Contractors have earned an unshakable reputation for being unreliable. In fact, many people hate construction projects for this reason alone. So, why are contractors so unreliable?
A lot goes into construction projects, and contractors might face anything from supply shortages and price increases to sick employees, which might come across as unreliability. Or you might just be dealing with an unprofessional contractor!
In today’s article, we’ll tell you everything about what goes into contractors’ duties that makes them seem so unreliable.
Why Are Contractors So Unreliable?
1. Unpredictable Circumstances
Like most construction jobs, contractors work with a lot of unpredictable circumstances that can delay the deadline. This unpredictability can be with resources, workers, or the project itself.
To start, supply chains can suddenly be disrupted due to economic conditions. This means your contractor wouldn’t be able to get his hands on the necessary material to finish a project.
Further, an illness, as with COVID-19, can suddenly spread among the workers, further delaying the project. The project can also turn out to be much bigger, thus requiring a lot more work than previously thought!
This is why it’s important to have a lot of flexibility when it comes to construction projects. After all, your contractor can only give you a rough estimate of when the job will be finished.
2. Budget Issues
Contractors usually work with a limited budget. Not only do they need to pay their workers and purchase materials and commodities, but they often work with clients who are unaware of the true cost of their project.
What’s more is that, at any given moment, contractors can face the sudden effects of inflation. This leaves the contractor having to inform the client that the cost of the project is raised!
In addition, contractors have to do all that with mere payment increments. So, most contractors have to pay out of their own pockets to finish the project until they receive the remaining payments.
3. Long Phases
You might look at a construction project and think about how easy it’d be to finish. However, all contractors know that a lot goes into a seemingly simple job. It’s not as straightforward as just building something.
Contractors need to go through the design, pre-construction, procurement, construction, and closeout phases
In other words, contractors don’t only have to deal with the construction aspect; they’re also responsible for planning, preparation, and management of equipment and personnel.
4. Considerations For a Quality Project
Transforming an idea on paper into a real-life structure requires a lot of planning. This means if you want a high-quality project, there are many things you might not consider that your contractor will never forget.
That’s because contractors don’t only deal with the building aspect; they’re also in charge of many hidden parts of the project. This includes plumbing, electricity, and soundproofing.
So, while you might expect a project to only take a month or two and cost a certain amount, there are many different factors that’ll make your contractor think otherwise.
5. Problems With Personnel
Most times, your contractor isn’t the one being unreliable. That’s because contractors deal with a lot of workers. Naturally, some of these workers might be unskilled or irresponsible, especially if they’re new hires.
To add, many situations can arise when working with a lot of employees. For example, a worker might get injured or sick during the job, thus delaying the deadline.
For that reason, you might think your contractor is unreliable, but just like any other work environment, problems with personnel might unexpectedly happen!
6. The Job Is Hard
Being a contractor is hard, both physically and mentally, which means they probably have tons of things going through their head. So, it might seem like they’re unreliable, but they simply are too busy.
Being a contractor means that you’ll be responsible for planning, leading, and executing all aspects of the project. On top of that, you’ll be supervising and inspecting all parts of the construction.
In other words, contractors are the backbone of the construction site. So, working as a contractor is far from easy.
When your job is hard, you might end up forgetting about some tasks or doing some tasks poorly. It shouldn’t be an excuse, but it might be one of the reasons why contractors seem unreliable.
7. Contractors Are in High Demand
Blue-collar jobs are declining by the day. This means that, with such little manual labor, contractors are now in more demand than ever.
To keep up with the high demand, contractors might be forced to undergo several projects at once. This means they need to divide their attention and their workforce.
As expected, this increase in demand will most likely affect the quality and timing of most projects, especially when it comes to something particular as construction jobs.
8. In-Experienced Clients
Contractors work on many projects, often at the same time. This means they’re highly experienced and know what they’re talking about.
Oftentimes, though, contractors have to deal with inexperienced clients who aren’t willing to compromise. Additionally, many clients can be in a hurry or even have high expectations compared to their limited budget.
Naturally, it can be frustrating having someone tell you how to do your job. It can be even more stressful having to meet clients’ expectations with so little to work with.
Moreover, contractors are busy most of the time, so they’ll have no time to explain certain aspects to inexperienced clients. Not to mention the miscommunication problems that might occur between the clients and the contractors.
9. Unprofessional Craftsmen
Contractors are responsible for executing projects and supervising their construction sites, while construction workers are the ones who do the work.
In some cases, the craftsmen are inexperienced or unprofessional, though clients usually only communicate with the contractor, not the craftsmen.
So, from your point of view, any delay or mistake that happens is the contractor’s fault, which isn’t necessarily true.
Of course, it’s the contractor’s job to make sure everything is going according to plan, and that also means that he’s responsible for every small mistake the workers make.
So, in the end, the contractor might look unreliable because he’s the face of the whole project.
To Conclude
So, why are contractors so unreliable? Simply put, contractors can be unreliable due to unpredictable delays, working on a limited budget, or the demanding nature of their job.
Moreover, contractors need to meet the extremely high expectations of the clients while also dealing with many issues behind the scene.
This surely will lead to many mistakes and misunderstandings, making your contractor seem unreliable.
Most of these issues can be solved by the contractor communicating with the client. Our contractor is doing quality work but the communication is poor. I would not work with them again. We should have hired the contractor who we worked with before, even though they were a bit more expensive, but always kept us up to date on progress and schedule.