How to Select a General Contractor in Austin Texas
Hiring a competent General Contractor in Austin for your new construction or remodeling requirements is one of the most important things you can do when opening or expanding your business.
The information below will empower you to make an informed decision when finalizing your decisions about which General Contractor to hire in Austin.
1. Searching for a General Contractor – Don’t rush this step. Ask friends and family if they can recommend a General Contractor who has successfully completed their projects. Research if they have any experience completing commercial projects such as tenant improvements or new construction. The reason for this is, just because your Dad’s General Contractor completed a bathroom remodel at their house doesn’t mean their qualified for tackling larger more complex commercial projects.
Residential and Commercial projects can be very different. For most commercial project you will need plans, engineered mechanical, electrical, and plumbing drawings, and the building permit prior to starting construction. DRC, Inc. has architectural drafters and MEP engineers we’re partnered with to expedite this process. Your General Contractor should have this as well.
2. Reviews and References – This is a critical step in researching your desired General Contractor. An experienced General Contractor should have a significant amount of information available online to review. Enter the name of the company into google and do a thorough job of reading all available reviews. Enter the owner’s name into google and look for additional information.
If you find very little information or negative reviews, be careful. This is an investment and you can’t hire a company because you “like” their personality. Remove your emotions from this process. If everything checks out, ask for some references. Their satisfied customers should not have a problem speaking their praises. Make sure you call or email the references and wait until you get confirmation prior to moving onto the next step.
3. Review the Contract – Competent General Contractors, especially in Austin where a ton of work exist, should be able to produce a contract. No napkin agreements! Do not do hand shakes agreements or put your faith in your contractor’s work. Every contractor’s ability to complete a project can be sabotaged by terrible subcontractor’s, financial mismanagement, environmental variables outside of their control, and so on. You get it, right?
A contract should not be completely one-sided either. Read the contract thoroughly and trust your instinct. We’ve read over competitor contracts and have found them grossly in favor of the General Contractor and leaving the customer hardly any power at all. You should seek legal advice to help weed out or amend ridiculous clauses. Fair is fair, both parties should have options to cancel throughout the duration of the project. AGAIN, seek legal advice!
While this article is not intended to be an all-inclusive tip list, it is intended to empower you as a customer. If you find this helpful to you, please share! If you desire a free consultation from DRC, Inc. on your project, don’t hesitate to reach out to us!