I am in the process of interviewing contractors right now,
assembling my dream team for erecting my first bar. Contractors or builders come in all shapes
and sizes, literally and figuratively.
Normally I wouldn’t endorse a triangulated relationship but as one
builder fondly referred to it as a three-legged stool, and this makes perfect
sense.
In one corner we have Jen Doak (that’s me), the one with
only a few absolutes in this design process.
There are several ideas and “feelings” in my head/heart that I anxiously
await to bounce off the professionals.
In another corner is the architect Shed Built (www.shedbuilt.com) and lastly the builder
(unknown at this point).
There is a new vocabulary to learn, spreadsheets to analyze,
and questions to ask. Here are the
questions I have so far:
·
Are
you licensed?
·
Do
you carry general liability insurance?
·
Do
you have workers comp insurance?
·
Do
you guarantee your work?
·
Will
you provide me with written lien waivers?
·
Will
you be in charge once the project starts?
·
Do
you pull all the required bldg permits?
·
What
professional organizations are you a member of?
·
Request
references from several suppliers
·
Request
references from several subs
·
Have
a detailed conversation on how billing & verification of invoices, hours,
etc. will be worked
·
How
will you perform quality checks, re-do's (get this in writing)
·
Make
sure I am the one who picks out the materials. Let them know I want to be very
involved in picking out hardware and paint and flooring and everything
else.
·
Make
sure they won’t be taking any vacations mid-job
·
What
type of deposit do you require?
·
How
do you stay on schedule or to a specific timeline?
I am excited and nervous for this component. It will complete the design team and I know
how important it is. Not to mention, it
makes this dream more of a reality. I
bet the food and drinks will taste better when I’m not just thinking about them
but seeing them and experiencing in a real space, with real smells, and real
people.