Finding the perfect general contractor for your home renovation or building project is not easy. In fact, the process of finding the right Seattle home builder to take on your project is just as important as the project itself.

The right contractor will not only have an impact on the overall price of your job, but it will also have a direct impact on how well the job is done, how long it takes, and how the finished product positively impacts the value of your home.

All that being said, the process of finding the right contractor for you can be made a whole lot easier if you know the right questions to ask and the right considerations to make throughout the process. Knowing the answers to important questions early on can make the entire job far easier.

So, here are the 10 most crucial questions to ask as you are interviewing different contractors who may be able to take responsibility over your job.

1. 1. Ask them about the structure of their business

Make sure that you have enough information regarding the way that a specific contractor runs his or her business. Try to learn as much as possible about the company’s structure, how many people are involved, and more.

This information will absolutely help you as you continue to try to whittle away at companies in the Seattle area that may be right for you and your job.

1. 1. Ask them about the prior experience they had had

In the world of home building, it really can be all about experience. You want to make sure that the company and contractor you bring on to build or renovate your home knows exactly what he or she is doing. In fact, it is a great idea to specifically target contract workers who specialize in the work that you need done.

Due to the nature of contractor work, it is likely that many will tell you they are very comfortable with the work you need done even if they haven’t done much work like it in the past. For that reason, don’t just take their work for it. Ask them to show you examples of similar work they have done before. That way, you can judge for yourself

1. 1. Ask them about managing their work schedule and meeting deadlines

One of the most important questions to ask a contractor is how they handle their schedules from job to job. If the company is a big one, there is a large chance that they have multiple jobs going at one time. That means that they will have to successfully manage that time to make sure that your job does not end up running behind schedule.

While you should always give your team approximately 6 more weeks than the original time estimate is, you can enter dangerous territory if it takes much longer than that. That is especially true if your project has to be done before the turn of the season.

For that reason, make sure that they know how to manage their time and the time of their workers from start to finish.

1. 1. Ask for a detailed timeline

While we’re on the topic of time management, it is also important to ask your contractor for a timeline for the work that you need done to be done. That way, you can make sure to arrange details around the product, and also compare timelines that different contractors give you.

1. 1. Ask who the point person is on your project

Make sure that you know who the point person will be on your project from start to finish. The reason you need that information is so that you can ask questions or address any issues that arise during the process. Having a point person on your project will not only help ease your mind as things start to get complicated, it is also a great way to streamline and simplify the communication process from start to finish.

1. 1. Ask about who will be overlooking the site day-to-day

Knowing who is going to be working on site and how it will be overseen and supervised is of the utmost importance. You also need to make sure that anyone who is going to be present on your site is going to be properly accounted for and covered in terms of payroll, licensing, liability insurance, etc.

1. 1. Make sure to ask questions that could break the deal

If you have some deal-breakers when it comes to how the contractor you want to hire operates, make sure to air them out and get the answers you need. Whether it’s about the kind of people they hire, how much they pay their employees, what kind of material they use, and more. Just make sure you get the answers you need before the job begins so that you don’t have the rehaul in the middle of the overall project.

1. 1. Ask how they have settled disputes in the past

Make sure that you and the contractor you are interested in working with come up with a dispute resolution place before you break ground on any project. Even if you never need to use (which hopefully you won’t), it is good to develop a well-constructed contract that both sides agree on to protect both sides from costly potential disagreements.

1. 1. Ask them how much money you should put down

Before you decide to put down a certain amount, make sure that you have taken the workload and costs into account. If you are concerned about coming up with the right amount of money to put down, consider doing some valuable research about how much certain projects cost and how much they cost specifically in Seattle to get done.

1. 1. Ask to put the agreement in writing

Once you have found the contractor that is right for you, you should make sure that all the factors of the job, the timeline, the price, and more is put into writing. There must be a clear and objective approach to the requirements of the deal. Once that contract is signed, you can feel comfortable letting your contractor get to work