Finding a reputable Georgia construction contractor requires doing your homework so that you don’t get stuck with an incompetent or unethical one.

Tips to Hire a Contractor

• Start by checking with those you know, including site inspectors, for contractor recommendations. Also consider companies you’ve done business with before who you were satisfied with. This usually yields the best work at a good price.
• Interview each perspective Georgia construction contractor by phone and ask for references — both to suppliers, and current and past customers. Then call each of the references to find out if the contractor is reliable, how contractor’s crew treats the job site and if the contractor does good work that will hold up over time. Also check with your local Better Business Bureau and your state’s attorney general’s office to make sure no complaints have been filed against the contractor.
• Meet with at least three of the contractors. Meeting in person will allow you to gauge how well you communicate with the contractor and will give the contractor a chance to inspect the job site in person. Communication is the key to a good working relationship with the construction contractor, so don’t leave this step to someone else.
• Ask for bids from at least three of the contractors that you’ve met with. The bid should include specifics of the exact work to be done, a list of all materials including prices and quantities, labor and product costs, and a timetable for the work to be completed. However, do not automatically accept the lowest bid. Remember, you get what you pay for and sometimes the lowest bid isn’t always the best.
• While waiting for the bids to arrive, visit current job sites for the potential contractors to see how each works and to give you an idea of the professionalism of the crew. Also, check with your Secretary of State’s office to see if the contractor is licensed, and carries the proper permits and workman’s comp insurance. A Georgia construction contractor must pass a test with the State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors.
• Once you’ve chosen the contractor that best meets your needs, sign a detailed contract that spells out exactly what will be done, when it will be done including start and end dates, specific materials and costs, a payment schedule, proof of liability insurance and worker’s comp payments, and a requirement for lien releases. This will protect you from all liens from subcontractors and suppliers if the construction contractor fails to pay his bills.
• Never agree to pay for the entire project upfront. Typically, the payment schedule for construction contractors is 10 percent when the contract is signed followed by three payments of 25 percent each spaced out evenly while the work is being done. After these are made, a final payment of 15 percent when the work is finished and completed to your satisfaction.

For a reputable Georgia contractor, contact Alexander Contracting Co., Inc. The third-generation, Columbus, Georgia company provides residential, commercial, industrial, government and institutional clients in West Central Georgia and East Central Alabama with site development and infrastructure services. Projects range in size from $100,000 up to $500 million.

Previous work includes:

• Earthwork such as clearing sites, grading and erosion control.
• Underground utilities including building storm and sanitary sewer systems as well as water systems.
• Street construction including sub-grade preparation, base course, paving, and striping and signage.
• Concrete work, including curbs and gutters, commercial driveways, and concrete paving.

Alexander Contracting also works on state and federal projects involving new and existing roads as well providing budgeting and value engineering for design and building projects.

General contractors play a large role in the construction process. Generally, a general contractor is one who is able to work in many different aspects of the construction process, such as painting, roofing, or remodeling. The difference between a general contractor and other contractors is that the other contractors are usually trained to work in one specific field, such as roofs and paint. A general contractor can work on all of them in the same job. This is usually done by hiring out sub contractors, which the general contractor takes care of.

Your part of the process is simply meeting with the general contractor and discussing what needs to be done in the project. The general contractor will then decide who to hire to complete each job, and manage them from that point on. There may be a larger team than usual working on your project, but the project manager will be in charge of managing them so you won’t have to. If you are looking for a general contractor in Columbus, Georgia for your project, Alexander Contracting is best in the area!

Choosing the right contractor can be a daunting task for anyone. When you have a job that requires the skills of a construction company in Georgia, it is necessary that they come with references, previous work experience, insurance and a good track record. It is important that you shop around for that perfect contractor who is both affordable and does good work as well as having experience in the job you need done. You do not want to be stuck with a construction company who will charge you an outrageous amount of money for a job that does not get done right; if the job is not done right the first time, you will be stuck paying another construction company to do the same job over again until it is finally done right. It is much easier and less stressful for you to just shop around and hire the right contractor first.

Check References

First thing you need to do when you begin the process of finding a Georgia Construction Company is to verify any references they give you. Some questions you may want to ask when calling the references is what kind of job the contractor did, how dependable they were, for instance, did they show up every day and work all day or did they show up when they wanted and put in only a couple hours a day. Also ask how satisfied they were with the work of the construction company and even ask to see pictures of the work they completed. All of these questions are perfectly fine to ask a reference as long as you do not get too personal, such as asking them for their address to come look at the job the contractor did; pictures should work just fine.

Social networking sites are another great reference that people use to get the word out about work they have received. If a person likes a Georgia contractor, they may say so on various websites, but if they do not like it, they are much more likely to post bad reviews about that contractor. Perform an internet search for the name of the construction company, followed by Georgia to ensure the results given are in fact for the contractor you are looking at. Once the results come up, scroll through and look for any type of review given by a private party. You may also call the better business bureau in Georgia and inquire if there have been any complaints about the contractor.

Types of Work

In addition to checking references for dependability and quality of work, you must also verify the construction company in Georgia has done the type of job you need done before. If you require a new garage to be built out of wood products, but the construction company has only built steel buildings, they may do excellent work, at an affordable price, but they may not be experienced enough to do the job you need done. Once again, ask for previous work experiences including jobs similar to yours that they have done before to determine they are in fact experienced in the type of job you require.

It is also a good idea for you to go through and determine the exact specifications of the building and price out the materials on your own before you contact a construction company in Georgia to ensure you are getting a fair price on the materials. Most construction companies receive a discount on their materials so the amount they charge you should be either the same as the price you were quoted or less.

Shop Around

There is nothing wrong with making Georgia construction companies fight for your business. The best practice is to choose three different companies, get an estimate from each one, then go through the reference check process. This will give you more choices and options allowing you a better chance of hiring the perfect construction company in Georgia the first time instead of requiring the services of another company in the future to fix the job that the first contractor didn’t do right.