Contractors won't give completion date. Normal for Dallas? (Howe: for sale, house)

[WhatNow?]

I own a house in Dallas and intend to do some remodeling and a small addition. I have comparable bids from 3 general contractors, all are close in price and all appear to be reputable, established companies. However, none of them will put a specific completion date on the job. Instead, all of the contracts make similarly worded statements that they will make an effort to finish the job in a timely fashion, but there may be delays related to weather, subcontractors, etc.

Is this a normal practice in the Dallas area? All of the contractors say it is, but it's in their interest to say so. I understand that a job can be delayed by rain, or subcontractors who don't show up, or a variety of other problems, but as these contracts are written, the job could stretch out months or years beyond the 4-5 months that have been quoted. Is it reasonable to expect some kind of "must complete" date? What options would I have if a contractor decided to just stop working part way through the job?

Thanks.

[dallas90210]

A small addition can get very expensive, depending on what you are getting done. I have remodeled many, many, many properties (as an investor who hires subcontractors) and I can tell you it's not a Dallas specific thing - it's a contrator specific thing. I would say 20% of contractors are what I would call "great", 40% are "average" and 40% are "below average". However the top 20% of the contractors can be very expensive...and note these are the guys who can usually tell you how long a project will take and still stick to the timeline. The trick is to find someone that is reasonable in price, but also very good or great. Also it is vital to know who you are dealing with either via experience or multiple / verifiable references.

So here are a couple tips for you:
- Hire someone off Angie's List or a similar contractor review service, who is highly rated, if you don't already know someone reliable that you have already worked with on similar projects
- Only put a little amount of money "down" on the project - enough to cover materials. OR put $0 down if you can, but this can be hard to do as many contractors only do this when they have an existing working relationship with you (the homeowner / remodeler).
- Pay them in draws, on a weekly basis, and keep a sizeable percentage of the balance for the final payment/draw - at least 20% of the total amount. Keeping that 20% in reserve guarantees they will complete the job to your satisfaction before they get the final payment...it's kind of like the carrot before the donkey trick...it keeps them motivated to keep working on your job for that final payment.
- Be firm about the timeline, but not too rigid. Stuff happens...rain, sick kids, etc. A 30-day job can turn into a 40-day job in a worst case scenario, but it should never turn into a 60-day job. Make sense?

Good luck!

Originally Posted by WhatNow?

I own a house in Dallas and intend to do some remodeling and a small addition. I have comparable bids from 3 general contractors, all are close in price and all appear to be reputable, established companies. However, none of them will put a specific completion date on the job. Instead, all of the contracts make similarly worded statements that they will make an effort to finish the job in a timely fashion, but there may be delays related to weather, subcontractors, etc.

Is this a normal practice in the Dallas area? All of the contractors say it is, but it's in their interest to say so. I understand that a job can be delayed by rain, or subcontractors who don't show up, or a variety of other problems, but as these contracts are written, the job could stretch out months or years beyond the 4-5 months that have been quoted. Is it reasonable to expect some kind of "must complete" date? What options would I have if a contractor decided to just stop working part way through the job?

Thanks.

[txgolfer130]

YOU tell them what the timeline is, not the other way around. Being realistic, if they need more time, they can tell you WHY and then you can either hire or not hire them. YOU ARE THE BOSS, not them.

[dallasdean]

Do you mind me asking what year the house was built?

I agree with you, that you should have a deadline in the contract. Many contractors will give you one. Very interesting that they won't.

[Grainraiser]

Giving them draws during construction phase is very good advice. I would also add you should get lien waivers from the subcontractors. This will protect you and your property. I worked for a construction department with a major bank and trust me when I say you can save yourself a whole lot of headaches.

[loves2read]

Have you gotten references for past projects the three did and called them--found out when they were worked and how big a project and if it was done timely??Maybe even looked at their work?

If you haven't -- you should
would ask for at least 3 names/phones for each one for similar projects (multi-day, money)--one from at least two years in past to check for longevity of quality

We had a remodeling project that grew in time and expense because we decided to change certain features during the middle of the project (and our contractor was gracious enough to let us which delayed future job for him)
and because our contractor found some problems not anticipated--like termite damage in master bath that required more extensive repair work before installing a new shower...

he also split his crew's time between our job and a couple of others when he could without harming either one--that allowed him to keep all his crew working and pay them w/o asking for larger draws from us...Some smaller contractors work on pretty think cash flow/profit margins--
we were flexible with ours--and he in turn had people working Saturdays or Sundays at times on our project

IF we had known from the beginning about both factors our contractor could have planned how to do the work quicker and smoother--
He was great contractor--not the fastest guy around but he was thorough and wanted to do the job right--which meant more to us than speed--
but we were not living in the house during the work either--

he gave us a fairly specific bid for different aspects of the job--
separated out the tasks like tile flooring into materials/labor with an estimate for time and also by rooms--like what was being done in master bath, dining room, kitchen...
even things like the trash hauling were listed

we had thought initially that because we planned to put the house up for sale after work was done we would go with minimal revisions but that is difficult to do when you have new/old in the same room--
juxtaposition makes old very apparent and very unattractive...

Sometimes contractors don't want to give you deadlines because they know honestly that something as simple as having two guys out with the flu for two days can set your project back a week and sometimes they don't want to be specific about deadlines because they know they will be juggling working two jobs and will need some give/take in time line

One delay in our project came with bad weather which prevented our contractor from installing new windows and reworking a wood deck and our second floor balcony--

So I would suggest
that you really think about what you want done and make sure that you do have your gameplan in order
that you have the estimates specify specific materials' cost and labor--if they don't already--and that you KNOW exactly what you will use ahead of time--not just something like
ORB kitchen faucet or 2-bowl undermount sink--
those are just too vague to fly

Lot of the time on our project came when I changed our minds about materials and had to choose other products--like upgrading the bath counters to granite vs new faux marble

Our contractor also allowed me to provide some materials (via Internet orders even) which saved me money, gave me air miles, and he let me use his discount at certain suppliers w/o markup on materials--and pay direct to the source vs having him buy/install and charge price based on markup
that alone saved me quite bit of money with things like the flooring tile

the liens is something we did not worry about but I know there can be issues with that and especially if you have not worked with any of these companies before it would not hurt to get liens from each one of the subs working the job
at least that way you KNOW who they are if there are problems after the fact