Is it finally time to build your dream pole barn or steel building to start a new business? To store your equipment? To house your farm animals? Whatever the reason, hiring a contractor is going to be the first step on your list of things to do. This is not a decision that should be taken lightly. You will only get the highest-quality work, best customer service, and most affordable price by doing your research. Below are the major factors you should consider when shopping around for a pole barn or steel building contractor.
Are you hiring a contractor who is licensed, insured, and bonded?
When interviewing different pole barn and steel building contractors, one of your first inquiries should be whether or not they are licensed, insured, and bonded. You might be thinking, “It’s not that big of a deal. None of those nightmare contractor stories will happen to me.” Well, that is exactly what was thought by everyone who has had to endure those nightmare scenarios when they hired an unqualified contractor.
Why Hiring a Licensed Contractor is Important
To be licensed means that the pole barn or steel building contractor strives to run a legitimate business. It costs money and takes time to earn a license from a state licensing agency. Additionally, a contractor could lose their license if too many complaints are lodged against them. This provides incentive to the contractor to follow building codes, pull permits, and produce quality work.
Why Hiring an Insured Contractor is Important
There are two types of insurance a pole barn or steel building contractor should have: liability and workers’ compensation. Liability insurance will pay for damage to your property caused by their workers or equipment. Workers’ compensation insurance steps in to pay for medical bills and lost wages a contractor’s worker could incur if he becomes injured on the job.
If an accident were to happen, causing damage either to your property or one of their employees, and your contractor does not have insurance, you would be expected to pay for those costs yourself.
Why Hiring a Bonded Contractor is Important
A pole barn or steel building contractor is bonded when they have gone the extra mile to pay for a surety bond. In the unfortunate event that the company is unable to finish your project, or they otherwise violate your contract, the surety bond would provide payment for another contractor to come and finish or fix the job.
What would former customers say about the contractor?
Checking online reviews for your pole barn or steel building contractor of choice is easy enough, but make sure you check all of the major review websites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook. One or two poor reviews might be forgivable, but if they have loads of reviews with an average of three stars or less, turn your attention elsewhere.
If you really want to do your due diligence, you should ask a potential contractor for references. They might have to call a few former customers to ask if they would be willing to talk to you on the phone. Have some questions ready to go that encapsulate your biggest worries about hiring someone. For example, “Was this contractor good at communicating with you?” “Was the project finished on schedule?” or “Did they stay within your budget?”
How are you going to pay for it?
When all the research is done, you have shaken hands, and you feel good about your chosen contractor, it is time to get that project funded. There are a few ways to go about this, but you won’t be able to beat the speed and convenience of getting a personal pole barn or steel building loan through HFS Financial.
Unlike a home equity loan, getting a personal loan does not require a home appraisal. Therefore, the whole process can be completed much faster. Another benefit of letting HFS Financial find your loan is that we do not do stage funding. Your pole barn or steel building will be financed well, so there will be no delays due to lack of funding.
Are you hiring a contractor with the right documentation?
As the saying goes, “If it’s not documented, it didn’t happen.” Make sure you receive the following items from your pole barn or steel building contractor and keep them in a safe place.
Contract
This is the most important document you should get, and it should include multiple parts:
- Scope of work — Specifies details about the project and what exactly the contractor is responsible for.
- Cost estimates — Itemized list of hard costs (materials and labor) and soft costs (things other than materials and labor) that should be expected.
- Payment paperwork — Information about project stages and payment.
- Work schedule — A timeline estimate broken down into project phases.
Blueprints or Renderings
It’s hard to really visualize what the final product will look like if the contractor does not take the time to draw it up. This way, you can make changes before they build something you don’t like and it’s too late. This will also help the contractor to catch design mistakes they may have missed.
Copies of Licenses and Insurances
A pole barn or steel building contractor can tell you they are licensed, insured, and bonded, but it doesn’t mean much until you have copies of their proof. You’ll then have their license number and be able to verify they are in good standing with your state’s licensing board.
There you have it, our best advice on how to hire the right pole barn or steel building contractor for you. But that’s not all we have to offer. HFS Financial is here to help find the perfect project loan at great rates. Our application is so simple that it only takes 60 seconds, and you will be contacted by one of our loan experts shortly with your options. Then, the funding process is ultra-fast, which will allow the contractor to start construction as soon as possible. It can’t get better than that. Remember, at HFS Financial, “You Dream It, We Finance It!”