Ask Your Contractor for a Schedule of Work Before They Start
By Parham Shariat ·
One of the simplest questions you can ask a contractor is also one of the most revealing. Can I see your schedule of work?
A contractor with a real plan can answer in a day. A contractor without one will tell you they will see how it goes. That answer tells you a lot about how the next few months will feel.
What a schedule of work should include
It does not need to be fancy. A one or two page document is enough, as long as it shows:
- Start date and target finish date, with the major steps in between
- The order of work, such as demolition, rough plumbing and electrical, inspections, drywall, cabinets, countertops, flooring, paint and final inspection
- Who does each step, and roughly which days they will be on site
- Material delivery dates, especially cabinets, countertops and appliances
- Inspection dates, since the work cannot move forward until the inspector signs off
- Your decision deadlines, meaning the dates by which you must choose tile, paint, fixtures and anything else still open
Why it matters
A schedule protects both sides. You know when to expect the kitchen to be down and when you will have water again in the bathroom. The contractor knows you will have your choices made on time. When a delay happens, and sometimes it will, everyone can see exactly what it moves.
It also keeps trades from stacking on top of each other. If the countertop installer arrives before the cabinets are level, someone loses a day, and someone usually argues about who pays for it.
Red flags
- The contractor will only give you a start date
- The answer is a verbal "about six weeks"
- Materials have not been ordered, but a start date has been promised
- There is no mention of inspections
How to use it once the work starts
Keep the schedule where you can see it. Check it against what actually happened at the end of each week. If something slipped, ask what it did to the finish date and get the answer in writing by email. A schedule that no one looks at is no better than not having one.
Where US Floor Design Center fits
You get a written schedule from us before work begins. Your project manager walks you through it and keeps it updated as the job moves, and your decision deadlines are on it from day one so nothing waits on a choice you have not made yet. When selections and cabinet orders are settled early, the schedule holds. That is the point of doing the planning first.
Visit the showroom at 30092 Santa Margarita Parkway, Suite G, in Rancho Santa Margarita, or call 949-589-9226.