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The majority of contractors I have worked with have been great. There are however more than a few bad apples out there, and they can give the whole industry a bad name. Some contractors are just incompetent, and a few are borderline criminal. It’s definitely a tough job, but it’s also tough for my clients to find a good builder they can trust.

A number of years ago, I was working on a residential project. The owner hired a contractor, and the project was not going well; It was way behind schedule, communication was poor, neighbours were complaining about excessive noise, and the site looked like a Worksafe BC nightmare, with garbage, materials, and tools strewn everywhere.

The owner asked me to set up a meeting on site to discuss it all. The arranged meeting time came and went with no sign of the contractor; we were about to leave when he finally pulled up. As I walked over to the truck, he rolled down the window and clouds of pot smoke wafted out. Let’s just say the meeting did not go well: He was fired and a new guy was hired who successfully saw the project through to completion. This is so bad that it is almost funny, but the homeowner certainly did not see any humour in the situation.

Here are some questions to consider when hiring a contractor (I’m going to use the ‘he’ pronoun, as the majority of contractors are male although the whole construction industry could really use more women):

· Does he have a good reputation? Ask around, you’d be surprised how much you can find out talking to other builders, subtrades, building inspectors, architects, and property owners. Spend some time on due diligence—it will pay its way.

· Is he a member of industry organizations and keep up to date on changing codes, materials, and methods of construction? Things change constantly, and what worked 10 years ago may be hopelessly outdated now.

· Does he have a long term outlook? Shady builders tend to be short term oriented, lurching from one project to the next, often with desperate cash flow. And sometimes it is your cash that is used to finish off the last project (or purchase that new boat).

· Is he a good communicator? Getting buildings done is very much a team sport and communication is very, very important. A good contractor manages the communication to ensure that everything keeps moving along efficiently. He will keep the team updated and in the loop. And any good contractor will drop everything to speak with the person paying for the project.

· Does he give you realistic advice and recommendations from the get-go? Absurd promises on schedule or budget are red flags. Aggressive requests for upfront deposits are another red flag. Yet another is working with no written agreement in place.

· Would you feel comfortable inviting him over for dinner? If not, maybe you don’t want to spend the coming months or years dealing with him. Construction never, ever goes exactly according to plan, and you need to be comfortable working through all kinds of challenges and conflicts as it progresses.

For property owners: good luck in your search for the right contractor!

To all the good contractors out there: thank you and keep up the good work!