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Although we at Al's Finish Carpentry are not General Contractors, we realize there may come a time when you come into contact with them if you decide to remodel your house - - or are building a new one. With this in mind, we have prepared this guide to provide information to assist you in dealing with a General Contractor. It should help you avoid misunderstandings and hopefully prevent any costly mistakes.

CONSULTATION:This is a free consultation to discuss your remodeling needs. It's a good idea to have some concept of what you want, and about how much you would like to spend.You could even make a list of the changes you'd like to make and rank them in order of importance. The ultimate goal is to define the overall scope of the work, cost, and estimated time to completion.

PRELIMINARY DESIGNS: This is where the contractor would take measurements, check building code requirements and work out a rough design of what is required.

BUDGETS: This should be put together to make sure that the cost is line with your budget, so there are no surprises. Once the design and budget are balanced, the working drawings need to be drawn.

WORKING DRAWINGS: These are the technical drawings and calculations necessary for acquiring building permits and for bidding the project. Usually they consist of a Site Plan, Floor Plan, Foundation Plan, Elevation Section, General Notes and, in most cases, plumbing, mechanical and electrical symbols are drawn on the Floor Plans. The contractor then submits these to the city for a plan check. It is fairly common to receive requests for corrections or additions to the drawings by the plan checker. Once these are done to the plan checker's satisfaction the plans are again submitted and, once approved, issuance of a building permit will follow.

PERMITS: It is the General Contractor's job to get these, but it is the homeowner's responsibility to pay for the costs.

A GENERAL CONTRACTOR should probably be taken on if three or more different trades are involved e.g. construction, roofing, painting.

Ask the contractor for any references and call them up and see how they felt about the work he performed for them. Did he bringt the job in on time? Did he stick to the budget? Were his workmen polite, and careful around your home and your belongings? Were you happy with the work and the manner in which it was done?

BIDS: It is advisable to get at least three bids - - preferably written - - so that you can compare prices for the same work required. Don't just automatically accept the lowest bid. Sometimes there is a reason why one contractor is a lot lower than another, especially if he is substantially lower. It might mean he is planning to cut corners somewhere. Or he may be planning to hit you with a "Change Order" half-way through the job. Have a signed contract that is very specific about the work to be done for the price quoted.