the awkward role of marriage and family counselor. Communicate with your family beforehand to ensure the smooth progression of your project once your contractor and crew are on site.

In summary, remember that communication is key! You should never feel that you’ve lost control of the vision for the project or that your contractor has gotten out of hand. If you put these good communication practices into play from the minute you plan your project, you’re sure to have a successful relationship with your contractor and a wonderful renovation!

Are you getting ready to sell your home? Let us help you !