An inefficient crew, labor shortages, and contractor miscommunications. All these things keep builders and field managers up at night. Fortunately, each one is within your influence. Take advantage of the following tips to be more successful in partnering with flooring companies.

Keep Flooring Contractors in the Loop

Does your customer enjoys checking in on site? Make sure also flooring contractors are aware. That way they can have someone available just in case to answer questions and keep project on schedule. An excellent flooring company can be an extension of your business by providing good workmanship and great customer service. For example, some flooring companies can either invite your clients to their showroom or visit them in person with flooring samples and warranty information. Your flooring contractor now becomes your partner, assisting and educating your customer on one of the most important items of a new build. Another thing that will help is to connect your architect to your flooring company by sharing the project drawings early in the build process. This can help prevent unforeseen expenses on door and trim modifications needed because the flooring thickness didn’t quite fit with what the architect projected.

Doing Successful Due Diligence

Beyond asking for references and proof of insurance, custom home builders should learn about their on-site contractors. Verify how much turnover occurs on their team and their direct experience servicing your grade of custom homes. The demands of a more luxury custom home can be different as clients may expect more frequent contact.

Less Is More

Do your customers really need to choose from 30 flooring options? This could be overwhelming. Ask instead that your flooring provider allow you to display no more than 6 of the best flooring samples in your office. An experienced flooring company will help and provide insights on their most in-demand designs based on your specs. Builders should also communicate the deadline by which customers need to have chosen their flooring to prevent construction delays. Let them know if they change their mind on flooring material it can cause delays and more expenses.

Leverage Unit Costing

Get quotes from your flooring company in advance to avoid a situation where the flooring needed is not in stock and possibly having to select a product that would cost you more. Selecting the product months in advance will help not only by ensuring availability but a motivated flooring distributer could offer savings depending on volume needed. Identify how many homesites they can work on concurrently. A flooring company’s criteria can factor multiple variables including.
  • Home’s square footage
  • Available Crews
  • Supply availability
  • Type of flooring installation- Glue Down vs Nail Down
Keep in mind due to the competitive nature of home contractors, the margins are already typically very low. And as much as you would like to have good quality, quick turnaround, and lowest price, you very rarely can get all three. For Austin custom home builders needing assistance purchasing flooring materials or needing experienced, customer-focused contractors for flooring installation, contact us.
Millennium Hardwood Flooring 9705 Research Blvd Suite C1 Austin, TX 78759 512-351-2258