Interviewing the GC - questions to ask?
laraGG
10 years ago
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10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMFatt16
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
Interviewing References - What to Ask?
Comments (1)Does his/her working style match your expectations-- you need first to figure out if, at the extremes, you want to be intimately involved in every decision, or if you want the architect to design and deliver a turnkey work of art to you, then you need to ask references how the architect worked with them and figure out if there is a match. Open ended questions are good-- tell me about the strengths/weaknesses you found, did you have problems and how were they resolved, would you work with him/her again, what did you like/dislike about the interactions. Specific questions about timeliness, responsiveness, listening skills, imagination, flexibility, fairness, etc are also good. There's not a right/wrong, good/bad answer, its a matter of matching needs and expectations. One person's perfect architect is another person's nightmare, so it's really important to analyze and be clear about your needs and desires in the interaction before you start....See MoreGood questions to ask before hiring GC?
Comments (3)zoe, Ask them to show you printed schedules for houses they are building right now or have built recently (it should take no more than a day to get you this information). Look over the schedules - quiz them on how they manage to the schedules. If the builder cannot produce a real schedule - with linked tasks and critical milestones - run for the hills! I made this mistake and it cost me. The other critical item - ask them for a list of the allowances for cabinets, lights, etc. Pick any 3 (cabinets, lights and bath fixtures are good ones ) and go out and do some initial selections with the vendors the builder uses - DO THIS PRIOR TO SIGNING THE CONTRACT. See how realistic the allowances are. if you find that the allowances are way off reality - run for the hills! I have a very good builder as far as putting the house together. Great subs, quality work. And yet I would still consdier my project a failure. WhY? Becuase the builder blew the schedule by 6 months (and that cost me big bucks) AND he blew the budget. I have confirmed that on 2 very costly areas where we grossly overran - he pulled the allowances right our of his rear end - they were simply ridiculous. You need to get hard data from the builder - don't ask them questions that are easy for them to lie in the response. If they truly manage to budget & schedule (of course while providing the quality you expext) - then they should be able to produce data that allow you to confirm it. Talk to references too - but get the hard data. This is the most important decision you will make in the build process....See MoreWhat questions to ask a potential GC
Comments (7)I can only tell you what I did, and I don't know that it is worth much, except that I'm happy with my GC so far. We are only 1/2 way through though, so I suppose things could change. I got bids from 5 GCs. I eliminated one because they more or less told me that my job was small (it is $50,000+) but they would fit it in as they could. I eliminated another because I didn't feel as though they were listening to me. I eliminated the third because they weren't willing to come to my house for a meeting on the layout unless I put money down. They wanted to only meet in their offices, and work from the plan that I provided them. I think that a GC plays an important role in the design project, even if you go in with an architect's plan. For better or worse, I was looking for a GC who would look at my kitchen and tell me why, in their estimation, my dream would work or not. So, it came down to two. For both of them, I outlined what I wanted, I discussed time frame, I discussed who they used as subcontractors, and I talked about the particular challenges that I thought they would face in my kitchen. I had personal references from them both in advance. I saw their work. I checked BBB. I checked Angieslist. I googled them both. I checked bankruptcy filings. I ended up going with the more expensive of the two bids for two reasons. First, I wanted to extend my existing oak floors in the rest of the house into the kitchen. The GC that I chose indicated that this was not hard to do and gave me references so that I could see other spaces where they had done that. The contractor that I didn't pick seemed hesitant, and kept suggesting other alternatives. Second, the GC that I chose has a number of employees (26) who act as project managers and designers and supervisors. Much of the work that is subcontracted by other GCs is actually done by full-time employees working for the GC that I chose. The GC is a very well respected, established company. The other GC was really a one-man operation. His wife and son worked with him, and probably a few other folks as well, but I was worried that, if the relationship didn't work out well with him or if something happened to him or his business, I would be SOL. I would ask everything that occurs to you during your meeting, no matter how trivial it might seem, I asked the most inane of questions during my various meetings. I didn't care how minor my concern or issue was, I asked it. From my perspective, if they don't care to give you a considered answer when they are trying to get my business, they really won't care after you have signed their contract. I also read the contract before I signed. I didn't want to agree to an arbitration clause. I don't know if the non-selected contractor had one; the one that I chose did not. I would have had a struggle with myself if they had. As I said, I'm happy with my GC thus far....See MoreBotched Hood Install -- what to ask for from GC?
Comments (97)Just thought I'd add the final installment of this excellent adventure, sigh. Where we left it, contractor was going to get a 6" duct cover to fill the space between soffit and hood, and we'd call it a day. So I heard from the contractor on Monday. Turns out that for this specific hood, Imperial recommends a minimum 12" space above hood and will not make a 6" cover. (head hitting desk). This specific issue isn't exactly the contractor's fault, but a general cluster: Imperial's mfg installation instructions _do not_ include that 12" requirement, they just won't sell a cover smaller than 12; the retailer web site says "6 to 60 inch covers available" for all Imperial hoods, it's only after you try to order that they call and tell you not possible for this hood; the retailer and Imperial were both closed the day after Christmas so I just relied on the website when I made the call to go with a 6" spacing rather than have this idiot remove the soffit, etc. I could have lived with that, but again, the guy opened his mouth (via email): "You were wrong. They do not sell 6" covers. Why didn't you check that? I told you it would have been better to remove the soffit and use the existing 12" duct cover, but you made a bad decision." In fact on Friday, he had shrugged and told me "this is your choice, I'll do what you tell me to do" when I asked point blank which option would be better. His Monday tone seemed beyond simply defensive, into mocking -- like he thought it served me right for questioning his work. Before she even knew my reaction, my 'cut your losses' wife was enraged enough to download the state contracting board complaint forms. So, I sent an email telling him no further work was required and to please drop off the existing cover at his convenience and -- yet again -- send us the receipt for warranty purposes. I ended up having to go get the cover at his locale, he wouldn't drop off, and he ignored my repeated questions about a receipt, until told him I was going to stop payment on our check (that did the trick). Joy. At this point, we do intend to document all the non-code work and file a complaint with the contracting board. So our plan is this: in the medium term, find a new contractor, remove the stupid soffit, fix the electrical and duct tape and whatever. Either order a new 16" cover or move the hood again, a few inches up. With work and travel demands, that probably gets postponed to late February. For now, we're having a basic 6" sheet metal piece fabricated that will fit in the current gap....See Morevirgilcarter
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoKelly
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agobevangel_i_h8_h0uzz
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agodanimal_ky
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agosparky4sparky
10 years agolast modified: 9 years agoCamG
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10 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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