It is common practice for many Nigerians today to hire family members or relatives to be put in charge of their building project without necessarily being sure if the person knows their onions as regards the building process.

A building contractor can be likened to a medical doctor; therefore making a wrong decision is costly both in cash and in kind. In the event of things going awry, what will be lost will be nothing compared to what you think you might be saving. Apart from the very obvious headache that comes with hiring an unprofessional building contractor for your dream house project, the future potential loss of lives and properties that follow in the event of a building collapse (which is now very common in Nigeria) is unimaginable.

So what are the things to look out for when thinking of hiring a building contractor?

A PROVEN TRACK RECORD: Their business must be an open book. You should be able to talk with their past customers when necessary, look at their previous works/portfolio, look at the caliber of clients they’ve worked for and check out their reputation. When it comes to construction, experience is very important. This is quite easy to verify, if you know a friend or family member who just had his/her house properly constructed by a contractor, you can simply ask them to send the contact details of their contractor to you.

AFFILIATION WITH PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OR TRADE UNION: Whether or not you are employing the services of a formally educated Builder/Engineer or other related professional, it is usually safe to be sure of their membership and standing with the building professionals and trade associations such as NIOB (Nigerian Institute of Builders). This will help you as the building owner to have a covering body to report to should anything go wrong along the line of the building project.

EXPERT OPINION: a good contractor knows their stuff in and out largely because of their training and years of industry experience. You need to ascertain this through your initial interaction with the contractor as years in the industry doesn’t mean he/she has the needed knowledge. A good way to assess a contractor is through the quality of advice you are given pre-project and not during or after the project has begun. To achieve this, schedule a session with the contractor and ask questions relating to certain well known problems and scenarios. Compare his answers with other professionals and if you don’t know any other professional, simply go online to research on professional articles related to the specific issue and compare answers. With this you will be able to assess the professional's depth of knowledge.

It is recommended that you hire the right person. Most people build one home in their lifetime, it is better to get it right the first time considering the capital expenditure associated with it. Proper care must be taken to ensure that your dream home project is committed into the hands of a professional that will help you maximize a healthy balance of quality, standard, cost and time.

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Cribpark is Nigeria’s first online housing materials market place where you can buy cement, sand, granite, reinforcement, sanitary wares, fittings, furniture, and more. We guarantee free delivery, best quality, and lowest prices.

Apart from buying from us, you also get to enjoy FREE consultation on your home construction project as we have experienced in-house professionals who will guide you through the different construction phases in your building project. If you are a professional, with a history of excellently executed projects, we can recommend you to intending home owners who are looking for reliable hands like you

Call us on 08025059733 or visit www.cribpark.com