Friday I had an inspection where my client was just interested in knowing if the contractors hired to install siding and roofing did a good job.  What stands out about this job was that the work was completed over 2 years ago and she was having ongoing problems with water entry and call backs.  The contractors responsible were giving her endless explanations of what the problems where and why the current fix would correct the problem and she had no idea if what they were telling her was correct.  This probably sounds familiar if you have had problems contracted repairs on your house.  In this case I was hired because client was just trying to get to the bottom of the problem, get it documented, and get the list of problem to the correct people in order to see about repairs.  In our discussion my client made a comment she wished she had hired me during the repairs to insure that the work was being completed properly.  She was unaware that we provide those services.  We have been providing this type of consulting services for years yet it seems they are seldom taken advantage today in the age of rising prices and the desire to cut costs until after there are problems.  Hiring a consultant to help you in completing normal maintenance work may seem unnecessary when you are considering the work but you may wonder why you didn’t spend the extra money when you have problems.  The cost of hiring a consultant is normally reasonable compared with the aggravation of arguing with a contractor while a problem persists.

The best time to consider hiring a consultant is before a job is started.  This will allow your consultant time to work with you to setup documentation to specify what work will be performed and how it should be completed.  At a minimum you should consider having a consultant familiar with the project and your property review bid proposals to insure that the proposed work is of good quality, addresses your problems, and that the proposal documents can used to enforce the quality of work while it is in progress.  Further any agreements to pay for the work completed should be based upon an assurance of quality work from your consultant.

Depending upon the scope of the work and type of work being proposed specifications may appear a significant cost added to the already expensive prospect of replacing a roof, siding a house, or repairing structural defects; however, they typically are reasonable compare to the problems you can run into without them and they can save you a significant amount of aggravation by making enforcement of quality much easier.  In some cases you can work with your contractor and materials supplies to obtain a basic specification for work that is agreeable to all parties.  Some suppliers such as shingle manufacturers, paint manufactures, siding manufactures, etc. offer a basic set of specifications for their products on their web sites in a format fit for editing.  This can often be found under the contractor, architect, or engineering sections of these manufacture web sites.  Depending upon the materials and size of the job many companies also have technical consultants and local representatives on staff who can assist with this process.  As a consultant this is the first place that I typically look when starting a set of specifications.  I then add items or re-word them for the specific materials and considerations of the project to insure the best job possible for my client.  In larger projects it is also good to bring in an attorney to insure that all contracts and specifications are legally clear and enforceable.

Having a consultant working with a contractor on a relatively small project can be somewhat awkward at first as many budget minded contractors are not used to the arrangement; however, you will find better quality contractors work with engineers and architects frequently and even those unfamiliar with the process will become agreeable when they realize the consultant is only interested in a quality job.  A good relationship between competent professionals with good documentation so that all parties know what is expected of them normally results in a good quality project which upon completion results in everyone being happy with the results.

If you are interested in dicussing this further because you have a project coming up be sure to contact my office and setup a time we can discuss your needs.  I have found that with a good set of specifications you can avoid legal difficulties and other problems.  We can tailor specifications for your needs and budget.