As we discussed in one of our previous posts, we are trying to decide on a company/person to design and make the blueprints for our home. Here is a note to everyone for every kind of business. When you say "I will have that ready for you by X day" make sure that you have it by then. We originally had our designers narrowed down to 2 and then we found the name of a 3rd person, we liked the way their style looked and so we sent the information to them for a quote. Meanwhile we cut one of the 2 that were from the original list because we reviewed some sample plans from them and we did not like the way they were written (not enough structural detail). So #3 person comes back with a quote that has too much in it, we don't need the blueprints for plumbing, electrical and hvac...that will be discussed in a future post. Well the quote from #3 had all of that plus some other things that we didn't want. We replied (within 12 hours) that we would like these items (be specific) removed from the quote and why we didn't need them and we asked for them to resubmit the quote. He responded that he had a big meeting that day but would have the revised quote for us by the next afternoon...it is now 1 week and 1 day later and we still haven't gotten the revised quote. For us that shows that they do not stick to a timeline well, and we don't want to work with anyone who has issues like this. So #3 is out the window for sure. We have one more company, they are actually a handcrafted log home company, that is looking at the plans and we anticipate a response from them in a few days.
So here is our thoughts on dealing with anyone who may be helping you with your home; manufactures, architects or even sub-contractors.
*Make sure that you are comfortable talking to them, you need to be able to communicate your needs and wishes to them; that may even mean doing some research or studying on the terminology for that trade. For example when you are talking to potential plumbers make sure you know what kind of pipe they are planning on using for your home; copper, pvc or pex and if you know the differences in these then you can tell them what you would prefer or at least understand why they are using one type of material over another.
*Set reasonable expectations. If you submit something for a quote give them at least 5 business days to respond. When we send something out for quote we usually ask that they email us as soon as they get it. Then when they do, we give them 5 business days from the date of their response or if they tell us "we will have your quote by X" that is the time frame that we use. If they can't get a quote to you in a timely manor then what makes you think they can complete the project on time.
*Once you have chosen someone, make sure that you sign a contract with them...a signed contract is your only form of legal protection if something goes awry.
*Pay them on time! If you expect them to complete the project on time, you have to pay them on time. Make sure that your payment terms are written into the contract. However! Make sure that they work that you are paying them for is completed; i.e. don't pay for the finished plumbing if the toilet is still not set and the house is not connected to the main water source.
*Don't be afraid to fire someone! Mind you, don't fire them in haste...make sure that you have thought it out and have weighed the pros and cons. Make sure that you sit down with them and let them know that you are not happy and why, if you need to point out any portion of the contract that they are not fulfilling; give them the opportunity to correct their shortcomings. If in the end you feel that your contractor or anyone else who is helping you with your dream is not working out, let them go and contact your back-up person. Don't let yourself be taken advantage of by a contractor just because they are already on-site.
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