Why Hire a Contractor?

If you watch HGTV or any of those Home Improvement shows on TV, you may wonder “Why should I hire a contractor?” Well, here are a few reasons why…… 

1. Warranty. Do you want the option of being able to call someone if anything goes wrong during or after the construction? With Foster, you can feel at ease to know that Foster Remodeling Solutions will be there whatever the issue, whenever it might occur and do whatever it takes to remedy the situation. Click here for our 5-Year Warranty Information. 

2. Communication barrier. Like any profession, the building industry has its own vocabulary, communication method and process. Unless you are knowledgeable of the field, understand the construction process and what the specific project involves, you will be in over your head. We know who to and how to and when to communicate with the various subcontractors, vendors, distributors and city officials. We will take care of all this for you. 

3. Major time-commitment. There are a lot of behind-the-scenes organization, paperwork and phone calls that need to be made before and during a project. If you are unfamiliar with the construction industry, managing the project will become your full-time job and there will be a steep learning curve. If you are already employed, it will be very difficult to do both jobs well. Passing on these duties will simplify your life and allow you to go about your normal life. 

4. Headaches. In theory, scheduling and project coordination sound like relatively easy tasks, but not so. There are many trades that need to be involved in a moderately-sized project, and they all need to be scheduled, timed, organized, synchronized and managed. Inspectors and subcontractors go on vacation or may be unavailable at a desired time. Frustrations occur when materials get back-ordered, discontinued, shipped incorrectly, arrive damaged or incomplete, have special handling requirements or need to be picked-up. This is what we are here for, let us organize the subs to you can rest easy. 

5. Established relationship with subcontractors. It takes a General Contractor several years to develop and maintain a circle of trusted tradesmen. We know several professionals in each trade and will be able to best match the subcontractor to your project. You will benefit from our knowledge of the industry, years of experience and local contacts. When a homeowner hires a sub himself, there are risks for both parties. For the homeowner, there are potentially higher project costs, longer construction time, sporadic work by subs and having an unknown and untested person work in the home. As the project is just a one-time event, the homeowner is not as important as a GC to a sub because there is no promise of repeat business or multiple jobs. Subs will often charge a little more when dealing directly with a homeowner because of the time needed to educate and manage the homeowner. For the tradesman, there are the risks of not being paid by the homeowner on the agreed upon price or even on time, working for someone who may not have a good understanding of the construction process, and not have a defined scope, schedule, budget or materials list. 

6. Insurance. General contractors and their subs are licensed, bonded and insured. As such, they, the homeowner and the project are protected if injury, theft, vandalism or late or nonpayment should occur. These issues are not so straightforward when a homeowner acts as their own GC, and a homeowner’s policy alone does not provide full coverage during construction. 

7. Permit process. At Foster, we design your projects for you. After the Design is accepted, we will navigate the plans through permitting on your behalf. We are knowledgeable about the local codes and regulations and can ease homeowners through the process. We also coordinate with the city for all inspections. With the current economic cutbacks, city departments everywhere are operating with a lean staff and wait times are considerable, further adding to the frustration.

8. The go-between. When things are not done right, need to be reworked or just go awry, the GC can soften the blow to the subcontractors or to the homeowner. The GC will be able to look the larger picture and do what’s best for all parties in a professional manner that is more impartial and reasonable. 

Remember we are your advocate during the construction process. We will act on your behalf to ensure that the project goes smoothly. And that was something in which we were willing to invest. At Foster Remodeling Solutions, Inc.“Our Process Makes it Perfect.”