Attention Builders: What makes a good client?

[JManteca]

I know there are quite a few builders out there.

My wife and I want to be the best clients we can be for our potential PB. We are talking to a couple of them now, but have not yet selected one. This is our first time through this process and I want to avoid making any rookie mistakes (as much as possible). Any advice is appreciated. Would love to hear some "do's and don'ts."

 

[duraleigh]

Year after year, we see buider/owner disputes brought to this forum. Over and over there is a lack of communication between the two parties that results in unnecessary anguish and tumult.

So what is the best thing an owner can do to be a good business participant? Communicate. Don't let concerns fester.....communicate. Openly address issues....don't hide from your builder.
Don't let your builder hide from you....drag him into the conversation.

These ideas are simply good practice but a lot of people don't use it and many come to this forum looking for input/sympathy/validation when simple communication with their builder could have prevented the problem from ever developing.

 

[ckk81]

Year after year, we see buider/owner disputes brought to this forum. Over and over there is a lack of communication between the two parties that results in unnecessary anguish and tumult.

So what is the best thing an owner can do to be a good business participant? Communicate. Don't let concerns fester.....communicate. Openly address issues....don't hide from your builder.
Don't let your builder hide from you....drag him into the conversation.

These ideas are simply good practice but a lot of people don't use it and many come to this forum looking for input/sympathy/validation when simple communication with their builder could have prevented the problem from ever developing.

Spot on communication, and communicate specifications and changes in WRITTEN FORM YOU BOTH SIGN. It can seem obnoxious to some, but it will save large headaches.

 

[Ryan_PNW]

I am new to the forum, but am an Engineer/Construction Manager and my lecture to clients and possible ones is that the #1 key to a good project is the relationship between the Owner and the Consultant or Contractor. If you feel comfortable with the communication protocol with your PB then you will have a much better project experience.

Just ask them "Who will be our project manager?" "How long will they take to return calls or e-mails on average" etc. Most contractors are pretty busy guys and 95% of the reason that they/we don't call back instantly is because they have their mind on another task. Further, contractors are visual in nature. Learn to use a couple of basic computer programs i.e. turn a jpg into a pdf that you can mark up and e-mail it to the PB. It is a lot easier to resolve an issue or price a change that way. Plus it allows the contractor to see the problem when they are at their office and have more tools available to help you.

From our perspective it is immensely helpful to get a picture with a few mark ups compared to a phone message that says "I want to change the drain line location about 2 feet". The response is ultimately faster when we can think about it instead of agreeing off the cuff.