Frequently Asked Questions
- Who is behind Steve Hill Construction Consulting, Inc. (SHCC)?
- How much do you charge?
- Where is SHCC located? What areas does SHCC work in?
- My home still looks like this after three months. Should I be concerned?
- My contractor seems to always be short of money. How can I be sure he's paying the materials and sub contractors as he goes?
- I'm not sure my contractor got a permit from the Building Department. Should I be concerned?
- My contractor is asking for a lot of money up front. Should I be concerned?
- We've added some items to our project but the builder didn't tell us how much it would cost. Now that we are getting the bill for those items, it costs way more than we thought. What should we do?
- My new custom home is costing way more than we had planned on and is taking a lot longer. We feel like we are trapped and don't know what to do. The builders contract is for a percentage of what ever the home costs. Do we have any rights?
Who is behind Steve Hill Construction Consulting, Inc. (SHCC)?
Steve Hill, a California-licensed general contractor, is the founder and president of Steve Hill Construction Consulting, Inc.
For more information, read his biography:
How much do you charge?
A lot of consultants charge a fee per day, per hour, or even per fraction of an hour. That assumes that the client values the consultant's time as much as the consultant values their time. Unfortunately, it means that the longer the consultant takes, the more money they make - creating an incentive for inefficiency.
We think clients are more concerned with end results. We also think that clients prefer to have an idea of the cost of something before they pay for it.
Therefore we prefer to base our fees on the value of the end result. We establish these fees up front so that there are no surprises.
Read more: Value-Based Fees
Where is SHCC located? What areas does SHCC work in?
SHCC is based in Southern California in the town of Hemet.
While the bulk of our projects are located in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange, San Diego and Imperial Counties, we are available wherever we are needed. Previous projects have taken SHCC into Northern and Central California, Nevada, Arizona and Missouri.
Read more: Contact SHCC
My home still looks like this after three months. Should I be concerned?
Ask your contractor for a schedule that shows every item in your budget and when it will be done. Your contract should have a completion date and you have a right to see a schedule that explains how the steps involved in your project will meet that deadline.
My contractor seems to always be short of money. How can I be sure he's paying the materials and sub contractors as he goes?
Ask for proof of payment for all the workmen that have been on the job and for the materials that have been delivered. The best way to accomplish this is to get lien releases.
I'm not sure my contractor got a permit from the Building Department. Should I be concerned?
Yes and the permit should be posted on the job It should have signatures and dates of when the inspections were passed. It is your right to have access to this because it's your home!
My contractor is asking for a lot of money up front. Should I be concerned?
Absolutely you should be concerned. The California Contractors License Law says "THE DOWNPAYMENT MAY NOT EXCEED $1,000 OR 10 PERCENT OF THE CONTRACT PRICE, WHICHEVER IS LESS."
We've added some items to our project but the builder didn't tell us how much it would cost. Now that we are getting the bill for those items, it costs way more than we thought. What should we do?
It is illegal for a Contractor to make changes to the contract without a written change order. It must be signed before the extra work is done. It must describe the work, how much it will cost, how it will affect the completion date of the job.
My contractor has not been back on the job since I gave him a large payment. What do I do?
You need to find out if any materials delivered to your home were paid for along with any people that have worked on your home.