The situation: You’ve decided to go ahead with your new commercial build or fit out and you’ve commissioned plans by a designer that you love. But you still haven’t found the builder to turn these plans into a reality.
How do you make sure you find the right builder for the job? While there are plenty of commercial builders out there, it's essential that you take time to carefully pick one who you can be confident will deliver your project on time, within budget and most importantly, to your exact design specifications.
Read on to find out what questions you should ask when hiring a commercial builder.
1. What’s your experience in commercial building?
The building industry may be large, but commercial building is a unique niche that requires a builder with experience and expertise. You wouldn’t, for instance, want to work with someone who has only worked on residential homes and has no knowledge of what is required of a commercial build.
Make sure the builder you choose has a track record of commercial building projects. You can get a sense of their experience by checking their social media profiles and exploring past projects on their website. Here you’ll also be able to read testimonials, which will give you a sense of what the builder is like to work with.
2. What kind of tender will you be delivering?
When hiring a builder for a commercial build – which involves many different investors and stakeholders - it’s important to work with someone who is honest, transparent and will provide you with all the information you need upfront.
The tender should be extremely detailed and provide information on inclusions, exclusions and clarifications. The tender should also be returned by the specific close date, if a builder can not make good on providing the document to you on time, then you might expect that the building work will also be delayed.
3. How can I track the progress of my build?
A quality commercial builder will understand that you’re busy running a business and that you will require consistent communication and easily accessible information. Ideally, they will provide regular updates of your build through their cloud based project management system, emails and images and will be proactive about scheduling interactive on-site visits should you wish to see the progress for yourself.
4. How will you ensure the build is completed by the deadline?
When it comes to a commercial build, deadlines are everything. Not only do deadlines need to be adhered to due to cost reasons, but also because building delays can cause significant upheaval to your business opening timeline.
Make sure you query your builder’s scheduling and expertise in managing programmes, so you can feel confident that your project will be delivered on time and within budget.
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Looking for an experienced commercial builder who can be trusted to deliver your project on budget and within your deadline? Get in touch with Ozzbuild today.