How to Make Your Contractor Love You

So you’ve found the PERFECT contractor. They have great reviews, are in your price range and understand your vision. Here are a few tips to keep your relationship positive while the complete your renovation.

• Establish a detailed contract before hand.
• Outline the work rules.
• Expect the unexpected.
• Keep changes to a minimum.
• Be engaged but don’t micromanage.

Before you even break ground on your project, establish a detailed contract with your contractor to avoid any “But I didn’t know” or “We didn’t discuss this” moments. Things you’ll want to make sure you outline are:

-Who cleans up at the end of the day (do you need rent a dumpster?)

-Who pays for what (are you providing materials or is there a material cost factored into your contractor’s bid?)

-What the procedure is should the walls start coming down and things aren’t looking like they are going to go according to the original plan (think old electrical or plumbing, foundation issues, etc) and what the rules are for tapping into the contingency budget

Your contractor and their team are going to be in spending a lot of time in your home- we’re talking weeks to possibly months depending on the scale of the project. This is especially critical if you’ll be living in the home during the renovation. You’ll want to make sure you discuss what time the work day will start and end and whether tools can be kept out the house during the renovation and who is responsible should something happen to them. The level of cleanliness you expect to come home to at the end of the day is also a good topic of conversation just you are both on the same page.

At this point, we’ve all seen enough episodes of Property Brothers and Fixer Upper to know that renovations hardly ever go 100% as expected. Go into the project knowing that there will probably be a thing or two that doesn’t go completely according to plan and you’ll save yourself quite a bit of disappoint in the long run.

A great way to avoid getting hit by unexpected costs is to keep post contract changes to a minimum. Once you and your contractor(s) decide on a plan, do you best to stick to it. While it’s one thing to want to change the paint color of your kitchen renovation, you’re entering into a whole other battlefield once you start to change configurations and materials.

Remember that time you vetted your contractor and hired the one that best fit your budget and your project needs? Exactly. You hired your specific contractor for a reason and a little trust can go a long way to establish a healthy working relationship. Be active and engaged in your project but don’t micromanage your contractor’s every move- trust that they know the best way to take down a wall or complete a backsplash. If you have concerns about how your contractor is completing the project, ask questions about the process but avoid telling your contractor how to do their job.