Keep the following things in mind as you are building your new home:


• Be aware of the schedule they have laid out. When I say be aware I mean be one hundred percent certain that you know exactly what the schedule entails and how they intend to follow through with it. Whether it is a small job or a large job getting the starting date and completion date in writing is important and you both being on the same page before you sign it is even more important. Another good idea for knowing the approximate schedule is to get progress dates in writing. This gives you a better idea of what might happen if something goes wrong and assurance that progress will continue as planned. One more thing to remember about a schedule is that it's generally better to choose a local builder rather than someone who will be traveling long distance to get the job done. Traveling just adds one more complication to the time frame, especially if there's bad weather. If you choose a local builder they can get their on time and you won't run into time issue problems.


•  On site Managers can really help with keeping builders on schedule and on task. They can cost you some extra money but are worth while having as it is their job to keep track of any situations that occur with delays and are better at getting answers out of builders than the actual home owners themselves. Having an onsite manager can also help keep the relationship between builders and home owners professional.


•  Communication is a big part of keeping a timely schedule. The relationship you have between you and your builder is a delicate one indeed and you have to make sure that you are firm, yet polite and friendly at the same time. The last thing you want to do is offend your builder and realize that you're left with a half done job. If there was an agreed upon schedule then politely bring it up with the builder and ask how close he/ they are to meeting their original completion date. They may be behind because supplies haven't come in, or something happened during the remodeling or building process that caused a delay; don't just assume that they're not working hard enough. There could be a perfectly good explanation to the delay.


•  If it gets to the point where you realize that things are going wrong and you're so off schedule that you really have no idea when the work will get done its' time to take some decisive action. You should try and talk with the builder themselves, but if there is no progress made then you should go to the person above them to get some answers. There are legal issues involved if things get so bad that firing your contractor or builder seems like the only thing to do. If this is the road you're walking down then make sure you have a lawyer and all the signed paper work between you and the builder.

There are ways of resolving the issue if your builder is behind schedule before you actually take legal action. Clear schedule timelines in writing, communication, and having an onsite manager are just a few ways to help you figure out what to do if your builder is behind schedule.