Thinking of hiring a contractor? A remodeling pro gives 11 tips on finding the right contractor and ensuring there are no surprises with your next project.

Everyone has heard the expression, “You get what you pay for.” This saying is never more relevant than when you’re planning a home improvement or remodeling project that involves hiring a contractor. Going by price alone increases the risk of project failure and can lead to higher costs down the road.

With the proper planning and a knowledgeable contractor, you can be assured of a job well done at a reasonable cost. Remember that home improvement or remodeling can be a fun experience for both you and your family. You should always choose the contractor you feel most comfortable working with.

Here are 11 tips to get the most out of your contractor and next home improvement project:

1. Connect with your contractor

The right person for the job will be easy to talk to. Make sure you see eye to eye by hiring a contractor that understands your goals and has experience in the type of job you are looking for. Communication is key for all projects, so insist on regular contact by email, phone or text messages. Allow the work crew to manage their day-to-day work, but set up a weekly face-to-face update from the foreman.

2. Understand that price reflects quality

Ask your contractor for his or her recommendations on how the project should take place. In the long run, is it worth cutting corners for a temporary fix? The lowest bid is not always the best. Request a written description of the materials necessary for the job. A low bid may indicate that a contractor uses sub-par materials or is desperate for work. The more accurate bid is likely somewhere in the middle.

3. Know a contractor’s credentials

Before you hire a contractor, be sure you understand their qualifications, including any certifications they have from national trade organizations. (Angie’s List/Eldon Lindsay)

Abbreviations behind your contractor’s name can represent certifications from national trade organizations. These indicate that the company belongs to certain organizations that bind them to a strict code of ethics. Such memberships, titles and abbreviations include certified graduate remodeler (CGR), certified aging in place specialist (CAPS), local Building Industry Association membership (BIA) and National Association of Home Builders membership (NAHB).  Also, insist on hiring a licensed, bonded and insured contractor. This is a must. Otherwise, as the property owner you are liable if a member of the work crew gets injured on the job.

4. Get your home improvement contract in writing

Your contract should include: detailed time frames, the total cost, payment arrangements, your contractor’s license number, project description, names of parties involved and how to handle additional costs if necessary. Be cautious; if you are not given a timeline for the job to be completed, this may indicate the contractor has several current jobs and may not complete your job in a timely manner. Keep track of all-important information as well by keeping job-related documents such as contracts, payments and receipts in one place.  Record key contact information for everyone working on your project.

5. Be upfront about your home improvement budget

If necessary, break the project down into multiple phases. Although this may increase the total cost due to repetitious start-up expenses and inflation, it may also be a better option for you to spread out the cost over time. Homeowners can often save money by doing somel tasks on their own, such as cleaning and painting.

6. Educate yourself about home improvement requirements

Know what permits are required and what regulations need to be followed for your remodeling project. Your contractor or architect should be responsible for applying for and acquiring all necessary permits. Don’t be passive, however; ask for information. Know what’s going on behind the scenes. The cost of the job will increase if the contractor is surprised by outdated wiring or other concealed budget busters.

7. Be prepared for home renovation

Before a job begins, make sure your home is prepared. That includes having an area where workers can store their tools, and sealing the site’s entry point. (Angie’s List/Eldon Lindsay)

•  Select your colors and finishes before the painter arrives to save time.

•  Review sample materials to make sure you are happy with them.

•  Don’t forget to make space for the crew. Allow them to keep their supplies and equipment on site. The more organized and accessible these items are, the faster they will be able to do their work.

Try to avoid any potential loss. Remove any valuables or easily damaged items from the work site.

•  Prevent dust accumulation by sealing the entry point with plastic sheeting and blue painter’s tape.

•  Finally, have a “go-to-guy.” Pick someone to be the key contact between the contractor and the family. This will help keep communication clean and clear to avoid confusion.

8. Wait to start demolition

Begin demolition only after the new equipment and supplies have arrived, including windows, doors, appliances or any other essential items.

9. Be courteous of your neighbors during your renovation

Inform the work crew where your property lines are located to prevent materials from being placed in the wrong area.

10. Keep your eye on the renovation prize

Although the project will be disruptive, don’t forget that the end result will be worth it.

11. Ensure things are complete before signing off on the renovation

Schedule a final walkthrough. Meet with your contractor and make note of any tasks that need to be completed. Be sure to request an affidavit of final release or lien wavier. Once the job is complete and the final payment is made, this clears you of any liability for third-party claims.

DIY home building has become more popular than ever, and it can be surprisingly affordable, especially if you already have land to build on. HomeLight checked out some of the top options in do-it-yourself home construction, from building a tiny house on your own to getting contractor help for the big-ticket items but finishing the details on your own. We also spoke with experienced brokers and real estate agents to get their take on the best ways to build a house yourself.

Shell homes

For buyers who don’t want to deal with issues such as putting in a foundation or framing, hiring a contractor to put up a shell can speed up the building process while still leaving you the opportunity to do the bulk of the work yourself. The contractor comes in and puts in the foundation, frames the house, and then leaves the rest to you.

Veteran real estate agent Sandi Van Camp, who is based out of New York State and has more than 19 years’ experience in the industry, says that buyers who enlist a contractor to have a shell home built should keep in mind that all zoning regulations that contractors must adhere to still apply to buyers working on their own house. “You will still be required to have a zoning inspector sign off on the work,” she says.

“So while it’s certainly something you can do, some contractors are leery of building shell homes because if a buyer isn’t qualified to do the work, it could compromise the work the builder has already done.”

The cost for a shell home can vary widely by square footage and region, as well as by the number of subcontractors you might need to hire.

Broker Mary Stewart, who is based near Houston and has nearly 40 years of experience in the real estate industry, says that building your own home can be a viable choice for those seeking an affordable way to own their own house. “While I’ve worked primarily with buyers who hire contractors for a home build, there are options for those seeking to do everything themselves,” she says.

Stewart suggests that if a buyer really wants to purchase a shell home, they should consider going smaller. “One option is to go through a company that delivers small shell homes,” she says.

Stewart’s partner, Kevin Chrisman, is a sales rep for Derksen Portable Buildings. The company offers 16-by-40-foot shell buildings for purchase, delivered to your property. They can then be finished out by the company, or you can finish it yourself.

“Prices start at about $16,000,” says Chrisman, “and it is literally just a shell. You add interior walls, sheetrock, electrical, plumbing. Cost to finish it out ranges from about $75 to $80 per square foot, depending on your floor plan and design.” Chrisman says that while shell buildings like the one he offers aren’t considered traditional houses, if you live within the city limits, you’ll still need to adhere to zoning and code restrictions.

If you decide to go with a shell home, you’ll need to already own the land you want to build on, and you’ll also need to make sure that the property you buy or lease allows this type of building. You’ll also need all the proper tools for doing the work yourself.

Container homes

Homes made from shipping containers are increasingly popular these days, and with good reason. With an average price of $3,000 to $5,000, they can be one of the most affordable housing options on the market, especially if you are able to do most of the finish work yourself.

Many cargo facilities keep a backstock of containers that they can no longer use, and there are several online resources for container purchases. You have the option to purchase refrigerated containers, which are insulated, or regular containers, which you’d need to insulate yourself. Containers can also be easily combined, going from the standard 8-by-40-foot container to a full-sized home, all at a fraction of the cost of a traditional build.

For DIY builders who want to purchase a container home, you’ll first want to make sure you have land and space for it prior to purchase, and figure out the logistics of getting the container delivered to your property. While most states now allow container homes, double check your own state and county for any potential restrictions.

You can do the interior framing and finish work yourself, or hire subcontractors, which is still less expensive than building a house from the ground up. One way that container homes differ from traditional homes is that they tend to be very tight, with minimal ventilation, so plan to invest in a ventilation exchange system.  

Florida resident and container homeowner/builder Troy Rosslow runs the Tiny House Lab, which provides information and resources on container homes, as well as workshops on both container homes and tiny homes. “Container homes can be built relatively quickly,” he says. “I built my first one in just a few months.”

Affordable price tag aside, a big benefit of container homes is that they are a very “green” product and can help reduce your carbon footprint. “They are becoming increasingly disposable,” says Rosslow. “There are more than 23 million containers sitting in ports and yards around the world, and it’s less expensive for companies to purchase new ones as opposed to melting down or refurbishing the old ones.”

Tiny homes

The tiny home movement doesn’t appear to be slowing down, and if you already own a piece of land, building your own tiny house is an affordable way to create a space to call your own. Tiny homes can range in price from a few thousand dollars to more than $100,000, depending on what kind of home you want to build.

There are myriad online sites that offer plans for tiny houses, complete with supply lists and the costs of various finishes and custom work. Some people build their tiny homes directly onto trailers, making them more portable, or you can put in a foundation and build a permanent structure.

“Tiny homes can be a good choice for some people,” says Stewart, “Especially if you’re the type of person who likes to be outdoors a lot and doesn’t need much inside space.”

Stewart says that while traditional mortgage financing isn’t usually available for tiny homes, buyers can consider consumer loans if they need to finance their purchase. “Most people pay out-of-pocket,” she says. “And companies like Derksen do offer financing, but interest rates do tend to be higher.”

If you decide to go tiny, make sure you have your building plan sorted out before you start, in addition to all the supplies and tools needed. And for those builders wanting to put their tiny home on a trailer, be sure to get a trailer that is specifically made for tiny houses; otherwise, you’ll end up with problems with the building flexing and potentially getting damaged every time you move it.

Home kits

With DIY home kits, your new home is delivered directly to your door, ready for assembly.

A kit home can be a good choice if you aren’t quite sure about how to gather everything you might need to build on your own, or you just want to be able to construct your new home quickly. Prices vary depending on the size of the home, but they generally cost at least 20% less than traditional builds with a contractor, sometimes much less if you’re able to do all the work yourself.

Kits can be purchased from builders, many of whom offer custom planning and a wide range of sizes, or even from online retailers like Amazon. The price range fits just about any budget, as well, with some kits available to purchase for under $10,000.

Construction can be completed fairly quickly, with some builders getting the home up in a matter of weeks as opposed to the months-long timeline of traditional builds.

If a home kit sounds appealing, be sure to thoroughly research what the kit you purchase includes, as plans between kits can vary greatly. Some kits do not include a foundation or roof materials, so you will want to verify everything that’s included in a kit before buying it. If you aren’t experienced with things like plumbing or electrical, you’ll also need to factor in additional costs for subcontractors, as well as making sure your kit home meets any zoning requirements in your area.

No matter what route you decide on for building your own home, you’re likely to spend a lot less than if you purchased an existing house or hired a contractor to build for you. A DIY home means you can build within your budget, customize the house to fit your lifestyle, and have the satisfaction of knowing that you put in the work yourself. “There are so many variables,” adds Van Camp. “It really just depends on what you want and what you can afford.”

Header Image Source: (Trong Nguyen / Shutterstock)

Yet new-construction homes have an undeniable allure. A new house can be designed exactly for your needs. It comes with few, if any, hidden problems. Hazardous materials such as lead-based paint and asbestos are non-existent. New advantages are built into the house, and old problems are left out. So, it’s no surprise that most people would choose to build their own home rather than buy an old home if all other factors were the same.

Should You Act as Your Own Contractor?

When you decide to build your own home, it is generally best to do so through a licensed general contractor.

Many states do allow homeowners to act as a contractor for their own home. With this arrangement, you become what is frequently termed an owner-builder. In order to contract out for a large-scale project such as a house (rather than an outbuilding or small, lower-cost building), you need to apply for an owner-builder exemption and to sign the building permit application yourself.

Yet very few people are qualified to act as their own general contractor (GC). Building a house requires you to pull together many strings and make sure that they coordinate in myriad ways. Projects and subcontractors have to be scheduled in the correct order, interspersed with numerous municipal inspections. You’ll need to know the building code. Plus, it helps immensely to have a network of subcontractors who you rely on to perform trustworthy work.

The person that does all of that is a general contractor. No general contractor overseeing home construction comes cheap. Most general contractors charge between 10-percent to 20-percent of the overall cost of the home build, and this includes permits and materials. It’s a fee that most amateur home-builders find well worthwhile, especially if they have any tried-and-failed experience at general contracting.

Save Money With Sweat Equity

If you are intent on pitching in with your house-build, there is one way to do it: sweat equity in the form of smaller, individual projects.

Late-stage, post-contract projects can be done by the homeowner rather than by the contractor. These late-stage projects are better for do-it-yourself work because you do not risk slowing down the house building project:

• Building patios and walkways
• Planting trees, shrubs, and grass
• Painting the house exterior
• Painting the house interior
• Installing window treatments
• Installing carpeting
• Finishing the basement

First, it’s time to get situated—literally and figuratively. Not only are you getting your project straight in your mind and on paper, but you are siting your intended home on its intended spot.

• Clear the building site of brush and other debris, down to ground level and at least 25 feet around the planned house perimeter.
• A surveyor stakes out the lot, based on original plot drawings that indicate the property boundaries.
• Make alterations to the site’s topography if necessary to alter the water flow across the site: This often requires a contractor with earth-moving equipment.
• Order a roll-off dumpster to handle refuse during the building project.
• Order one or more portable toilets for the workers.
• Order temporary utilities from the power company.
• Hire an electrician to hook up a temporary electrical panel, which is usually mounted on an existing utility pole.

Pour Concrete Footings and Foundation

The building site takes shape with the excavation and installation of foundations and slabs. This work is done by excavation contractors and foundation specialists—an entirely different group of contractors than the carpentry crews that will soon be on-site.

Footings and foundation comprise a large part of your entire house building cost. This means that large payment draws happen soon after the project begins.

1. The contractor digs trenches that are deep enough for frost footings. Foundations need to rest below your area’s expected frost line to prevent frost-heave, which can damage your home.
2. Inspectors arrive to check the dimensions of footing trenches.
3. The contractor pours concrete for footings.
4. Footing drains are constructed, and these are designed to drain water away from the footers and to protect them.
5. The contractor builds vertical foundations walls resting on the footings, using either poured concrete or concrete cinder blocks. Other types of foundations are sometimes used, though they are rare.
6. The foundation is waterproofed all the way up to the finished grade level. Holes are created in the foundation wall to allow for the routing of water supply and drain lines.

Install Plumbing and Electrical

If you are laying a slab-type foundation, you will bring in plumbers and electricians to rough-in ​some of the services prior to pouring that concrete slab:

• Pipes are laid by plumbers, and these pipes are later covered up.
• If electrical lines will run through the concrete slab via metal conduits, now is the time for these conduits to be run.

Pour the Concrete Slab

1. For a house slab, the contractor will first install slab foam board insulation.
2. A 4-inch minimum gravel base goes over the foam board, forming the base for the concrete.
3. A plastic vapor barrier comes next.
4. Wire mesh reinforcement is next laid down and positioned, so it is raised slightly above grade. This will allow the reinforcement to sit in the middle of the concrete layer, where it will offer the most strength reinforcement.
5. The contractor now pours the concrete slab, likely from ready-mix trucks that deliver a large quantity of concrete.
6. If you are building a garage or basement, this is also the time to pour concrete in those places. It is expensive to bring the concrete contractor back for another pour, so it is beneficial to do all of your concrete work at once.

Frame, Side, and Roof the House

With the excavation, foundation, and concrete work done, soon you will start to recognize your project as a house. The framing carpenters will arrive to put up the lumber framework for the floors, walls, and ceilings, and then move to the sheathing, siding, and roofing installation. This work can happen with remarkable swiftness. In the space of a week or two, you may suddenly recognize this structure as being a house, complete with walls and a roof.

1. Work up a framing order of needed lumber, nails, builder’s felt or house wrap, and adhesives, based on your building plans.
2. When good weather arrives, the carpenter crew arrives to frame the house walls, including the floor, ceiling, and roof skeleton: Framing is the basic shell of the house, minus siding and roof surface. The rough openings for windows, doors, and skylights will be framed at this time. The basic sheathing of the wall and roof surfaces concludes this stage.
3. Install the windows, doors, and skylights: Usually, this will be done by the same carpentry crew that did the framing, though sometimes a manufacturer’s crew will come in to do this work. It is also a job some homeowners can tackle. At this point, when the building is sheathed, and doors and windows are installed, the subcontractors doing the electrical and plumbing work may now arrive to begin the rough-in portion of their job.
4. The finished siding surface is now installed over the sheathing after the house sheathing is first wrapped with some form of weather guard membrane: Again, this work is often done by the same contractor who did the framing and sheathing.
5. Finally, the roofers come in to complete the application of roof flashings and the shingles or other finished roof surfaces: The basic shell of the house is now completed.

Install Electrical, Plumbing, and Insulation

Now the interior work on your house begins with the arrival of masons, electricians, plumbers, and HVAC specialists.

1. Masons build the chimney if your home is designed to have one. This generally involves the application of brick or stone veneer over a base of concrete block that was laid by the foundation contractor.
2. Electricians and plumbers do the rough-in work for electrical circuits, plumbing pipes, and HVAC system ductwork. This work is easier without the wall, flooring, and ceiling surfaces in place. After completion, these contractors will return after the walls and ceilings are in place, to complete the final connections of various fixtures.
3. Inspections are made of rough-ins. Arranging for permits and inspections are handled by the contractor. If you are tackling this work yourself, the responsibility for inspections falls on you.
4. Install the insulation in the walls and attic. This is sometimes done by the carpentry crew but usually by a specialty insulation contractor.

Hang Drywall and Install Trim

The interior will begin to look finished as wall and ceiling surfaces are installed.

1. Drywall is hung throughout the house: All of the wall and ceiling surfaces are usually hung before any further work continues.
2. The drywall seams are taped, mudded with joint compound, and finish sanded.
3. All interior walls and ceilings are primed: This is often done with spraying equipment and happens very quickly, as there is no need to worry about trim moldings and floor surfaces.
4. All trim moldings are installed, including door and window casings and crown moldings.
5. All cabinetry is hung in bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas.

Paint the Walls and Perform Finish Work

After the messy work of installing the drywall and priming the walls is done, it is time to bring in the painter.

1. Walls are painted and ceilings are either painted or finished with texture. These are jobs that homeowners can tackle themselves to save money. But for homeowners accustomed only to painting a room or two, keep in mind that painting an entire house is an enormous task.
2. The kitchen and bathroom countertops are installed. This job is done by countertop specialists who both fabricate and install the countertops.
3. The kitchen and bathroom cabinets are installed. Specialty companies supply and install kitchen and bath cabinets.
4. Installation and hook-up of finished electrical and plumbing fixtures are done: Due to the fact that there are code issues involved here, only the most skilled do-it-yourselfers should tackle this.

Install the Flooring

Lay down the finish flooring (or floor covering) surfaces throughout the house. Floor covering options include carpeting, hardwood, laminate flooring, ceramic tile, luxury vinyl plank, and engineered wood flooring. This is usually a job for yet another subcontractor, though homeowners can tackle the installation of some sections of the flooring.

Clean up the worksite by putting all acceptable debris into the dumpster. The contractor will hire a company that specializes in cleaning up after construction work.

Final Home-Building Matters

1. Complete exterior landscaping. To save money, this can be a do-it-yourself project. Or you can hire your own landscaping company to design and install a stylish landscape for you.
2. Remove the dumpster: Call the disposal company to pick up the dumpster and specify that you do not need a replacement.
3. Arrange for final inspections by the permitting agencies.
4. Schedule a final walk-through if you are using a general contractor.
5. Arrange a final inspection by your lender, if you financed the building of your house with a construction loan.