A lot of home building and renovation problems can be eased by having a good relationship and communication with your home builder. Building a home is a stressful time but to make the project as easy as possible follow these etiquette tips.
Respect work hours
The usually 9-5 work hours don’t always apply for home building. Ask for their hours, and give them yours, and respect those. Don’t go calling or texting them at 2 am. Respect their effort to maintain a world life balance. Anything you want to say or ask out of those times should be emailed.
Stop designing
There comes a point in a project when you have to stop designing. You’ll drive yourself crazy by trying to fit every idea you see on Pinterest andInstagram. You won’t be happy with anything your home builder does if you're constantly looking for something new.
Get everything in writing
For the sake of making everything run smoother get everything in writing. Project lists, budget, and warranty should all written down and agreed upon. This prevents potential misunderstandings between you and your home builder later on.
Communicate with visits
Some sites recommend you drop by the job site at random to make sure people are working. While there is merit in this, dropping by unannounced to a job site can be dangerous. There are physical dangers as well as the potential that you could be disrupting a timeline. Feel free to drive by but make arrangements to stop by for a full tour.
Expect delays
You can hire the most experienced, well-organized home builder and there will still be delays. From material delivery deadlines to weather disruptions, delays are to be expected. It can be frustrating but it’s important to not take this out on your home builder. Chances are it wasn’t his fault and that it’s out of their hands.
Don’t take your stress out on them
Building a home is an incredibly stressful undertaking. It puts a strain on your life. However, it’s important not to take this stress out on your home builder. A good working attitude with them will likely result in better quality work.
Be on the same page
If you are going into this project with a significant other make sure you two are one the same page. It might even be helpful to designate one person as the main point of contact, preferably the one that is most available for calls. Mistakes and miscommunication happen when you and your partner start telling your home builder different things.
Set reasonable response expectations
It can be frustrating when you need to know a question about certain room dimensions but your home builder doesn’t message you back right away. We get it certain things are time sensitive. But understand that your home builder is doing their job, they can’t respond to you right away always. They should respond to time sensitive questions or concerns but for general inquiries, it isn’t unreasonable to wait a day or two.
Tipping and gifts are nice but not necessary
We live in a tipping culture but it isn’t always necessary for home builders. There’s no set percentage. Some people give gifts, money, or throw an end of project parties. If you have a good relationship with them and appreciate their work you can express that. However, tipping and gifts are not required. You should always leave reviews and testimonies for home builders you liked though.
Contact a Custom Home Builder today to begin building your dream home.
