Questions to Ask When Interviewing General Contractors??

Find out if permits will be required, and if so WHO is responsible for getting them.
Don't just ask if they have references, GET PHONE NUMBERS of past clients, if the contractor is on the up and up he will have no problem letting you see previous jobs.
Signed contract, both parties, OVERAGES must be approved, he can't just come to work and say "I needed more nails than I thought..." and charge you for them.

Make sure you know what is in each contractors price. Prices can vary greatly but one contractor may use 2x6 construction which will allow for much greater insulation versus another contractor who uses 2x4 construction and the bear minimum of insulation. The quality of windows varies greatly too so be aware of what materials each contractor is using. I would also want to know how much work the general contractor is doing versus subcontracting it out. I am very careful about who I allow in my home. For example, if you order carpet from Lowes or HD you really have no idea who will come to your house. I prefer to work with a carpet store who hires and trains their own employees to do the work. Good Luck!

Hi, my name is John. I am answering on my wife's account here as she mentioned this question that has been posed. We own a carpenter/general contracting company in Downers Grove. I have been in the remodeling industry for nearly 25 years and have worked my way up from a laborer to master carpenter to cabinet builder to production manager and now owner. I hope my comments can help you in your contractor selection.
First and foremost is never be hesitant to ask a question. All questions are important. If the contractor is worth their while they will realize that while they do this work every day, you do not. They should have absolutely so qualms about answering a question.
Second, talk to friends, family, work associates, any aquaintances who have had work done. In our industry, referrals truly are the best leads we can get.
When talking to the contractors, find out if they are licensed in your town. They may not be but do not be discouraged by that. It is a simple trip to your village hall for them. A form and a check and they are licensed to work in your town. This is where it is due diligence on a homeowners part to decipher the good from that bad as it IS only a form to get the license. Inurance is the next part. We need to carry both general liabilty (generally $2,000,000 coverage) and workman's comp. Copies of both should be readily available for you.
The next you should be looking for is a company which is lead paint trained and certified by the EPA. The new lead paint law enacted in 2010 requires firms to be certified to be able to work around lead paint. Any home built prior to 1978 is subject to this rule. We are required to produce a specific pamphlet to you prior to work commencing and must take exacting steps of home and site protection to work around lead based paint. Again, certification forms should be readily available to you.
If you have an architect you are working with then a general contractor is what you would be looking for. If you do not have an architect, firms like our which is a design/build can furnish you with all you need. Your basic one stop shop for lack of a better term.
By definition the general contractor will bring all you need for your project to the table. Demolition, concrete (if needed), framing, electric, plumbing, hvac, insulation, drywall, flooring, tile, trim, cabinetry, countertops, etc. Discuss all of these aspects with them. Any hesitations to answer should be noted.
You should be very comfortable with the contractor you ultimately choose. This company will essentially become your housemate for whatever the duration of the project is. You will need to be able to discuss things with them about the project openly and frankly. YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE FINAL PRODUCT! Do not be rigidly demanding but work with the contractor and they will work with you. There will always be a few bumps in the road so how they are handled will set the tone for the project.
I noticed some comments about overages and extras. When I create my proposals for projects I type out in detail all which will be done so that if there is a question during the project it can easily be referred back to and see whether it was included. Prior to contract signing each line is gone through thoroughly so the homeowner is completely aware of all aspects. I am this thorough so that if an extra or change order comes up, it will happen because of pre-existing conditions in the house which could not be foreseen prior to demolition or a homeowner comes to me and tells me they have decided to add some work. I never want to go to a homeowner under any other conditions as it makes me look as though I did not do my job correctly. Upon that, all extras/change orders are to be agreed upon prior to execution of the change order. Work should be spelled out and cost agreed upon. Time and material agreements should only be considered if the contractor gives you an approximate time for completion of the change order. It may go over but it may be less.
Project duration: This is always a difficult aspect. By rule, I give a general schedule for work to be done. Example: your project will be 6-8 weeks. That is the usual time for completion of project A. Conditions sometimes cause these to go over but a good contractor will anticipate this and discuss with you when he sees things heading toward a longer time.
One final thing which some people do not often think about: find out what type of work they actually do. With the economy as it is there are carpenters looking for work anywhere they can get it. New home contruction carpenters start to fill the remodeling community and trouble can happen. A remodeling carpenter can be a new home carpenter but the reverse is not generally true. A new home carpenter is working with a clean canvas. All being plumb, level, and square. A remodeling carpenter needs to know how to tie in new with old. If you are putting an addition on your home, that carpenter needs to be able to build a plumb, level, and square addition and tie it onto your home which has settled and is generally none of the above. He needs to make the ties in seemless, almost if the addition was original to the house, if that is the look you are going for.
Find out from the contractor what inspections your village requires. Generally they are concrete, electric, plumbing, hvac, framing, insulation, and then finals. He should be able to produce a sheet form the village with what is required. Ask for copies of all inspection sheets at the end of the project for you records.
At the end of the project, require the contractor to produce lien waivers from all suppliers and sub-contractors. That is your only way of protection against one of them putting a lien on your home for non-payment by the contractor.
Do not be worried by a contractor who may use a carpenter sub-contractor crew. Having them will actually keep a contractor's pricing down as the carpenters are not on his staff. To protect yourself though, ask how long they have been doing work for the contractor, their history together. This will also be proven through referrals.
I hope this information was helpful to you. Please feel free to contact my wife through here if you have any other questions that we can help you with. She will give you our business contact info.

John

Before the process starts - if you are starting to feel overwhelmed, ask questions to bring clarity. If a GC explains something and it isn't making sense to you, either keep asking to understand it, or realize if he/she can't explain something clearly to you before, then it won't be good during the middle of the project.

If you are starting to feel overwhelmed, step back, take a deep breath, and leave it alone for a bit.

You'll know when you've found the right GC for you. It should feel comfortable, for lack of a better term.

Ask questions to know what work, if any, the GC will do himself/herself. Understanding who will be in your house is very important. Does he have regular people he uses and knows? Or does he rotate based on a price factor.

Let the GC know what is important to you. Floor swept every day? Tools put away to children don't play with them? Not waking you up before 7:30am? Using your bathroom and not a tree outside (I saw that one morning when my neighbors garage was being rebuilt).

Good luck. If you are living in your home during an extensive remodel, the best thing you can have is a lot of patience, and a creative mind to problem solve when the unexpected happens.

Since you said, this is a "massive renovation" on your home. I assume, you have an Architect?????

If you have an Architect... they typically have, their own team of Contractors/a company they use/subcontractors etc.
AND they... get the Permitting, for you.
That is their, job.
AND the blueprints of course.

As Jim At Home Dad said... "overages" HAS TO BE factored into a bid.
Some bid low. BUT.. that means, any overages, will cost you. More. And they know this. Versus a GC that will maybe bid higher, BUT they factor in, appropriately, any overages. So, a bid is not just a bid... based on who is lower than the other.
Bear in mind, that overages, costs... overall, more on a project. AND it cannot be avoided totally... because on any job/construction, there will be overages as the job goes along and any unexpected situations that comes up... as they are demo'ing your home etc. Or the existing structure, has inherent problems with it, which they need to correct etc.

With any massive renovation... an Architect is needed. Because, they know structurally, and design wise, what you want and they do the blueprints/elevations/electrical/lighting/plumbing specifications per the plans/designs.
"Specifications" on a job/job site... is important and a layperson cannot do this succinctly. You would not know, from the ground up, what is needed on a job site per the renovations, unless you also have, construction background.
AND or, you may need an Interior Designer... unless the Architectural firm has one as well. Some Architects do interior design as well or have an in-house, interior designer. This is different, from an Interior 'decorator.'
EACH trade, has a specific, purpose. And knowledge.
Contractors/sub-sontractors, will, do installation and fabrication, or their Sub's will.

And as Jim At Home Dad said... SIGNED contracts.
Make sure all involved/the company you use, is insured and bonded.
Get references as well.

EACH trade as I said, has a specific purpose.
There is the GC, who is overseeing everything. And they coordinate the Subs. And is your point person. They are like a Project Manager. He/She then has a team that does the work. Sub-Contractors, are anyone in the trades, such as Electrical or Plumbing, Installers, Fabricators, concrete, Excavators, etc. that are needed on the job to complete it. They have to be, licensed ALL of them.

I have to agree with Jim At Home Dad...the only thing I would add is to make sure they are licensed and insured. Ask for a copy of both and call to verify that their insurance isn't canceled, ask for a Certificate of Insurance. Make sure the insurance will cover any damage to your home (under General Liability) and any injuries to the contractor (Workmans comp, if they have helpers). In the state of Maryland you do not have to have workmans comp as a subcontractor so, I would look into what the laws are to safe guard yourself. I work for a contractor and I can't tell you how many times a subcontractor gets insurance just for the paper and then cancels it. Make sure you STRESS that you want a total cost break down with overages added. Keep in mind if it is a large reno that there are always hidden things that arise. I would suggest getting phone numbers from past jobs and asking about not only their work but how clean they were while installing XYZ and their professionalism. Good luck!

Hi- My husband is a licensed architect and general contractor with over 20 years of experience in and around Chicago. He can a see a project from concept to completion, the client benefits from having the architect’s design expertise and the builder’s knowledge of cost together at the design table. His website is www.brianfryzeldesignbuild.com - you can check out some of his work, his contact information is on his site as well.
In any event- good luck!

I highly recommend jls construction co. www.jlsconstruction.org,
You can see some pictures of their work on their website....good people!

I wish I had asked this question when we had our bathroom done. I interviewed several contractors and the one I hired was in the medium priced range, however I didn't know that his quote didn't include any materials. After reviewing all the other bids, they had the materials included in their price, not mine. Costly mistake :(

Check with your county about permits first, if you needed one and didn't have it you have a whole lot of trouble. I would also make sure they are licensed and insured. In PA electricians do not have to be licensed so you can get some knuckle head with some wires saying he is an electrician. Check for references, just asking for phones numbers doesn't really help. They could have all their friends and family lie for them. I would recommend Angie's List they will charge a fee, but it is so worth it in the long run.
Also go over your budget with your chosen contractor and remember that sometimes poop happens and the cost can go over. When you start to pull your house apart there can be unforeseen problems. This is all part of remodeling. My hubby and I own a few rentals and have done work on all of them. I have to say you never know what you may find behind a wall.