Postcards from a Home Addition #3: Choosing a Contractor

So you’ve captured your must haves (postcard #1), found an architect (postcard #2) and whipped up a set of plans that would make Frank Lloyd Wright himself get a little misty.  Now you’re ready to shop your plans and dive into the really deep end of the home addition pool – picking a contractor.  Given how much time (intimate, really get to know a person kind of time) you’re going to spend together, this is way up there on the list of choices you’ve got to get right in the general choice-fest that is adding to your castle.

As it is with architects, lots of route options here – design-build, big firm with lots of project management resources, smaller contractor where the name on the truck is the person you’ll be dealing with the most, etc.  [Side Note: If you’re one of those brave souls considering acting as the general contractor and subbing out all the different bits, take care… great, double probation, "hope you talk yourself out of it" kind of care.  I’ve done a bunch of construction projects myself over the years.  Including a total basement redo that nearly killed me.   Thinking of how long and ugly the process would have been had I tried to play GC on this much bigger addition job makes me shudder even now.]  Anyhow, assuming you take some contractor route, some suggestions:

• Get multiple bids – ideally across types like the above (bigger, smaller, in between, etc.).  After all the build up on an addition you can get so jacked up to get going that you toy with short sheeting the selection process.  Don’t.  We were surprised at how big a cost/approach range there was amongst the bids we got.  So very glad to have stayed at it (and probably could have done more).

• Don’t skip referrals, or digging on your own – again, tempting to skip after one or two calls to the names your contractor suitors provided.  But you can get feedback on style and approach that might meaningfully influence your decision from even the most carefully planted shill a bidder gives you.  Plus, nowadays with a little web digging, list reading, etc., you can probably unearth some useful independent commentary.

• Go see some jobs they’re doing – Finished ones are helpful but jobs in progress are even better.  What’s the work site like?  If the contractor doesn’t also swing the hammer anymore, is there a foreman you can meet?  Do they have folks permanently on their team, as well as subs, or is everybody a free agent?  Is the size similar to what you’re after?  Construction is controlled chaos at some level but I think you can sense a well managed job/team verses a loosely run one.

• Once you pick, talk through EVERYTHING, TWICE – Selecting your dance partner is only step one.  Before you move to a contract and final pricing, make sure you walk through everything about the job.  Do the plans from the architect give the contractor ALL the detail they need?  Are there any spots where the two disagree about how to bring about a certain design feature?  Have you documented all your expectations about your wants for the big parts of the job?  For example what’s the strategy for heating and AC?  There are lots of different options (and cost levels), particularly when you’re tying in old systems and new ones.   Better to thrash those out before you’re in the midst of the job.  So when you get an itchy trigger finger, step away, take a cold shower, really.  Ask yourself once again, have you gone through everything you can think of and gotten on the same page?  You’ll both be the better and happier for having done so.

• Fixed price vs. time & materials (or cost plus) – Most contractors would likely prefer a fixed price gig.  And for most homeowners it’s probably the cleanest option, knowing what you’re going to spend (a lot) and preparing accordingly.  Assuming of course that you don’t encounter any really big (i.e.  out of scope) surprises during construction, that you’ve got a good handle on what you want ahead of time, and that you can stick to your plan.  Sure the contractor makes more dough if the job goes well, but you’ve got the relative peace of mind that the cost can only go so high.  Conversely, the time and materials approach is more transparent to you and could ultimately cost you less if all goes really well.  But it could just as easily cost more if the project encounters new twists and your appetite for change grows.

• Keep it simple – We tried for some sort of hybrid that just created a bunch of cycles and wasn’t helpful for us or the contractor.  We landed up with essentially a fixed cost gig anyway.  Lesson?  Don’t overthink it.  Know what you want really well, negotiate the best deal you can through competition, acknowledge that the contractor needs to make money just like you need to save it, and move on.

• If in doubt, move out – An addition that breaks into your existing house anywhere is like surgery.  Once the patient is opened up, it’s ugly and chaotic until everything gets put back together.  Your place will get roughly treated by even the most careful outfit.  We originally thought we could stay in and just gut it out.  Yes, with 2 kids, and an addition getting tied in on two stories.   Nuts.  Thank goodness we saw the folly in it and moved out for three months.  The chaos also means you should take extra care to safeguard any stuff you leave behind.  Construction dust is like a sandstorm, finding its way through seemingly impenetrable barriers.

• Be prepared for ups and downs – You are guaranteed to hit some real low points.  A process as complex and close to home (literally and figuratively) as this is just wired for conflict at some stage.  Your, and your contractor’s, job is to keep the strife to a minimum and not freak out when it occurs.  And again, the more you try and thrash out any points of disagreement up front, the better.  At a minimum, you’ll have a good sense for how you and your new friend can handle spirited disagreement before the job ship has sailed.

Our contractor experience? – We used Bluestone Builders which is run by Tim Moran.  All in all a good outcome, albeit with some rough stretches.  Some quick hitters on our experience:

• Good relationship fit – Tim had a very helpful, friendly and even demeanor.  He gave us lots of useful referrals for other providers, as well as weighed in with useful tips, etc.

• Frequent communication, good transparency – Tim was readily available by email and cell, and happy to share bid info, details etc. electronically, through Excel, etc.

• Tale of two jobs – Great first half.  The foundation and framing up the exterior went really well moved fast, no big surprises, good communication, etc.  Mixed 2^nd half.  Interior and finishing stage (in and out) much more up and down. Communications issues ‘tween contractor and architect cost us a couple false starts.  We had some uneven subs and a fair amount of rotating in and out.  Attention to detail ebbed and flowed and we encountered some meaningful goofs requiring do-overs.

• Say and do disconnects – This is a general challenge in the contractor world from what I can gather and contractors themselves would tell you it’s a big problem they manage as well with their own subs.  I.e. you get an assurance that something will happen by a certain date and then it doesn’t happen, often repeatedly doesn’t happen.  We certainly had our fair share of these,  particularly in the later stages of the job.   Ultimately got done but not without pushing and focusing in on the details that I wished not to have to do so much.  Whatever route you go, be prepared to have to really watch the details.  These are complex undertakings with a lot of moving parts.

• Reasonable in conflict – When we had challenges, Tim was generally very reasonable in resolving a disagreement.

• Responsive since completing the job – This is a big one.  We’re now 2+ years past completion.  Tim’s always been quick to respond to questions with helpful info, as recently as the last 3-4 months.

• Would I recommend? – When we worked with Bluestone, Tim’s outfit was undergoing some big team changes that I think we bore the brunt of in certain respects.  The result was that we ultimately got a good result (and value) we’ve been happy with.  But it also felt like we had to work harder than we should have had to in order to get there.  So in the moment I wouldn’t have given a huge green light.  That said, I would certainly tell folks now to give him a call and see where things have progressed since then.  He brings a lot of good things to the table that with a more settled team would make for a pretty strong total package.

Final note for anyone west of Dulles who’s looking and happens to read this.  My brother-in-law runs a well respected construction firm (Carpenter Beach Construction, ) serving Loudoun, Clarke et al counties.  I mention them because a) I value family harmony and b) they have what is alas a relative rarity from my experience – a really helpful and comprehensive website that makes getting to know them a lot easier for folks looking for options.  Here’s hoping more of their contractor/architect brethren (including some of the leading names in Alexandria) follow this path.  If they do, will make your job much easier.

Add a local resource, or comment on your experience with this one.