When constructing your home, it may be hard for you to picture anything going wrong. While staying positive is important for you to do, it’s advisable to hope for the best but prepare for the worst so that in the rare case that it happens, you will be ready. Here’s what you should do if your home construction does not go according to plan.
Know When to Fire Your Contractor
While it’s important to allow your contractor room to do their job, it’s important to know when things start to get out of control. Rather than wait for things to escalate to levels from which it may be hard to recover, you should know when to call it quits. It’s important for you to keep in mind the fact that when you fire them, they might take you to court. Because of this, you must be able to prove that there was a breach of contract so that you don’t end up paying a settlement and incurring more charges after undergoing the cost of a failed home construction.
Ensure Milestones Are Clear
This is something that you need to do from the very start of your project. Keep in mind facts such as that in 2020, 33% of new single-family contractor-built homes took between four and six months to be completed, according to the United States Census Bureau. Knowing such facts and figures can make it easier for you to know when timelines are not reasonable. Whenever you start to feel as if things are not going according to plan, it’s a good idea to re-establish the milestones so that you are sure that you are on the same page with your contractor. Put everything you discuss in writing to make sure that there’s a clear reference in case one is needed.
Amend the Contract
While things may sometimes take on a new path that wasn’t planned, it’s important to know that you can always amend the contract. Doing this can help you to clarify anything that might have been unclear and allows your contractor a chance to fix things. Refer to this contract on a regular basis and use it as a guide for the project so that things never go too far beyond the limit of what is acceptable. Something like the roof, which, according to Zillow, should be inspected at least one time a year, should be covered completely by the contract that you write to ensure that you are not left with pending issues when everything is done. You will save yourself from undergoing additional expenses at a time when you don’t need to.
Hire an Attorney
Finally, if things have already gotten to a point of no return and you stand to lose a lot, consider hiring an attorney. Remember that your contractor may also hire an attorney and do your best not to be caught at a disadvantage. In the fiscal year of 2016, a mere 11% of appealed civil cases were reversed, according to the Judicial Council of California’s 2017 Court Statistics Report. This may serve to show you that getting a good attorney to help you could make the difference between receiving some relief for home construction that didn’t go according to plan and losing your money.
Keep these suggestions in mind if you need to work on a home construction project in case things go wrong. When you know what to do, it could save you valuable time and minimize the stress you undergo while helping you to avoid losing large sums of your money.