As many people know, building a home is a big committment, both time and money. Choosing the right team, knowing who to trust and feeling confident you’ve found the perfect builder can be a challenge. We’ve outlined a few tips that can help you navigate the process and give you the confidence you will need in order to select the builder that’s right for you.
Licensing and Insurance
Safety and critical trades require mandatory licensing to be able to work. Most of the sub-contractors you will have working on your home, like plumbers and electricians, need to be licensed and insured. This is something you will want to find out right away, before you sign or agree to any working contract.
References and Quality of Work
In the beginning, it is also a good time to research the quality of their work. Check out their website, tour past projects if available, check references and read reviews. Knowing who you are hiring is the first step to discovering the difference between a great builder and a not so great builder. At GFL Construction, we are proud to deliver you, the homeowner, a solid, honest and transparent experience, every single time.
Professionalism
Qualities of a great builder include honesty, openness, being reasonable and approachable. Builders have a very specific role and they are working for you, the client, so having someone you can trust implicitly is most important.
Time Management Awareness
Knowing the difference between what is urgent and what is important is something you want your builder to be able to differentiate. Not everything that’s urgent is important and not all things that are important are urgently needed. Critical thinking is a must and time management saves you, the homeowner, money. A great builder will understand this and realize good time management helps the bottom line for everyone on the project.
Transparency is Critical
Know your builder’s philosophy from the start. The best builders share their philosophy, discuss goals and are transparent about the products they use. Ask questions from the beginning of the project and expect full transparency. If your builder is transparent, you know you will be able to rely on that openness throughout the project. This can alleviate concerns as the project gets more complicated because you will trust that the builder will come to you if there is any trouble. Seeing the builder’s relationship with their sub-contractors is something you will want to pay special attention to also. If the builder has a respectful, professional rapport with their subs, you can be assured your entire team is working with you, not operating as individuals. The build is always better when you can trust the builder to have transparency from start to finish.