A Short Blog on Industry Expert Insights: Part One – Getting the most from your contractor

A short blog on Industry Expert Insights - Part One (2 minute read)

After more than 30 years in the construction industry, we've learnt a thing or two about what helps projects run smoothly – and, just as importantly, what can cause unnecessary costs, delays and complications.

So, we're sharing some of that experience in a new series of Industry Expert Insights.

These short, practical articles will look at some of the issues we regularly come across when working with commercial businesses and residential property owners - from planning and project management through to maintenance, buildability and getting the best value from a construction project.

No complicated jargon – just practical insights to help you make informed decisions about your next building project.

First up, how to get the most from your contractor.

1. Get them involved early

Don’t wait until your drawings are finalised and every decision has been made before talking to your contractor.

An experienced contractor can look at a project from a practical point of view and flag potential issues, suggest alternative approaches and consider how the work will actually be built.

It’s much easier — and usually more cost-effective — to make changes before you’re on site.

Our tip: Bring your contractor into the conversation while there is still flexibility to make decisions.

2. Think about access and logistics

It’s easy to focus on the work itself and overlook how materials, equipment and people will actually get to and around the site.

Is there suitable access for deliveries? Where will materials be stored? Is there space for skips or machinery? Will other people need access to the building while work is underway?

These practical details can have a real impact on how efficiently a project runs.

Our tip: Talk through access and site logistics with your contractor before work starts. A little planning can save a lot of time and disruption.

3. Tell them how the property needs to work

Your contractor needs to understand more than what you want to build.

For a business, that might mean knowing about staff, deliveries, production, customers or planned shutdowns.

For homeowners, it could be keeping certain rooms accessible, working around family life or meeting a particular deadline.

These details can influence how the project is planned and how work is sequenced.

Our tip: Explain how you need the property to function during the work, not just what you want at the end.

4. Be open about your budget

You don’t necessarily need a fixed budget before speaking to a contractor, but being realistic about what you want to spend is important.

Knowing the budget can help your contractor suggest where money is best spent, identify potential savings and highlight areas that could push costs higher.

Our tip: Have the budget conversation early. It gives your contractor the opportunity to help you find the most practical solution.

5. Ask questions and use their experience

You’re not just employing a contractor to carry out the work. You’re also bringing their practical experience to your project.

Feel free to ask them:-

1. what they think could cause problems

2. if there’s a better way of doing something

3. how they would approach a particular challenge.

After 30 years in the industry, we know that a simple conversation early on can sometimes prevent a much bigger problem further down the line.

Our advice? Get your contractor involved early, be clear about what you need and make use of their experience.

At Ewson Contractors, we provide practical construction, property maintenance and facilities management expertise for commercial and residential clients across Cheshire, North Wales and the wider North West.

Talk to Ewson Contractors about your next project.

This is the first in our Industry Expert Insights series. Look out for our next insight: Common Causes of Construction Delays — and How to Avoid Them. Coming soon!