First day of demo

About to begin bidding process. Words of wisdom?

We are working with an architect on a big renovation project of a landmarked house. (It is not a gut.)

We are about to start the bidding process. I realize that the quote is only part of the decision factors. What questions would you ask of the bidding contractors?

Any other advice from btdt.. what would you have done differently? what did you like?

Our big worry is time, as we will have to move out during the renovation.

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What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. 1)Old time common sense never hurts. Ask for references and ask those references about a) the contractor meeting time frames. b)Contractor adding on a lot of new charges once he is on the project c)ask them if things broke or leaked etc after a few months and if they did-did he come back for free?
    2)IT always helps to put in a bonus if he finishes on time and a penalty if he finishes late. We are all human and every contractor will prioritize a job in which there is some extra meat.
    3)review the contract with a developer or seasoned construction guy to know if EVERYTHING is in there.
    4)Hire an attorney to review contractors insurance to make sure you dont get sued if his subs get hurt on the property etc.

  2. I feel your pain but as someone thats been there and seen it many times, your issue is not about having subcontractors. That is actually a plus. 99 percent of successful gc’s sub out and compartmentalize every part of construction into many categories and subs. They then hire an expert for every field of work. The gc’s that do all themselves are jacks of all and masters of none. You want a painting specialist to do the paint. A brownstone specialist to do the exterior. A hardwood specialist to do the hardwood etc
    Your issue I would say is about the GC taking idiotic subs! IT would be wise to ask you for permission to vet the subs. I do that!

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