Greetings expats community.
The best advices that I can give you when you quote a house are:
1. Don’t look at the lowest price, there is a reason why are low.
2. Get references from other contractors and clients so you can make your final choice
I am in the construction business and I can tell you many stories about that:
• Contractors that deliver but charge twice as much as other contractors and give you an average quality.
• Contractors that are good and reliable and do deliver in the expected time.
• Contractors that make the lowest bid so you go with them and half way thru they say that they need more money to finish.
• Contractors that are good and have never had problems with anyone but because of one job did not fulfill the client needs got bad reputation.
• The weather or a situation out of his hands delayed the project.
And the list goes on.
Another way to make sure that everything is alright during construction is to hire a resident architect that works for you as the project manager. A resident architect is above the contractor’s foreman and his role would be of your middleman between the contractor and you. He would be your eyes on site so you know everything is in place and he would save time and money for you in decision making process and gives you a professional opinion and what looks best in terms of esthetic. The prices of a resident architect that works as a project manager depends on the size and type of project you are going to build and the payment would be a salary type method.
I wish that you find a good use of these tips and wish you all the best in your dream house project.
Regards
Architect Rommel Troetsch