When you’re planning to build a screen enclosure, one question you need to answer before you begin is whether one company will do the entire job or not. You have the option of subcontracting out the foundation to a company that may give you a lower price. It may seem like the most natural thing in the world to hire separate contractors who each specialize in their part of the job. Is it a good deal, though? That depends on several factors, mostly related to how well the screen enclosure contractor and foundation contractor work together.
Compatibility
If you hire two separate companies, it’s essential that they work well together. Yet, they typically have no basis for such an amicable working relationship. Unless they go out of their way to work together often, they don’t even know how the other one works and haven’t developed their work habits and communication skills in the same ways.
Scheduling
The two companies aren’t likely to have anyone to coordinate the two schedules. They often end up working at odds, fighting each other’s schedules rather than cooperating to make the build run smoothly. Your foundation contractor may be slow to get to your project while your screen enclosure contractor is ready to go. Then, by the time the foundation is done, you may have to wait for the enclosure.
Site Plan Mix-Ups
The two companies will usually have two separate site plans. This can cause problems that prevent the foundation from matching up exactly with the enclosure plan. For example, the foundation might be allowed into an easement area, while the enclosure is not. Once the concrete is poured, correcting the issue is a major hassle.
Permit Discrepancies
Your screen room contractor will need to pull a permit before they can begin. But, guess what. There’s no permit needed for the concrete unless there’s a building on it. Concrete contractors aren’t usually in the habit of pulling the permits, so this detail can fall through the cracks.
Paver Problems
Brick pavers may look attractive, but you need to choose the proper ones for your screen enclosure foundation. Too often, the foundation company or the homeowners themselves will purchase pavers with low psi rating. Even before the screen enclosure is completed, the pavers can break as soon as the builder tries to drill into them. Then, in a brief time, the pavers can crack and crumble under the weight of the screen room. In fact, a reputable screen enclosure contractor only works with pavers if there is a concrete footer to support them.
Damage to the House
No matter how careful everyone is, damage can happen to the main structure of the house anytime you do an add-on project. This might be a straightforward matter if you had only one contractor. After all, the contractor’s insurance is there to protect you against damage.
But, when you have two contractors working on the same jobsite, suddenly no one wants to accept the responsibility. They blame each other and refuse to cooperate. As the homeowner, you might not know enough about the work to determine who’s at fault. You’re stuck with a legal hassle as lawyers try to sort out who needs to be responsible.
Tunnel Vision
The two contracting companies focus on their particular part of the job. The foundation contractor looks at the job as a concrete job. The screen enclosure company concentrates on what goes on top of the foundation. No one is really looking at the big picture. And you? You can end up with a screen enclosure that’s a mixed-up, uncoordinated mess. When you hire a screen enclosure contractor to do the entire job from foundation to the top of the structure, their job includes the entire project. They have to see the big picture to do their job.
What If You Still Want a Separate Foundation Contractor?
Is that cheaper price still tempting you? Despite the difficulties of working with two companies, you still might decide to hire both. If you do, the best way to protect yourself and your investment in your house and screen room is with pre-engineering. This is the only way to make sure everything fits together as it should when you use two contractors. It’s the only way to ensure that everything is properly supported and working together between the two contractors’ work. You’ll still have to deal with incompatibility, scheduling, and blaming issues, but at least your project has a better chance of being a success.