Here are some helpful tips prior to signing a Hawaii construction contact:
- Do a Regulated Industries Complaint Office search on your Hawaii contractor, a Better Business Bureau search (www.hawaii.bbb.org), and a Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs business name search to see if the Hawaii contractor’s business is in good standing.
- Obtain a lot of references from work in the past year, and contact those homeowners.
- Be cautious of general contractors recommended by your architect. The reality is the architect has a relationship with the general contractor that will go beyond your project. If they had to choose between siding with you on your one-time job, or a continual source of their livelihood, they might choose the latter.
- Everything promised you must be documented in writing. If it is not in writing it is more difficult to prove.
- Use standard AIA forms, even though they are biased toward architects. The AIA forms are detailed and are written to incorporate the duties of your Hawaii architect and your Hawaii general contractor. Often times Hawaii architects and Hawaii general contractors argue that they want to use their own time-tested form, and even an older version of the AIA form, but that just shows a laziness on their part in not keeping up with latest developments. You don’t see a Hawaii realtor still using the old DROA forms, when in 2007 they were replaced by Purchase Contracts.
- Never pay in full. Pay when performance goals are met.
- Obtain a performance surety bond for the project in order to protect yourself if the Hawaii general contractor does not perform, or worse, leaves with your money.
It still amazes us how many one-page or two-page construction contracts we have seen for more than half a million dollars of renovation. If you are spending that type of money shouldn’t you spend some money trying to protect yourself?
Contact us today to protect yourself and your property legally.
More Articles on Hawaii Real Estate Law
- Duties and Responsibilities of the Selling Agent Regarding the Hawaii Seller’s Real Property Disclosure Statement for Hawaii Residential Real Estate
- Hawaii Agreement of Sale
- Hawaii “For Sale by Owner”
- Hawaii Commercial Lease Interest Rate and Usury
- Hawaii Commercial Leases: Issues You Must Consider
- Hawaii Contractors Disclosure Requirements to Hawaii Homeowners
- Hawaii Land Court Petitions Explained
- Hawaii Regular System and Land Court Recording System
- Hiring a Hawaii General Contractor
- Landlords Who Reside Outside of Hawaii Are Required to Have Hawaii Property Managers
- Mandatory Seller Disclosures for Hawaii Residential Real Estate
- Probate of Hawaii Real Estate Owned by Japanese Citizens
- Should a Hawaii Purchase Contract (DROA) Be Used in Purchasing Hawaii Commercial Property?
- Terminating Co-Ownership of Hawaii Real Estate Property
- The Process of Claiming and Attaching a Mechanic’s or Materialman’s Lien in Hawaii
- The Role of Hawaii Attorneys in Purchasing Hawaii Residential Real Estate
- The Security Deposit Under Hawaii’s Residential Landlord-Tenant Code
- Understanding the “As Is” Addendum to the Hawaii Association of Realtor’s Standard Form Purchase Contract
- Using a Letter of Intent in a Hawaii Real Estate Sale or Purchase
- What Is the Hawaii Dual Agency Disclosure Form?
- Why a Landlord Must Tailor the Standard Hawaii Rental Agreement
- Why a Purchaser of Hawaii Real Estate May Want to Delete an Arbitration Paragraph
- Why Hawaii Commercial Leases for Exactly a Five Year Term Should Be Avoided
- Why Your Surveying Paragraph in a Hawaii Purchase Contract May be Inadequate When Purchasing Hawaii Residential Real Estate
