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Change Orders Dispute Tips

Change Orders Dispute Tips

Posted on Author adminPosted in Construction Tips

Change order is a ubiquitous term in the construction industry. But, though you may not have come across it, knowledge of change orders and how to handle disputes that arise from them is important. Change order is used in the construction industry in reference to an amendment to the construction contract with the potential to change the scope of the work to be done by the contractor.

Essentially, a change order alters or modifies the work that a contract document requires the contractor to complete. In turn, this increases price of the contract. It also leads to the adjustment of the time required by the contractor to complete the project. For a change order to be valid, the contractor and the owner must reach an agreement.

Unfortunately, change orders lead to disputes in most cases. That’s because contractors and owners do not seem to reach an agreement when it comes to changing parts of their contractor scope. If you are involved in a change order dispute, here are tips to help you.

Determine Whether a Change Order is a Real Change

The first and most crucial step is to determine whether the change order in question is fact-specific. Determine whether there is real change in the contract. Look at the pre-bid documents, field work orders, RFIs responses, and dealing course for the parties. It’s also crucial to consider the order-of-precedence clauses that determine if drawing control or written specifications are necessary.

Consider Actions or Words

Most contractors proceed with the extra work without securing a change order in writing first. If your contractor doesn’t have a written CCD or change order, consider the party to have waived this requirement via their actions or words.

Know that Contract Change is Not Automatic

When one contract changes, it does not mean the other contract will change. If the contractor and owner execute one change order and the contractor fails to get a change order from subcontractors a gap in the work scope will be occasioned. Therefore, ensure that both the contractor and subcontractors get your change orders.

Change orders are a crucial concept in construction. They allow contractors and owners the flexibility required to address unexpected changes. Nevertheless, this flexibility has a cost due to possible disputes. Follow these tips to deal with change orders disputes.…

Signs that You Hired a Bad Contractor

Signs that You Hired a Bad Contractor

Posted on Author adminPosted in Construction Tips

Signs that You Hired a Bad Contractor

Whether you are an investor in real estate or a homeowner, you know the importance of working with a good contractor. In fact, the choice of a contractor can mean the difference between a successful and profitable construction project and a failed one. So, how do you know that you have a bad contractor? Here are signs to look for.

Excuses

A bad contractor is always making excuses. A construction project will have issues at some points. But, a good contractor is proactive in smoothing out things before they worsen. A contractor that is unable to fix things will make excuses. This is a sign that you have a bad contractor working on your project.

Significantly Lower Prices

The lowest bid is not the best option in most home improvement and construction projects. Contractors whose bids are significantly lower tend to cut corners. For instance, they provide cheap materials and labor. Be careful on contractors that underbid competitors with dramatic margins. Reliable and professional contractors charge reasonable prices.

No Written Agreements

Be wary of a contractor that prefers verbal agreements. A good contractor is not hesitant about having a written contract. It’s possible that a contractor that doesn’t want to make a written agreement will not keep their word. Therefore, choose a contractor only if they make every agreement in writing.

Phone Communication Only

Avoid a contractor that only wants to communicate through phone calls. A contractor that doesn’t want to meet you to have a face-to-face discussion about your project is not a good contractor. Such a contractor will discuss anything that goes wrong in your project via the phone. This is not an effective way to communicate and resolve issues of a major project.

Unanswered Questions

A contractor that can’t answer your questions satisfactorily is not a good choice. That’s because this is a sign that they lack technical knowledge or experience. They are fake experts with valuable to offer. Therefore, go for a very meticulous contractor that understands your needs.

If you notice these signs, consider finding another contractor to ensure proper completion of your project.

Check out this website for last minute needs for a contractor.…

Qualities that a construction contractor needs to have

Posted on Author adminPosted in Construction Tips

If you think that any construction contractor is all honest and truthful, then you should think again. There are a couple of qualities that you should look for in a construction contractor. This is the only way that you can make sure that you are hiring the right contractor. These are the top three qualities that a construction contractor needs to have.

He should have the experience as a contractor

The first quality that you should look for is the experience that the contractor has in construction. If you think that you can hire a contractor that doesn’t have much experience, then you should think again.

The more experience the contractor has, the better the project will be. And, the better the results of the project will be. This is important to make sure that you look at the years’ experience that the contractor has before hiring.

Need to have a positive reputation

The last thing that you want to do, is to hire a contractor that doesn’t have a great or positive reputation. The better the reputation, the better the quality he will be doing for you.

There are many different ways on how you can see what his reputation is and if this is a person that you would like to hire. With negative comments or reviews, he will not have a great, positive reputation that will give you quality work,

He should have good listening skills as well

If he doesn’t have listening skills, he will not be able to know what you actually want out of the construction. Most of the communication problems between client and contractor are because the contractor doesn’t have good listening skills, or he doesn’t take what the client wants into consideration.

The moment that he has good listening skills, you will know for sure that you are going to get the end result that you have been looking for. Making sure that you are getting value for money.

The moment that you are hiring a construction contractor, you should take these important qualities into consideration. This is the only way that you can be sure that you are going to get high-quality work done. And, you are going to get it done correctly as you want it to be. With knowing these qualities, you will be able to hire the best construction contractor for your building needs. And, it will be done fast, correctly and exactly as you want it to be.

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