There are a few items that come to mind as the most important when it comes to choosing your building professional.
Usually, individuals looking for a builder will choose based on price, capability, and lastly on how comfortable they feel with the contractor, usually in that order.
I would like to argue that comfort level should be the top priority, followed by capability, and that price should be a distant third.
My reason for this is simple. Individuals far too often overlook the fact that as a general contractor for them, we will be in control of a significant amount of their money. They overlook how rigorous the standards are for anyone else in an advisory role pertaining to money. Or, rather they just don’t realize just how important it is that they get a good vibe from or are comfortable with said contractor.
What we do as building professionals is not a rocket science. That is, it doesn’t take a doctorate level to become a builder like it does a physicist. We don’t have to go to building school for 4 years followed by another 4 years of residency like MDs do. Our job is not life or death. Our job is, however, heavily dependent on our interpersonal skills and our ability to maintain relationships with both our clients, and our subcontractor. At least I believe it should be.
Too often, clients choose based on price and reputation alone, and don’t follow their gut when choosing a builder. It is important to remember that whomever you choose, will be your guide through a potentially stressful and overwhelming process.
Our job is to take the immense scope of building or renovating a home and boil it down to easily manageable “bites”. We do this for our subcontractors every day by highlighting only the scope that pertains to them, and we do it most importantly for our homeowners by helping them with the information they need to feel comfortable each step of the way.
This is an invaluable part of the building process because at the end of the day, the most important part of this process is how the client feels about it.
Of course, it is necessary that the client be secure in the capabilities of a general contractor, but that is a very easily answered question. Look no further than the most recent client testimonials, and quality of work on recent jobs. That will tell you all you need to know.
A very distant third is price. I realize that this is very often our initial buying criteria, but the absolute reality in any given market is that we adjust price by either quality of work, or price of materials. Most builders of a given quality range will be pulling from essentially the same suppliers and trade base. So generally, if you want a certain quality, ultimately the materials and finishes you choose for your home will have the greatest impact on the final price.
So basically, go with your gut, verify quality, and create your own price.