Choosing a contractor
 

Thanks for all the generosity and well wishes to me and my family on the "my house burned downed tonite" thread. It has been crazy busy and I have not had time to properly thank everyone. I will give it a go soon.

I am currently taking bids for the reconstruction project and am agonizing over choosing a contractor for the job. We hit our policy limit for insurance (meaning there is a certain amount of money available with a cap in place, a generous amount) so there is no squabbling over the amount provided by insurance. This removes one of the contractors selling points (I can get you more money from the ins. if you choose me) and creates a fairly level playing field.

I've got bids from large companies and small. Any thoughts or experiences on this process would be helpful.

Thanks in advance,

Scott

I'm a home-builder/developer in NJ.

I would suggest you sell your lot, add insurance money and buy a new house. Seriously. It's a buyer's market, you can put this behind you and get on with life sooner.

Are there any homes in your neighborhood for sale comparable to your old home for sale?

Ask if you can see any past work and if you can talk to past clients. Good Luck.

I would have to agree. Unless that location has some special pull for you and the family, just move. You can have a home again in no time.

I have never personally had a house built, but I know several people that went through it. They all swear never again.

Of course that does not answer your question. I can't help you there.

1. Check your state's licensing board for any history of reprimands, violations, etc.
2. Consult an architect (yes, that sounds self-serving, but it's a small world and many of them can make impartial recommendations on your behalf - there may be a small fee associated with this or not). At risk of sounding self-serving, this really IS your best resource other than personal word-of-mouth endorsements or evaluations.
3. Angie's List - good resource

Good luck to you!

References! A #1.

(I'm a contractor in NJ. We dont require licences here, just have to be registered with DCA. Unfortunately that leaves the door open to alot of hacks.)

Plus I also echo all of Jeffs reccomendations.

A major home rebuild is way different than a small remodeling job. There are many trades involved. You need to know who your GC is using.

Then the problem becomes selling his damaged home...

There will be no damaged home once the bulldozers are finished.

He will be selling an empty lot.

Im dont know the extent of the damage, but its real easy to tell someone else to tear down their "building" and move on. That is more than just a "structure" to someone. That is their home. Where they grew up, raised their family, played with their kids out in the yard. etc, etc... Lots of memories in that "structure".

Just be careful with the architects... Don't let them have too much rope when it comes time to start the construction..... Seen plenty of jobs around here screwed over by architects.....

the architect generally does not control the start time for construction.
If someone told you that, it probably was told to them by the contractor (who was really the one at fault) trying to cover his azz & not look like the dufus.
Usually an architect can save you several times their fee by heading off problems that contractors, or owner/builders create

+1!

You have it backwards... bet you heard that from a contractor trying to cover his rear. Architect is not part of the Owner/Contractor agreement.

I also think he should look hard at buying another house, clearing the lot and selling it.

I know someone that 'rebuilt' their home. They sold and moved anyway, the kids couldn't sleep, had nightmares reliving the fire. I didn't suggest it off the cuff. Sometimes it is better to start with a clean slate. It's also going to be 9-12 more months of upheaval, before life can get back to normal.

From a financial point of view, a contractor is not going to work with slim margins on someone else's lot. The payment schedule is going to be front loaded, the owner has a risk of the contractor not finishing the job. And construction loans are harder to get than std mortgages.

No, direct experience... The architect screwed the building owner by specing signage that didn't make sense.... then he turned around and screwed us(the sign guys) by not including what we asked for in the building specs... It was just one piece of steel bracing...

Well dad911 you have made some excellent points, darnit, and gave me one more thing to consider. The varied responses on this thread illustrate the varied problems that I've got on my plate.
Wish I had a crystal ball.

starting fresh is an excellent idea, an adventure making another house a new home as a family. take advantage of this opportunity.

In many places, you will have to disclose that the house burned, even if it's just the footers left. How much that affects resale, I don't know, but I would think twice about it if I were buying it.

And you will sell it one day.

Find out how big is his crew, and how many projects he has going. Go and visit them and see if there's anyone working there. Ask to see the last 10 projects and try and talk to the owners of the properties, not only from the list he gave you. Talk to the salesmen at the lumber yard where he purchase materials and see if he pays his bills on time. Does he use lots of sub contractors? I use subs all the time and have a small crew of 3 that can do everything, but they mainly do finish work and cabinet making.

How extensive is the fire damage?

I would buy another house and if you can swing it, remodel the original home at a later date and sell it and make a profit. Again that depends on how badly damaged is the home.

Jeff

If I hired 1 contractor, I've hired 10,000.

Best reference is their subtrades. If the subtrades like working for them and they pay their bills your about 98% good to go. Get a list of trades they work with as referrences.

.... and save yourself some money, hire a draftsman not an architect. :)