How to Communicate Correctly with Foremen and Contractors to Avoid Being Scammed

At the beginning of a renovation, owners usually aim to achieve a beautiful and affordable result. Meanwhile, contractors may have completely different plans that are at odds with yours. This makes it crucial to choose your construction team wisely and establish proper relationships with them. We explain how to protect yourself from fraud and what to pay attention to when hiring contractors.

Evgeny Kolbov, ARCHITECT, DESIGNER

A good construction team is half the success of a quality renovation. Specialists should have relevant education, experience, and preferably reviews or examples of their work that you can check. Saving money on a team often leads to rework and additional expenses in the future.

Sign a Contract

All business relationships should be formalized. Clearly defined types of work, responsibilities and liabilities help both sides protect themselves from changes to the original agreement and define areas of responsibility. Therefore, an important point that will help you determine the workflow and accountability is a contract. This applies not only to teams but also to independent specialists. It is always easier to agree on terms 'on the beach' than later to sort things out and waste your time.

Estimate

During renovation, the price of materials or services often increases. It is very difficult to trace where this increase came from without an estimate. An estimate is the second very important element in the relationship between a homeowner and a construction team. It usually includes an average cost of materials (sometimes even slightly higher) and the cost of execution. Sticking to the estimate, knowing the work volume and square footage, makes it nearly impossible for a contractor to deceive the homeowner by adding unnecessary materials. This is another key document that clearly and transparently defines required material quantities, minimizing unexpected costs and misunderstandings between the client and contractor.

Participate in the Process

Stay involved and ask questions. First, you will know how a particular type of work is being carried out or organized and all the nuances. This is never unnecessary. Second, you will show that you are closely monitoring the situation, making it harder for contractors to do a sloppy job.

Set Deadlines

Determining deadlines is very important. Sometimes a renovation gets delayed due to the client's new ideas that require more time. Other times delays happen because of the team itself. If payment is based on days rather than completed work, then specialists might intentionally stretch out the process. Sometimes a team works on two projects at once, causing some specialists to appear only every other day instead of daily. These points must also be discussed in advance and included as a separate clause in the contract. Clearly define the completion deadlines for works.

Photo on cover: design by zburo