The uncomfortable questions are the ones that save you money. Ask these seven of anybody bidding your job — including us.
We answer phone calls, text messages and emails. Believe it or not, that sets us apart in this industry — and it is a decent hint about what to look for when you are choosing who to hire. Here are the questions we would want a homeowner to ask us.
1. Are you licensed and insured, and can I see the certificates?
Not "yes." The documents. General liability at minimum, workers comp if there will be a crew on your property. Verify the license status with the state licensing board rather than taking a photo of a card at face value.
2. Who is actually going to be on my property?
Is it the company crew or subs? Who is the point of contact when something comes up mid-job? There is nothing wrong with subs — plenty of good work gets done that way — but you should know who is showing up and who is responsible for them.
3. What is included, and just as importantly, what is not?
Cheap bids are usually cheap because something got left out. Haul-off, permits, utility locates, erosion control, final grade, cleanup — get the exclusions written down. A bid that lists what it excludes is a good sign, not a red flag.
4. How do change orders work?
On dirt and construction jobs, conditions change. You hit rock, or the ground is wetter than anybody expected. The question is not whether changes happen but whether you find out about the cost before or after the work is done. Before we make any change to the original plan, the customer knows what it costs.
5. What does the payment schedule look like?
Deposits are normal. A demand for most of the money up front is not. Tie payments to milestones you can actually see completed.
6. What is the timeline, and what would move it?
Weather moves dirt schedules in Louisiana. Material lead times move steel schedules. An honest contractor will tell you what the realistic window is and what the specific risks to it are, instead of promising a date they already know they cannot hold.
7. Can I talk to your last three customers?
Not the three best jobs from five years ago — the last three. Ask those customers one question in particular: what went wrong, and how did they handle it? Every job has something. How a contractor handles the something is the whole story.
Communication. Quality. Value. In that order, because the first one is what makes the other two possible.
Ask us all seven. We would rather you hire us with your eyes open.
