Anyone who has gone through any construction work or a renovation will tell you that you cannot avoid something going wrong. It is inevitable, but there are ways you can handle yourself and your contractor to avoid breaking your budget.
If it something that does not need to be resolved immediately, write down your concerns. Writing your concerns on a piece of paper will help make it easier for you to talk to your contractor about what went wrong. Also, avoid rehashing old issues. Bringing old issues into a new discussion can cause the person to shut down instead of being open-minded about resolving the issues.
Keep your discussions between you and the contractor. Try to avoid barreling into a room shouting for or at your contractor while his employees are around. The more people watching the show, the less likely your contractor is to admit there is a problem. Ask the contractor to move to another room, or ask to meet him in the near future to discuss your concerns.
Acknowledge you might not know everything about the problem, but be sure to note what you do know. Leave the emotional responses at the door, no matter how hard it is. Remember, you are trying to resolve a problem not create another one.
When there is something wrong, we look for someone to blame. Attempt to avoid this instinct, and work to resolve the issue to keep your project on time. It can be difficult when determining who is going to pay to fix the problem, but do not let who is picking up the tab for the issue keep you from staying on track.
We all need to work on our listening skills. Do not just wait politely for your contractor to finish talking so you can jump all over him about what has gone wrong. Stop, slow down and listen. You may just discover how the miscommunication happened in the first place.
Action items will help put everyone back on track. Create an action item list of who is responsible for what and be sure you and your contractor each have a copy.
If all else fails review, you contract. If you feel there is a significant oversight during construction your contract may already have the solution laid out for you.
Forst Consulting Group is here to help you. Call us today to learn more.
