Finding a contractor in Delhi is nothing less than finding a partner. There has to be trust, openness, mutual consent for task lists, same vision and most importantly, understanding.
How to find a contractor in Delhi:
- Do your research. Use the website ContractorBhai and read, read and reread everything on it. There’s no escaping this step. Understand the standard prices for different categories and little things like which kitchen counter-top is the best one for you-granite, marble, cement…Doing this bit of research will help you immensely. When you start taking quotes from different contractors, you will know who is over-charging where.
- Have a vision: Now those boards and ideas on Pinterest are so awesome that you can keep pinning all day. I personally have more than five boards for Tiny Bathrooms, the Kitchen, the balcony, Storage options, and the list is endless. Even if your vision is a fairytale that may not come true in reality, you will know where to save and where to splurge.
- Plan: If you have time, use online room design websites. I used EasyPlanner3D, because it was easy to understand and use. It took me one day to design all the rooms of the house and take print outs so that I did not have to explain the same thing to 10 different people. Showing the print out gave the contractors an idea of what we expect as bare minimum.
- Know your Key areas: These are the rooms that needed maximum TLC. For us it was the two bathrooms and the kitchen. Redoing both costs a ton, so we wanted to get them right in the first go.
- Be ready to Compromise. Those hemmingway tiles on Pinterest look classic and timeless, but they might not fit your budget. Have a ready Plan B for everything, especially colours. If not Starkwhite, then beige…
- Allocate Budgets to Rooms: You will, almost always, exceed this. So don’t be conservative here. Take everything into account – faucets, taps, pipes, tiles, and plan your expenses.
- Be Honest about your Limits: Tell each and every contractor about what your budget is.
Taking Quotes:
- Call the contractor to visit the site. They will not, obviously charge for this.
- Tell them your basic plans and your vision.
- Ask them for ideas: This is crucial. Meeting 10 different people with experience in the field, should help you get some ideas that you might not have thought of. For us, one contractor recommended making a loft in the 8 feet of entryway that we had. We quickly grabbed on to idea, even though he wasn’t the one for us.
- Research your Area: If there is renovation going on in a house nearby, don’t be afraid to walk in and see the work in progress. We did this and got other ideas for our home.
- Be Honest: If the quote is not in your budget, tell them honestly. Call back to say no. It is the fair thing to do.
Bargaining and Finalizing:
- If you are almost sure of the contractor you liked, then:
- See their work: Ask him to show you any recent work that he has done. You will know the quality of his promise. Notice the little things when you go for this: the grout of the tiles, the neatness of the project, the finish – everything!
- Take a quote in Writing: This is almost like a legal document and will save you some headaches later. Take the breakdown and ask them to specify what they material they will use and the rates of everything in square feet.
- Bargain: Having taken different quotes, will tell you what the lowest price was. For example, one contractor quoted 90 rs per square feet for tiling, and several others were in the range of 60-90. We finalized the one who quoted 50 rs per square feet with material being provided by him.
- Get the Final Prices Written down by them: If they are tech savvy, they can send you a word/excel document. In our case, the contractor wrote down the quote in Hindi, complete with specifications.
More tips on contractors in Delhi coming up. Stay tuned.
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