Construction of multi-family construction needs specific experience and while selecting the contractors for that purpose, people might have to take more precautions.
When looking for a building or renovation it is best to check all the available multifamily renovation companies before deciding on whom to trust and give a contract to.
Role of a contractor in multi-family construction
General contractors when working on building a multi-family or commercial building or their renovation the following aspects are to be kept in mind.
- The contractor has to work with the architect in order to decrease time and money by providing valuable inputs in design aspects.
- The general contractor has to bring all the required permits from the government for the construction or renovation.
- For building a multi-family construction, plumbers, electricians, and many other small subcontractors will be required and they should be assigned by the multifamily renovation companies and the general contractor will be in charge of all of them.
- All the building-related materials should be purchased by the general contractor whereas sub-categories materials will be bought by the sub-contractors for which they will charge later on.
- A general contractor has to make sure that building codes and zoning ordinances are followed during the building construction process.
Cost and Budget when deciding on the contractor
Before selecting the contractor, it is always better to understand how much it will take to renovate or to build. Depending on the available costs like hard costs, soft costs, and pre-construction costs, the contractors will charge their respective fees.
- Percentage fees or Flat fees
Contractors from multifamily renovation companies charge either by flat fees or the percentage from the total cost that is required for the construction.
- For Subcontractors
As the subcontractors will be selected by the general contractor, it is important to select such contractors who can be trusted that they will not select or bid overpriced subcontractors.
- Financial Stability
The contractor should be financially stable such that he has to complete the project with only a slight safety margin available.
Before selecting and finalizing the contractor it is better to check whether that contractor’s financial assets are at least equal to the cost of the building that he has to construct.
What should be included in the contract?
For any project or major work, it is always better to draft a contract. In order to close the deal with the contractor, always make sure to draft and finalize a contract. The contract should have all the below mentioned details
- All the important dates of the project and expected duration.
- Budget, payment, and materials information as per the multifamily renovation companies.
- Insurance and Bond-related information if any.
- Permits related information
Conclusion
The project should be started early as it will take at least 9 months’ time to take all the required approvals. The project description and report should be detailed such that there should not be any confusion after starting.
Before finalizing the contractors, call for a tender and take bids from many contractors, which means 6 bids for a large project while at least three for a small one.