This is the list of questions I compiled. I didn't always use them all, but it gave me a starting point for questions: How many years have you been in business? How many homes have you built? What percent of your business is residential v commercial? Where is most of your work located? What types of projects do you prefer to work on? How is your office structured? Who would be at my house every day? Construction supervisors? Who would we be working with? How long have they been with you? Who would we be communicating with? How much of the work would you sub out? Do you have teams of subs you regularly work with? How do you maintain quality with subs? How many projects do you manage at once? How do you compare yourself to other builders? What are the most important benefits of the homes you build? What are the major energy-saving features of homes you build? What standard features do your homes include? What options and upgrades can I select? Preferred vendors? What if I find something on my own? How and when will the final price for my home be determined? How often (and when) will I have access to the home during the building process? How long will my home take to complete? What's your process for inspection at key points of construction, at final walk-through, and to address any matters that need to be corrected or finalized? 15. Experience with aging in place projects? 16. What are some of the largest obstacles on a project like this? 17. How do you charge, and what are your fees? Any caps on costs? 18. Do you have preferred lenders? 19. How do you make sure we stay within our budget? 20. How do you manage timelines? 21. What type of warranty do you offer? 22. Are there any red flags with what I want to do?

We have a 4-worksheet Excel file we use for Construction Loans. The first worksheet in the file is the estimate for each aspect (line item) of the build; the second, using the same item line numbers, identifies all of the subcontractors being used on the project, using the corresponding line item. The image at the top shows a proposed draw schedule, based on the build schedule using the bid estimates, and is the third worksheet in the workbook. The fourth and final worksheet in the Excel file tracks the amount billed for each line item according to the invoice (each draw period); formulas are built-into the spreadsheet to indicate/track the overall spend compared to the estimate. You'll notice in this example, for instance that there is a $300.00 charge against a zero dollar line item "(2) Home Plans/SWIPT PLANS/Site Plans." If memory serves, the county asked, as part of the permitting process, for a more detailed site plan b/c the lot backs-up onto a wildlife preserve and it cost $300 to get the plan prepared. This is a good example of what a contingency fund is used for. This builder is a small one doing only 4 houses a year. He uses his established lines of credit to order materials and they're delivered to him onsite, work is performed, invoiced and paid. If he is able to stay on schedule and pays his bills in less than 30 days, I imagine he's got his trade lines set up so that he gets a discount of some type, anything from 2.5-10% is pretty typical. No doubt some suppliers offer none at all, and I would speculate they are the last to be paid. I share this only as one example of how this can be approached. It is straightforward and tied to progress and costs of the build.

"...So the question is: what is the next level? What can the builder do?..." Well...the OP says everything in the construction is going fine. There are no issues. So, if the OP persists in visiting the site after being asked not to do so, what can the builder do? Do you have any idea how much site trash can be loaded between the studs of every wall? Do you have any idea of how many studs can be nailed to top and bottom plates with one nail instead of three? Do you have any idea how much time and money the builder can save by not preselecting framing lumber? Do you have any idea about any of the things a builder can do if he wants...? Why would you want to persist and upset the person building your house when you say things are going well? Pass the popcorn...

We are having a heat way in NJ right now so I can understand the slow response. Is the HVAC contractor a small one person business? The thing that is concerning is the AC has been fixed twice and is still not working. You can understand? Small one person business? Gee, If I sat around and just funneled excuses all day what a job that would be? Yet I have time to reply to forum boards and run service calls. So what am I chopped liver? Or a freak of nature? For the record it's called a heat wave. I service Katy, Texas area. over 80% of the time I am to your door within 90 minutes of getting the call. (IN KATY, TEXAS) Hmm what kind of excuses I could use to provide inferior service..... Customer thinks they are paying only for parts. (no parts do NOT provide service. If I have to drive to you the parts don't do that for me.) Customer grows a brain and thinks they know more than I do. (Then you don't need me... fix it yourself if you think you are so smart.) Customer thinks I am ripping them off. (You called me for service and I respond. If you think I am ripping you off let's see you get service from someone else when you actually want it.) Now that I have cleared your mind(s) of fog and cobwebs.... Builders are 'rarely' suited to provide service to any 'real' degree. You will need to find a 'true' service provider. The three rules to a good experience with HVAC: Service, Knowledge, Experience. Without 'SERVICE' none of it matters. A one person HVAC company is a poor excuse... it's too hot is a poor excuse... Ok, back to your regularly scheduled crying game...