Deciding to build a granny flat is simple, designing and building the extension can be a lot harder. You'll have a lot of questions to answer along the way. Can you use a general contractor or is is better to use one who has built a lot of granny flats before? Is a template design better than a customised one? Should you let the person who'll live in the flat have a say in what it looks like? Luckily, I'm here to help. My name is Maria. We moved my Mum into a purpose-built granny flat last year, so I've had to answer all these questions and more. I thought it'd be useful for other people to see how we managed the process, so here we are — get reading!
What to Know about Hiring for Residential Foundation Work
If you have noticed the red flags that identify your home is having foundation issues, then you will need a contractor for foundation work. If this is the case, you may not be sure of what steps to take or what you need to know about the process. Here are a few things to know about hiring for residential foundation work and what to expect.
Inspection
One of the first steps you need to know about hiring a contractor is having a foundation inspection. The inspection lets you know several things. The first thing it shows is if the red flags you have seen, such as cracking walls, is connected to a foundation issue. The second thing that an inspection lets you know is how in depth the foundation work will need to be in order to make the repairs. The inspection also lets the contractor know how long the foundation work will take and what steps need to be taken in order to give you the end result you want.
Methods
You need to find out what foundation work methods the contractor will use. Keep in mind, some methods may be more ideal for your situation. You may also have issues that happen that may mean a change in the methods that need to be used. For this reason, you need to ask the contractor what methods they use in their foundation work for your specific foundation issues. If they mention only one method, then you may need to continue looking for a foundation work contractor.
License and Bonding
Something that many people overlook with foundation work and other related home construction is the license and bonding of your contractor. You need to make sure that you know what license and bonding the contractor should have and if they are registered in the local area. This is fairly easy to check since it links back to their contractor number, which they can easily provide. If you find that the contractor is not licensed or bonded, consider a different foundation work contractor. This is due to what may happen if the contracting goes wrong or if it is not completed.
When you make the call for foundation work, make sure to ask for the consultation first. This will allow you to be sure of what you need to have done. This will also let you compare different foundation repair contractors as well in order to move forward. For more information, contact a local company like Harman Contracting Pty Ltd.