Search any trade on Google in your area and up pops hundreds of results – a lot of the time, none of which are companies you have ever heard the name of. How do you know who will get your job done the quickest, cheapest and at the best quality? There is a lot of trust that goes into paying a construction company you have never heard of large amounts of money to work on your home or land. This is why it is important to be 100% sure that you are happy with your choice before you sign anything or hand any money over. Our recommendation would be to speak to atleast three different companies and ask them all the same questions. Taking note of each of their answers will help you decide who sounds the best for your project. We have made a step by step guide of the things to remember when searching for a company.
The initial search
Google will be a good indicator of who are the most popular construction companies currently. The results that show up on the first page of Google are there for a reason – Google, along with other people who search for the same thing you have just searched for like their website! Have a browse through the companies on the first page of your search to find who you will call or email for further information. Also; check their Facebook and other social media for any recent updates, photos, comments – just anything that gives an indication of them doing the things that you would expect from them if they were working for you.
What to look for on their website
Good testimonials
Testimonials are a great way for companies to show off how happy they have made their past customers. It is also a great way for you to decide whether they are the one for you. Most companies will have both a testimonial page and a page with images of some past work they have completed. It is important to look at both – keeping in mind what you are wanting.
Well thought out website
Good spelling You may ask “what does spelling have to do with a tradesman being good at his job?” The reasoning behind this is that if they don’t put effort and time into their blurb on their website – can you trust that they will put in the effort and time into doing your job well? This could be argued the other way that their time and effort is being spent on making their work better – but this is just our opinion. A highly organised and professional company will have website copy that makes sense, has good spelling and proper grammar. This doesn’t mean that it needs to be something that would win any awards – because we know our writing definitely wouldn’t! It just needs to make sense and sound professional. Nicely set out website The same thought process was used with this as the spelling. A company that really strives will put effort into every aspect of their business. Again – this could be completely wrong in some circumstances, but it is something to think about when searching through the many choices for your project. The extras This is something we have recently put much more effort into. We believe helping others is a win/win situation for a company. For example – our blogs; you get information that could potentially be quite helpful to you either now or at some point in the future, and we attract more people to our website. Putting this aside, a business that puts the effort and time into doing these extra things – doesn’t have to be blogs, it could be giving to charity, helping out at events, anything! Just something that shows that the company really is interested in benefiting their potential customers or the community. These are a few of the things we believe we would like to see in a company that is going to do work for us. You may have more or less requirements and that is fine! It is all about finding the company that is best for you.
Ask the important questions
- How long have you been operating? Has it always been the same owner as right now? If not, when did the change occur? When companies change owners – things can change. So if there are no testimonials etc since the ownership change, tread carefully!
- What type of insurance do you have? This is a legal requirement, and very important. So if they don’t have either or are not sure – this isn’t a good sign!
- How much will my job cost? You want to get a exact quote that is particularly for your project. Ask about additional costs and have them agree (or tell you otherwise) that this is the final price.
- What materials will you use? Why are these the best for my project? In construction, the materials that are used are very important. We can say this is definitely so important in roofing!
- Have a clear understanding of all of the details. What is going to happen during the job? How long will each part of the job take? Who will be arriving and when? What preparation needs to be done? As we mentioned already, what materials will be used? Also already mentioned – the cost.
This may seem like a lot of questions – but don’t worry! The person who you will be asking these should know the answers and be happy to tell you. It is their job after all.
Analyse your experience so far
Prompt responses
Did they call you back within a reasonable time frame? How long did your quote take to complete?
Easy to deal with
Were they polite and professional in dealing with you on the phone or over email? Were they happy to make small changes or suggestions to cater to your needs?
Answers
Were they answers what you wanted to hear? Do they sound like they will do exactly what you have in mind? After going through these steps – you should feel ready to commit to at least one of the companies you have spoken to. These experiences will usually translate into the further work that you have done with a company – so the first impression is an important one! Now this blog is not a definite answer for every single situation – it is just some tips from us. These are the things we thing are important and we are just giving you some things to think about during your search. We wanted to make this blog as general as possible – because you don’t need to be getting a roof or patio built for these things to be important. Next week we will be talking all about DIY (with many more planned for the future), so check up regularly on our website and Facebook to see our updates.
