What to expect after contacting the General Contractor

After contacting the General Contractor there are two further steps before the project can start:

  • The General Contractor will want to visit you and your property
  • The General Contractor will submit their proposal.

What to expect from the General Contractor’s visit:

  • Prompt arrival at the scheduled time
  • A walk around the home focusing on the intended area, but with a thorough inspection of the whole premises
  • Questions! From the contractor: questions about the scope of work, plans and ideas. From you: questions about special requests, materials, time frame, etc.
  • The General Contractor should be taking lots of notes, with drawings and possibly photographs. The GC will use this information to prepare their proposal although they made need more formal drawings/plans to do a complete proposal.

The proposal:

  • Within 2 weeks of the visit, you should receive a written proposal. It will outline the scope of work and what it includes and what it does not include. VERY IMPORTANT – If it is not covered by the proposal it will not be in the contract and it will not be done as part of the job!
  • The proposal should include a total price for the work and should include a time frame and any payment schedule.

After the proposal:

  • This is the time for questions. You may question anything on the proposal and discuss it with the General Contractor.
  • Changes made at this time will be written into the contract and will save time and money compared to if they have to be made after the contract is signed.
  • Changes made after the contract is signed can only be added if both the owner & contractor sign a change order.

Ready to proceed?


If the price is right and the time frame looks good – sign the proposal and pay your deposit.

This will enable the General Contractor to order supplies and schedule his men to start work on YOUR project!