Checking a Contractor's Previous Work: Sites, Clients and Snag Lists

Checking a Contractor's Previous Work: Sites, Clients and Snag Lists

A contractor's brochure shows finished rooms; a contractor's previous work shows how those rooms were reached. Owners hiring verified civil contractors should check past sites and past clients before signing, because the pattern of a contractor's last three jobs predicts the next one better than any promise.

Key Takeaways

  • Visit two past sites, not one, and look at work in progress as well as finished work.
  • Ask past clients about scope, extras and snagging, the three answers that predict your experience.
  • Hidden trades need the same check, since commercial plumbing and electrical contracts fail where nobody looks.

Site visits reveal what photographs hide. On a finished site, look at corners, joints and paint edges, where rushed work shows first. On a site in progress, look at storage, safety and tidiness, which show how the contractor runs a site day to day. A contractor who welcomes both kinds of visit is showing a system; a contractor who shows only one finished showpiece is showing a selection.

Client conversations complete the check. Through verified civil contractors who offer past clients freely, owners buy a track record rather than a pitch, and through commercial plumbing and electrical contracts checked the same way, the trades hidden inside walls are judged by the same evidence as the rooms on show.

Checking in order

  1. Ask for three recent jobs similar to yours, with client contacts.
  2. Visit two sites: one finished, one in progress, and look at the details.
  3. Call two past clients and ask the same three questions each time.
  4. Ask for the snag list of a finished job and how long it stayed open.
  5. Compare contractors on evidence, not on how warmly each client speaks.

Checking faults

FaultCause
Only one showpiece site offeredOther jobs would not survive a visit
No past client will take a callClients were not left satisfied
Snag list stayed open for monthsNo system for closing defects after handover
Hidden trades never mentionedChecks covered rooms, not the work inside walls

A morning spent on past sites and past clients is the cheapest insurance in a build. Evidence gathered before signing cannot be argued with after handover.

Owners comparing options on BTechMart can ask contractors for past-site visits and client contacts before deciding. BTechMart is a B2B wholesale marketplace and construction network where owners compare written quotes from verified contractors.

FAQs

How many past sites should I visit?

Two: one finished and one in progress, so you see both the result and the process.

What should I ask past clients?

Did the scope match the quote, were extras priced in writing, and did snagging close promptly.

What if the contractor refuses visits?

Treat refusal as an answer: a contractor with good past work welcomes inspection.

Should I check the hidden trades too?

Yes, ask specifically about plumbing, electrical and waterproofing, since failures hide inside walls.

Do past checks replace the contract?

No; checks inform the choice, and the written contract still governs the work.

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