General Contractors in Fort Worth

[Andrew B.]

We've all had good and bad experiences with contractors. Like a lot of us I'm always on the look out for that next reliable one though. Just wondering if anyone here had any tips on where to find some or any recommendations? Thanks in advance all!

[Michael Hayworth]

Investors are challenging clients for contractors, particularly in our market. With loads  of investors in the market, non-renovated properties are getting bid up to where there's hardly any margin to make room on a flip.

Generally, you have to choose from two broad categories:

• The "two guys and a truck" type. Some  of these guys do great work, others are totally incompetent. They often live hand-to-mouth, so progress may be difficult if they're juggling multiple projects, or if they get tight on cash to where they take a deposit on a new project just to get some cash flow. They're generally inexpensive, though, so if you can find a good one, it can be a good ongoing relationship. 
• A more established company. They're generally going to be more reliable and generally (though not always) will finish projects more quickly. But they're going to be more expensive.

It also depends on how complex the project is. It's a lot easier to do a quick cosmetic make-ready than a structural renovation that involves lots of moving walls, moving plumbing & electrical, etc.

The first part of finding a good contractor is really finding a good property where the deal works. If you're trying to cram $25K worth of reno into a $15K budget, you're going to be frustrated with your contractor for not being able to perform miracles.

The second part would be asking for references, or even better, asking to walk through current projects to get an assurance that they really know what they're doing.

It's also important that you have a fit in personality and approach. If you have a personality mismatch with your contractor, you'll always be frustrated with him.

Finally, clear expectations are very important. Misunderstandings are always going to happen, but you need to minimize them. Unfortunately, in the haste to get a project going, there's a temptation to gloss over things and then be frustrated later.

Most investors will say they value reliability, speed and competence, but when it comes right down to it, they'll typically make decisions based on price, at least until they've gotten burned a couple of times. Unfortunately, that "getting burned" thing happens fairly regularly.

Good luck out there.