by It takes a lot of commitment, time, money, and risk to construct a house. In this busy world, more than usual, we may need to entrust someone with the responsibility of constructing our dream for us. The construction company or partner who we are selecting, needs to be professional enough to choose the right materials, arrange skilled workforce, and maintain quality standards in our project. You should be sure that you have chosen the best construction company or partner for your needs.
How do we find this Professional?
With the advent of internet, we now have more options to choose from but is it always the right one we are choosing? Let’s find out:
6 steps to choose the best construction company or partner for your project
Here are the information you need to have before making the final decision.
1. Research and finalize your requirement:
Before finding the right person to entrust your project, you need to understand your requirement. The type of design you prefer like traditional/ contemporary and the type of home you want to build. Once you are clear on your requirements it is easy to shortlist the list of design and build professionals. Moreover, it will be easier to communicate with them afterwards.
2. Identify the best construction company or partner for you:
You will get references from your friends, colleagues, and relatives. You can also do online searches via google and other search engines, or find them via social media websites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
Once you have got this list, understand the type of professional you need:
- Designer – They are mostly architects who does only design but not execution.
- Builder – They are mostly contractors/engineers who do just construction but with them you must outsource your design.
- Project Management Consultant – They are engineers/architects who does project management or consulting for your project. They oversee your construction project end to end and advise you on the same.
- Design and Build Firms/Companies – They give you the complete package, they will have internal architects to design your project plus engineers to construct it.
Selecting the type of professional depends upon your needs and requirement. If you wish to go for a specific architect whom you like and he is only into design, you need to find someone else to do the build. And if you are someone who needs an expert to monitor and advise you on the construction activities you need a Project Management Consultant. And if you wish to go with one person for the complete project you need to go for a Design and Build firm. Last option will definitely make it easier to coordinate.
The below steps are right now to actually help you in finding the right Construction Partner which means someone who can Design, Build and do Project Management for you.
3. Research on their backgrounds:
Now almost every contractor/builder has a website, it gives them more authenticity. It will also help you to understand their backgrounds much clearer.
You can check their designs, the work they have done so far, how they work, their qualifications in the about us column and customer testimonials etc.
This step will help you to filter out and shorten your list.
4. See if they provide you with important details:
When you do this research, you might have found these builders who gives you Bill of Quantities (BoQ), timeline schedules and quality check reports. Identify them and learn more about how they share these details with you, understand their process and why is it important for you:
What good can a BoQ do for you?
It gives you the price that you need to spend on constructing your project. BoQ also helps you to track your Cost and make sure you do not overspend.
Why are timelines important to you?
It helps you to track your projects and make sure you do not have to worry about your project getting dragged on forever and gets completed on time.
Why do you need Quality Check reports?
QC checks on your project helps you understand your construction quality thereby making sure your project will be safe in the future and is low maintenance.
5. Check if they use technology tools
Shortlist the builders who promise you Cost, Time and Quality (CTQ), and understand how they actually provide it to you.
People now use various tools from Virtual Reality instead of 3D walkthroughs for designing your home thus letting you visualise your home before its being built. This will give you a much clearer picture so as to avoid space constraints and reworks in future.
Also use Project Management software and mobile applications instead of MS excel and whatsapp groups to track and monitor your project.
Rather than using multiple platforms its better for you and for them to be on the same platform as it helps to avoid confusion. Insist on selecting professionals who provide you these features, it helps you to monitor your project seamlessly.
6. Do they provide after service for your Project?
There are some builders who do after (or post handover) service, but why is after service so important?
Your home is like your car, it also needs maintenance and service occasionally.
Your professional needs to be someone, who is committed even after your project is completed. The one who provides after service knows this, and he will do everything to make sure your project is built in top-notch quality.
Summary
These steps will help you in finding your right construction partner, but it is always up to you to choose the right one. It’s important to have all the above information with you before you make that final decision.
Your home is your dream, and a lifetime’s investment. Do not fall into traps trying to save a few bucks here and there. That will eventually result in loss of effort, time and money and ultimately a very stressful experience for you.
Do you agree with the above mentioned points? Time to share your thoughts, comment below:
Definitely a must read for people planning to build. Good one!