After lurking for a while I have learned that anybody can build a mud hole but not every dirt man can build a fishing lake/pond. If anyone has any recommendations for a quality contractor in Central Texas (Austin Area) I would appreciate it.
Thanks
Brandon
call otto best known to mankind
I have read a lot about Otto on here. He is from up around Denton I believe. Will he travel this far south?
Otto and Lusk are worldly men, they will go anywhere to build a new pond Boss fishing hole. Give him a call, if nothing else he may know someone in your area if your job is to small to warrant the commute.
BrandonA
Welcome to the forum. You have found the best palce in the world to get good advice. The people that post here are some of the best people on the planet and will help any way they can.
They have worked hard to make it great.
What a way to start the morning.
Otto
Thanks Otto for the welocme. Look forward to learning a bunch and hoping someday even be able to contribute. You ever work down in Central Texas?
As a contractor, I've found that allot of people hire based on first meeting and how much they like the person that comes out. This is why the bigger companies hire salesman. They are very good at being frienly and telling you what you want to hear. The best contractor in the world might very have terrible people skills, but is a genious at what he does. He doesn't get the job because most of the time, he makes a very poor impression when meeting new clients.
Because you really don't know any of this when interviewing contractors, it's very, very important to get refrences and to check them. Most people also hire the first guy they talk to. Make it a point to talk to at least five. More is even better, but five will give you enough variables to educate yourself on what you never thught of. Then interview more, or concentrate on those refrences.
When calling refrences, be sure to find out about surprises and if they did what they said they would. Did they show up every day or start the job, then disapear for two months or more? Did they spend all day working on old equipment? How much time was spent blaming others for them not getting the job done? Lousy equipment is a sure sign of a contractor who's in it for the short term and doesn't understand about taking care of business. Find out if there bid price was solid, or if there was changes. If so, why were there changes? Was it the land owner who made the changes, or did the contractor do this? Was it a surpise in the soil or did he underestimate how much work it would be? Some times it's better to hire hourly, but you have to be careful that they don't run up the hours, or charge for down time spent fixing broken equipment.
Then ask the reference if they know of anybody else who has used the same contractor. If the contractor has some bad references, he's not likely to give those out to you. But if you ask the reference, they might know of others that the contractor didn't want you to know about.
Every job has it's issues and hurdles. If it's taken care of, and he's upfront about them, it's all good. If he tries to hide them, or lies about it, then you might want to find another contractor.
Good luck,
Eddie
Thanks Eddie! You made some great points...
I'd like to take a moment to both agree with what Eddie said and supplement it with a few of points.
Many states, California included, have a web site in which you can input the contractors state license number and determine (a) if they do in fact have a valid contractors license and (b) if there have been any complaints against the license and if and how the complaint was resolved. It's also a good idea to check with the Better Business Bureau for complaints.
California requires that a contractor have both valid and up to date workers' comp insurance and a $10,000 performance bond filed with the state. The status of both of these you can check on line as well. Find out what your state requires and ensure that your potential contractor has met these requirements.
Make sure that your contractor has valid liability insurance.
If you are embarking on a large contract (in dollars and/or in scope) you may want to consider a performance bond and potentially a payment bond.
If the contractor is going to be paying for materials directly then find out if the materials supplier is going to file any liens (mechanics lien) to ensure payment on the materials. This is especially true if the supplier is delivering the materials directly to your job site. One way to ensure that subcontractors and/or materials suppliers are paid is to use two party checks (often called a "joint check" in the construction industry) or pay the materials or subcontractors directly. Another method is the payment bond.
Also if the contractor is going to hire subcontractors then find out who they are and what their reputation is as well.
Carefully review the proposed contract. This sounds stupid but you would be surprised how many folks don't take the time to do this. Make sure a completion schedule is included. Also search on your state contractor's license board website to ensure that you know what is legal to include in a contract and what is not. The payment schedule should coincide with completion of events. Do not get payments way ahead of the contract progress. RUN from any contractor that either (1) doesn't want to use a contract or (2) has a contract that contains terms that are not legal in your state (or that are completely illogical or both). (3) avoid any construction contracts that are written on paper towels or paper grocery store bags, even if the bags are high quality.
Finally remember that cheaper is not necessarily better and definitely should not be your prime criteria for selecting a contractor. A good contractor has earned the good reputation through hard work and good performance of work (both in quality of work and in adhering to a time line).