The Most Common Complaints Between Homeowners and Contractors

When you make the decision to remodel any aspect of your home, it is a joyous yet nervous time. On one hand, you will have the bathroom or kitchen of your dreams. On the other hand, the process to get it is frustrating and time consuming. At Bay Cities Construction we understand that, and that is why we go above and beyond to make sure everything is done thoroughly while keeping an open line of communication with our customers.

Many of the customers we meet with for the first time, have had a negative experience with outside contractors either from past work done or from a friends horror story. A couple of the most common complaints that we encounter are:

• “The project took too long”
• “My house and yard were a mess”
• “So many hidden costs”
• “They never call me back”
• “I was not given a schedule”
• “I ended up managing the project myself”

Issues with the general contractor
While the above lists some pretty serious complaints, according to a survey of 913 homeowners conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, there are four complaints that blow the above out of the water.

1. Failing to show up
2. Not taking the time to do the job right
3. Not listening to or understanding requests
4. Leaving a mess

Choosing the wrong contractor can be infuriating, however with the right contractor, you may never have the issues listed above. Sure, they may cost slightly more than the other guy you interviewed, but in the end, it should be about the experience and the quality, not solely about the budget.

Issues with the homeowner
However, homeowners are not the only ones with complaints. According to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, contractors have some serious pet peeves too. One, people forget that a remodeling site is not a playground. Do not let your kids and pets roam around in the construction area. Also, homeowners call at all hours of the night. While it’s important to have an open line of communication between you and the contractor, it is not ok to call at unreasonable hours. Just like you have a family and may not want to be disturbed at 10PM; your contractor may also has a family and doesn’t want to be disturbed at 10PM (unless it’s an emergency).

Keeping the peace
So how do you keep the peace between general contractor and homeowner? Miscommunication and mismatched expectations are the cause of most of the problems. Don't underestimate the importance of a good relationship. Before starting any work, establish guidelines for:

• Hours of work
• Cleanliness of the job site, which bathroom can be used
• Whom to contact when an immediate answer is needed.

Once the work gets under way, keep in touch with each other every day.

• E-mail maintains a paper trail so no one forgets anything. Be sure to avoid after-hour calls.
• Create a dedicated folder for the project to track the correspondence.

Last but not least, speak up as soon as you have a problem or concern. The longer you wait, the more expensive it may be to fix.