Most people choose a contractor on price and a single recommendation. Both are weak signals: the price reflects a scope you have not necessarily compared, and one referee is a sample of one. The questions below filter far better, and they take twenty minutes.
Documents — four questions
- What is your registration number with the Contractors Registrar, and in which classification? Certain works require an appropriate classification by law. It can be verified in the public register.
- Do you have a current certificate of insurance? Employers' liability and third party. Ask to see it, and check the date.
- Tax deduction and book-keeping certificates.
- Who signs the contract — you or a company? And if a company, its number.
A contractor who evades any one of these four has told you all you need to know.
Work and experience — four questions
- May I see two live sites? Not photographs of finished projects — an active site. Order, safety and cleanliness on site predict quality of work better than any album.
- A phone number for a client whose project finished a year ago. Not a month ago. A year is when defects surface.
- Who will be on site day to day? A name and a number. If the answer is vague, that is the answer.
- How many projects do you have running at once? A contractor with six sites will not be at yours.
Money and schedule — four questions
- What is not included in the quote? The most important question of all. Strip-out, waste disposal, deliveries, out-of-scope electrics.
- Is the payment schedule tied to milestones or to dates? Milestones. Always. See payment milestones.
- What happens on delay, and what happens when I ask for a change mid-way? There should be a written answer, not a promise.
- What is the defects period and what does it cover? See warranty.
Three red flags
- Too high a deposit. A reasonable deposit covers materials and setting up, not a quarter of the project.
- "Let's agree verbally, we're decent people." A contract protects both sides.
- A quote substantially cheaper than the rest. It is almost always a different scope, not a better price. See renovation quote.
How we work
Bramy Group answers all twelve in writing before a contract is signed. See how to choose a finishing contractor. Get in touch.