Being able to clearly communicate with your general contractor ensures that your wants and needs are understood and properly taken care of. This is why we can’t emphasize its importance enough! A good contractor will take the time to make sure you understand what you’re signing up for and how and when your job will get done. However, knowing how to communicate effectively with your general contractor makes their lives a whole lot easier and promises great results. To help, we’ve compiled 4 tips for you to consider for communicating with your general contractor.
1. Be Clear and Upfront About What You Can Afford
It’s always in your best interest to communicate your budget in the beginning stages of your interactions with your general contractor. This ensures that you get an estimate that is a realistic depiction of what your contractor can do for you within your financial means. Not being upfront about what you can afford could get you in trouble down the road if your contractor uses materials or implements different features that rack up a price that you can’t actually pay.
2. Get to Know Your Contractor’s Personality
How does your contractor work with clients? Does your personality mesh with theirs? While this may seem like an irrelevant question, it actually matters quite a bit. When you hire a contractor, you’re entrusting them with your plan to build or renovate your home or business. It’s smart to make sure that all parties involved with the project want to be involved with it. Interviewing your contractor to gauge customer-contractor compatibility should be a step in your communication process.
3. Share Pictures of What You’re Looking For
Using inspiration pictures of similar projects to communicate with your general contractor goes a long way. Especially if you don’t know the terms for what you would like completed. Pictures can help your contractor draw up a plan that fits your desires and needs. It is also likely to be completed in much less time and helps you avoid any confusion over what you were asking for when remodeling.
4. Communicate Your Must-Haves
Go into your strategizing with your contractor with a list of the must-haves that are non-negotiable for your project. Depending on your budget and other factors, you may not be able to have the project of your dreams come to life in the exact way you imagined. However, you should know what your must-haves are and share them with your contractor. They will be able to prioritize them when drawing up your estimate.
Communicating with your general contractor is an essential part of a satisfactory customer relationship. You may not know where to start if you’re not familiar with different industry languages and terminology. Here at The Dan Company, we work with individuals and families with all levels of knowledge about how to work with general contractors. We are transparent and honest about what we can accomplish for you within your means! Learn more about the services we offer by contacting us at (615) 395-6910.
