Never Sign a Building Contract Without Seeing a Job Schedule
When building your new home, there are several things you’ll need to look out for in your contract. One of those things is a building schedule. It can be tricky finding a professional builder with a proper construction schedule, so we’ve put together some of the main issues that can occur with builders and schedules for your new home.
In many circumstances, a builder just doesn’t have a construction schedule for you to look over. More than three quarters of builders don’t plan their jobs. Most of the time, they won’t create a schedule for you before you sign a contract with them.
There are a few reasons a builder may bypass this very important step.
One, building a schedule is very time consuming. This demands a lot of the builder’s attention and requires them to take time away from other jobs they may be working on. Most builders are usually working on a few projects at a time, and may also be working on other quotes as well.
Two, many builders have not been trained to complete a building schedule. A building schedule coordinates hundreds of different tasks that are required to be done on site. This can be very complicated especially for a complex new home build. When a builder has many other jobs on the go, creating a job schedule can be a very daunting task.
You may have found the best of the best for a builder who comes highly recommended by those who you trust and they have provided you with a contract for signing. Even though they may come highly recommended, it is still very important to request a building schedule. If you request a building schedule and a builder advises you that they will only provide one once a contract has been signed, this is a sure sign of a disorganized builder that ultimately is putting off the planning of your new home.
Builders without a plan take longer to complete projects. In the process of finding a builder, you may come across some builders who will overlook the issue of a fixed hand-over date. Some builders don’t like to take the time to order their materials on time or organize their subcontractors in advance. This can lead to delays on the construction site, additional costs and ultimately delays in the completion date of your new home.
Here are some ways to avoid these types of builders:
Always make sure that you hire a builder with proper project management to be sure everything is organized and running smoothly.
Before signing anything, always be sure to ask the builder about the last three or four jobs they completed. Ask if they stuck to their schedule, if they ran on time, and if the project was completed on or near the original completion date. It always helps to request references just to see for yourself how the previous builds went.
One common issue with building is the delays caused because of selections. Either the client’s selections were not completed on time, or they were not completed correctly, which causes even more of a delay. Keeping a schedule will allow the builder to set deadlines for each selected item and do whatever is needed to prepare for them. This ultimately will hold you, the client, accountable. You are responsible for making final decisions by certain dates to be sure everything stays on schedule. It is always best to make your final decisions prior to this date to keep things moving along and on time. This way, your builder won’t have to add any variation charges and extensions of time. Be sure to select a builder who has your choices linked to their job schedule so that you can communicate your final choices by the date the builder will require them.
It is very rare that everything will be finalized at the time of the contract signing, but the builder can communicate with the client about how the job will be done. Seeing a building schedule prior to signing a contract ensures that you are dealing with a professional builder. This will assure that your new home will be completed on time and allow for a smooth process through all of the stages when building your new home. It is important to keep the lines of communication open with your builder so you will always have a trusted partnership.
If you’re looking for a builder, please contact us. We’d love to help you gather information and show you how we can take you from plan to perfect.