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When you’re embarking on a building project, choosing the right contractor is a monumental decision. Whether you’re remodeling your kitchen, or building your custom dream home, the contractor by your side can be a blessing or a curse.
A million things factor into your choice of contractor – from the type of work you’re planning to who’s available locally. However, one set of criteria that is often overlooked are ethical aspects.
How fair, honest, and transparent are the contractors’ operations? How do they handle safety measures on construction sites? How do they treat their employees?
In the interest of building a home that is both environmentally and socially sustainable, these are all questions that you need to ask.
When you’re researching contractors and comparing quotes, here’s what to watch out for to factor ethics into your final decision.
Administrative Transparency
First off, a good gauge of how ethically contractors operate is always how smoothly and transparently they handle requests and provides quotes.
A 2012 study on ethical issues in the construction industry found that the majority of unethical behavior relates to pricing documentation, bid cutting, unfair treatment in tender and account negotiations, and falsification of experience and qualification records for bureaucratic purposes.
This means you should pay close attention to administrative actions when you first start reaching out to contractors. It’ll give you an excellent indicator of their ethics.
Read the fine print of the documents and bids you receive. Are there intentional loopholes and unclear formulations? If so, follow up on them, and see how forthcoming the contractors are with information.
Chances are, if the contractor you’re considering is dodgy with regard to administration, they will have other ethics skeletons in their closets.
Construction Safety
Your home is your haven – it is a place of safety and comfort for you, your family, and your friends. The last thing you want is for anyone to get hurt here.
That is why it’s crucial to research how the contractor you’re considering handles construction safety.
A building site is almost by definition a dangerous place, replete with heavy machinery and hazardous materials. For this reason, contractors have to adhere to stringent safety standards. At least in theory.
Unfortunately, many contractors decide to skimp on safety, potentially endangering subcontractors, their own employees, and even you by neglecting these standards. When comparing contractors, make sure they meet them.
The best way to go about doing this is to first ask contractors directly what their safety policies are. The answer should be forthcoming, confident, and detailed. To dive deeper, look at online reviews, and check out the database of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA) to see if any complaints have been filed.
Fairness Towards Employees
Another aspect to consider is how well contractors treat their own employees. Apart from safety, fair and timely pay as well as diversity and inclusion are major points to consider.
To make sure that everyone who is involved in creating your perfect home is treated fairly, vet the contractors you consider and give your business to those who create a good climate for their employees.
Online reviews are a good place to start. Going further, you can reach out to the people who wrote reviews – be it good or bad – to inquire into their experiences with the firm of contractors you’re considering. Ask how well they treat their employees, and how happy they seemed in their work.
Another way to go is to check the WOW (Workers Owed Wages) database of the Department of Labor. If a contractor has failed to pay their employees in the past, chances are it will be registered here.
General Precautions
To avoid including unethical contractors into your roster of choices in the first place, there are several things you can do.
The first is to use only trusted directories of contractors. Such directories will vet the companies they list for major infarctions, and also often provide best-of lists of trusted, ethical, and sustainable contractors in different areas.
A second useful approach is to keep an eye out for certifications. Reliable, ethical builders should be able to provide you with certifications, for example by the National Association of Home Builders, as well as trade-specific and local groups like, for instance, the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association.
Final Thoughts
Generally, ethical aspects should be a key consideration for anyone choosing a general contractor for their building project.
Leaving aside arguments about moral philosophy, contractors who operate ethically also tend to provide higher-quality service.
By paying attention to ethical criteria when choosing a general contractor, you will be left with both, an expertly finished building project, and a home you can call your haven with a clear conscience.
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This content is brought to you by Anees Saddique.
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