Code of a Contractor

Editor’s note: Randy Mate, a general contractor with New Castle Remodeling in Los Angeles, emailed us his contracting code. We think it offers sound advice, and wanted to share it with you.

• Send only seasoned professionals who are tooled, knowledgeable and skilled in the trades customers need at their homes, from laborers on up to job supervisors.
• Send only neat workers who respect the customers’ belongings, do good clean-up and are respectful and courteous.
• Keep the communication line open between the customer and the job foreman/job supervisor, between the customer and the office project manager, between the customer and the general contractor.
• Do the remodel or addition or upgrade per the laws and codes of the land, including having proper licenses, taxes, permits and workers’ comp. insurance.
• Work with customers to understand their needs, come to an agreement and do what they need and want.
• Examine and estimate projects and offer a bid that covers all direct costs, overhead and 10-20% profit so that the job doesn’t suffer the consequences and financial tensions resulting from underbidding of the current or previous jobs.
• Always be honest and worthy of trust.
• Impart the importance of punctuality of workers, and maintaining communication if a delay is inevitable.
• Do a good job on the remodel or addition or upgrade and make it look good.
• Use good quality materials and fixtures on projects.
• Warranty the workmanship of each job.
• Create an atmosphere of cooperation on the job site, through willingness to listen to differing views of methods and procedures, but then adhering to one way decided as best, agreed upon by all.
• Correct or fire workers whose work is not up to standard and who fail to bring in jobs on time and under budget.
• Refuse to work for any customer where a personality or ethical conflict is foreseen.
• Detect and avoid working for or hiring any antisocial personalities.
• Work within customer deadlines and time constraints.
• Do a final walk-through with every customer to verify the standard of the remodel or addition or upgrade and to ensure complete customer satisfaction.
• Impart to the staff the importance of going beyond what is merely fair. Give an abundance of exchange to the customer, whether it be in the form of a smile, a thoughtful act, a small sacrifice to meet a deadline, a helpful action even though not really one’s job, and so forth.
• Encourage staff to improve their skills and abilities on a continuing basis.
• Reward field and office staff with bonuses based on good production so that they have a personal stake in the positive outcome of the job.
• Value the skill of office and field workers. Know that those who can complete tasks in volume with high quality and within the budget are not only good for the continued long term existence of the company, but are able to give the customer the priceless commodity of a job done on time, correctly, per code with pride of workmanship.
• Be open to customer reports of violations of this code brought to the general contractor’s attention so they can be remedied.