Post Construction: Learnings and Trauma :)

[riturajmnit]

Thanks sir.
Can we have more insight in civil code of work ?
Because this creates a lot of confusion:

1> How does carpenter arrive at measurement of work ?
2> How does Polish estimated area is calculated
3> How does marble laying and cutting area calculated ?

All this will help us to understand and mitigate these issues.

[princeap]

Thanks a lot for sharing these valuable experiences !

I'm in finalising my contractor.
One contractor whom I found (or thought) good is putting in agreement that at the time of signing agreement I need to pay 15% of total planned estimate amount to him !!

I just wanted whether you people (or usually what is the case?) paid any amount before they start the digging work?

rgds,
Prince

[kaukix]

princeap,
We had paid 10% of the quoted amount as advance.
At each stage of the payment, 10% from advance would be deducted.

As an e.g. if we had paid 500,000 as advance, and if the contractor raised a bill of 300,000 for foundation, we would pay 270,00 (300,000-30,000).
In this way, as the project progresses the advance will be recovered.

We had an architect involved in the entire process.

[bloremanager]

From my experience, 2-3 lakhs mobilization advance is a must for any contractor to even start basic work.
Also, when i did my construction, i always paid by cheque, no cash for anything. That way i have a track of all project expenditure and also made the contractor sign for every payment amount followed by the date in an appendix of the master contract document
One of the tricky calculations is staircase area square foot calculation and chajja (you should not pay more than 50% of per square figure for chajja and roof projections).
Once you make any change in your design midway or any other time, a change request document needs to be signed by both parties with the associated cost implications.
Many contractors will not issue invoices so that way they escape paying any tax to the government. It is upto you for what you wish to do.
From my experience, you need to decide whether you require polish or paint for your windows. Paint is the cheaper option but i went with the polish option for brand new windows as they look better. Since you will have chajja, chances of fading are practically nil. Polishing takes slightly longer time as well.
Also it is better to get a lumpsum quote rather than trying to measure each and every window size (with glass, without glass etc) for paint area calculation. Your architect should be able to give you a thumb rule for window size paint area calculations. The quality of the painter can be found put pretty easily. Watch how they paint, their attention to detail, their preparation. Also for any wall, you stand by its side and look straight and you can clearly notice any deviation, pattern issues, flow with the grain or against the grain issues etc. Also, bubble formation, peel offs clearly indicate sub-standard work. For external area paint, put the first coat and wait for few rains to fall and then you can see masonry cracks and you can fill them and do the second coat after that. If you move any furniture inside before the 2nd coat is complete, insist on paper to cover all the furniture, wall cabinets with tape so that way paint will not fall and also no time is wasted to clean-up all the spills. A very good painter will do this without you asking.

[princeap]

Thanks bloremanager and kaukix.

Just one more point.
In some agreements I have found people putting a clause saying,
"5% of the total expense will be paid only 6 months after the construction".

I have found it as a very good control clause. Whether anybody tried this? Will contractors agree for this?

rgds,
Prince

[kaukix]

prince ap,

Holding back some amount is a good idea. Referring to the contract we have, think the percentage was lesser, 2.5%. The time period was one rainy season or 6 months.

If there is a water ingress, leaks or any other issue after the construction is done and keys are handed over, the contractor will have to fix this to get their final payment.
If the contractor does not fix this, you would still have some money in the kitty to resolve any small issues.

If your contractors agrees to a percentage, then you should start deducting the percentage at every stage of bill payment.
For a 4,000,000 (40 lakhs) project 5% comes to 200,000 (2 lakhs). If this is cut in bulk, the contractor will be upset. Also the contract value can go up or down as the work progresses. So when paying a bill, deduct this percentage amount so that after the end of the project, if you have any problems, the contractor still picks up you calls.

[princeap]

That's a good idea.
Similar to the way we deduct the initial advance payment from each stage bill.

rgds,
Prince