When starting a construction project or hashing out a contract, it’s important to make sure that all parties are on the same page. Mistakes can cause disputes, slow jobs down and get very costly.
First off, both sides should be very clear about the budget. Contractors need to be transparent with prices, costs and quotes, and homeowners or business owners need to be honest about what they can afford. Misunderstandings about money can escalate quickly.
Another potential problem is neglecting to pull the right permits. Working without proper permits, of course, is illegal. Forgetting about permits until the day the job is supposed to start slows everything down while waiting for the paperwork to go through, and it can completely wreck the project’s timeline.
If either side has a concern, it’s best to speak up. It can be a huge mistake to keep those worries to yourself. The issues may become clear down the road anyway, and finding out too late can just cause costly backtracking or lead to a sub-par product.
Finally, both sides need to be on the same page about when the job has to be done. This shouldn’t be a vague time frame. If possible, it should be a specific date. This can be altered if needed, but both sides also have to work together and communicate clearly when these alterations are made.
In fact, communication is often the key to avoiding disputes. If you do find yourself in one, however, it’s very important that you fully understand all of the legal rights that you have.
Source: How Stuff Works, “10 Major Construction Mistakes,” Becky Striepe, accessed June 08, 2017
