The time has finally come to add luxurious space to your Kennebunk home. Whether you desire a small bump-out, or you’re considering a more substantial addition to make room for children and grandchildren, key choices need to be made. The right builder offers seasoned experience, skills, and specialized knowledge that produces lasting quality you’ll appreciate.
What should you look for when hiring a trusted home addition contractor in Kennebunk, ME? Read on to find out.
Checklist for Choosing the Right Home Addition Builder
Start your search for the right builder by following these essential steps—which make it easier to ensure you get top results from your home addition.
1. Create Your Wish List
Before you reach out to builders, it’s important to take time to think about the specific details of what you want to achieve with the additional space. If you don’t know how to describe or illustrate the features you desire in your home renovation, it will be difficult for a contractor to bring your dream to fruition. Make notes, take photos of homes you love, create Pinterest boards—whatever it takes to help a builder catch your vision.
2. Vet Your Contractor by Asking Questions
Not getting to know your contractor before getting into a relationship with them can lead to disaster. Treat reaching out to a potential contractor for a home project like you would a first date. You want to ask the right questions to determine if this relationship has a future. Some good questions to ask would be:
- How many years have you been in business?
- What other similar projects have you completed?
- Are you properly insured?
- How much does your insurance cover for damages and personal liability?
- How do you handle warranty complaints?
- When would you be able to start my project?
3. Take Your Time
Again, like dating with an end goal of marriage in mind, the company you choose is the most important part of any successful home building project. Take your time. Don’t rush into things with your emotions leading the way. It is your home addition. It is your time and money, so do your due diligence and make sure you do a full search to find the right builder for you.
4. Be Clear About Your Budget
Expressing upfront in no uncertain terms how much you’re willing and able to pay for the job is fair to everyone involved. A trustworthy builder will let you know if the project can be done for that amount, or how the addition or build out can be modified based on your budget. At the very least, they will be able to explain to you in detail how much more it will cost and exactly why, with no surprises at the end.
5. Choose Quality of Work over Lowest Bid
Another key element in finding the right contractor is to understand that, at best, a low bid for a project normally means low quality. At worst, it means you’ve got a contractor who cuts corners and doesn’t do the job ethically or safely, or just outright doesn’t do the job and may be looking for their next target to take advantage of. So, consider reputation and recommendations carefully—and choose a builder that focuses on quality and is dedicated to top-notch craftsmanship that will stand the tests of time.
6. Educate Yourself
It’s never a good idea to hire a company without first doing your best to educate yourself on your home addition project. Yes, you’re looking for someone to complete the job for you, but you’ll need to speak the language as much as you can along the way. As you vet a potential remodeler, whether the discussion is about local building codes, requirements, or regulations, the more research you’ve done to understand the process, the easier it is to spot someone who doesn’t actually know what they’re doing.
7. Meet In Person
So much business these days is perfectly fine being done online. But finding the right renovation team isn’t one of them. A website can give you a lot of great information, but it still won’t tell you everything. Meeting in real life is the only way you’ll know for sure you’ll have easy communication with your potential builder. Being able to look in their eyes and have a conversation with them can tell you a lot more than simply browsing their online presence.
8. Look for a Local Remodeling Company with a Great Reputation
As you continue your research, make sure you’re choosing a local company that understands how to work well with Kennebunk homeowners.
- Get estimates from several contractors.
- Do background checks.
- Look for reviews and referrals.
- Get everything in writing.
- Understand your right to cancel.
Trustworthy, top-of-the-line builders believe in these processes as much as clients do, because they help ensure the project is successfully completed. When you’re delighted, their reputation is enhanced—and great companies know and value that it’s a team effort—them and you!
9. Leverage the Value of a Design-Builder
A design-builder is a company that does both architectural planning and construction of your addition. Because the design team and building team are both in-house, clients get plans that fit their budget and goals, with fewer delays.
Create the Space Your Home Needs with Auld Building Company
When you’re ready for a luxurious addition, you deserve to know you’re putting your property in the hands of a company that cares about your home and values you as a client. At Auld Building Company, we believe you should have a home you love. That’s why we dedicate ourselves to creating additions that are excellently built to fit your dreams.
We take the time to get to know you and your needs, craft a well-designed plan, and complete your project with care, so you can relax and enjoy your upgraded home for years to come.
Learn more about our home additions, and let us know how we can help you get the fresh, spacious feel you desire.