Are there trustworthy contractors out there, hell no! Yes of course there are some great ones and then again, perhaps not always!

Working with a licensed contractor to obtain cost and time estimates, including special inspections and permits, all in a timely manner is of course best.

https://www.cslb.ca.gov/consumers/

A few diligent ways to check is to:

Ask for project references of similar jobs.

Double-check in project type and verify the ability to complete projects on the schedule made and on budget.

Request a site visit, written proposal and an anticipated schedule

Remember not all recommended contractors are necessarily a good fit for you because of the size of your job, their location vs. your location, availability of the necessary materials, their creditworthiness and buying power, their current workload and their staff turnover. Things can change very fast in a new company in this new-found opportunity.

All permitted construction is subject to City Inspections and is the responsibility of the

Soft Story building owner to make sure it gets done in a timely manner.

Common inspections include foundation & concrete work, wood framing, steel framing and all new connections.

Special inspections are required for steel welding, steel moment frames, steel beams, wood shear walls and final stucco before cosmetic finishes.

However, in the “Real World”, there are a few hard truths that one might encounter.

Why are contractors commonly despised and why do so many construction jobs turn out to be quite stressful and nightmarish?

Think about the fact that every contractor has a different dynamic under which they must work or operate their businesses. Each one should be completely understood, and all terms and conditions be accepted before they begin to tear your building apart. You are well aware of the moving target and what you might be getting yourself involved in for 6-8 months. The nature of the business lends itself to you having to possibly deal with a contractor who’s second language is English, and misunderstandings are difficult to avoid with typically unpleasant consequences. Take extra care to have all points clearly itemized in writing and only work with a reputable company.

While most people look for the lowest price in the hopes that everything they need will be seamlessly taken care of without further expenses or effort, it is almost never that straightforward, certainly never easy and even if expected, additional expenses are rarely welcomed.

Now let’s put ourselves in a typical contractor’s shoes. Foremost, he/she must be competitively priced, enough to be considered at all. Whether his price is slightly more or slightly less than you expected, he must make a reasonable and fair profit while satisfying his obligations to you, his crew and his bottom line.

Let’s say he comes in low and promises you the world but ignores the fact that he doesn’t really have the structure to keep things going as promised. He needs money now and once he has some of it and has taken your property apart, things now work on his schedule.

He may take much longer because of his lack of resources both human and financial but will try hard to keep you “informed” so he can buy more time.

He may be using your deposit to pay for the materials on another job and be waiting for that to finish so he can spend money on your materials and labor. This is common, just like not all contractors are this tightly wound, there are those with extremely high overhead and so they must charge more. Like any in field, there are several kinds of operators, so beware.

You can get what you are prepared to pay for in the end. If a stress-free experience is most important then you can do a little extra homework to ensure that you are working only with those that communicate well with you, and frequently.

Remember, you could take the chance that once your building is half torn apart and you have no choice, change orders could appear, perhaps it’s the City’s fault or you are simply funding the contractor’s education or lack thereof while gaining his/her soft story retrofitting experience.

Not all contractors are operating inefficiently, not by any means, but there are those that might take on as many jobs as they can get, sometimes losing money and control. It can be frustrating should your expectations not be met, especially after you have spent your money and committed to a contract.

NEED HELP?

At Soft Story Advisors we help you to choose the best team that will cause you the least amount of aggravation through the completion of your project, no matter how complex.

Get a FREE Consultation and FREE Evaluation of Your Soft Story Plans For Cost and Time Efficiency

Soft Story Advisors

www.softstoryadvisors.com

818-590-8122