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You're building a log home, and you've decided to be your own contractor. That means you're in charge of hiring the subcontractors. The subcontractors are the people who can make your home building experience wonderful or horrible. Building a log home is not a short project, so it's important to select people you can count on and get along with.
Jim Cooper, author of Log Homes Made Easy, recommends using referrals to find good subcontractors.
A couple of sources for referrals:
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Your log home sales representative
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Another log home owner who also acted as general contractor
Questions to ask them:
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Did the workers start and end the day on schedule?
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Did they keep the job site neat, trash and waste out of the way?
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Or the workers motivated and did they get along with each other?
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Was the subcontractor on the site throughout the day or was he in and out, working on multiple projects? If the latter, did he discuss this with you ahead of time? Did the workers work well in his absence?
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Overall, were you satisfied with the quality of the work?
Before hiring a subcontractor, you may also want to visit one of their current job sites and see them in action. You may also want to talk to your county building inspector and ask if the subcontractor you're considering has a good track record.
When the time comes to approach a subcontractor about the job, you'll want to provide a written precise description of the work you expect from them. From this, they'll base their bid. In response, they should give you a written proposal on the company stationery (which includes the company name, address, number, and required licenses/permits for their type of work).
Source: Log Homes Made Easy
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