Hiring a contractor to provide marine construction services shouldn’t be a rushed decision made without a thought. Taking the time to vet your options and select a team you can rely on to offer exceptional service will save you time, money, and headaches related to your waterfront property for years to come; a poorly constructed dock or seawall, for example, can cost you many times over what you might save on the cheap, rushed services of a subpar contractor when it fails. Make sure you consider these factors when hiring a team:
Professionalism
Any good contractor will be a professional outfit, with all that entails. Communications should be clear, pricing transparent, and schedules reliable.
Materials
The choice of materials in marine construction is critical, given the corrosive potential of even the cleanest, clearest bodies of water. You want to choose a contractor with confidence and familiarity with its materials of choice, and a reliable supplier so you can get repairs and replacements as necessary for years to come.
Experience
Marine construction is a field where familiarity with user needs, environmental factors, and potential complications is crucial to the quality of the final product. You want to work with a construction team with experience with projects as similar to your own as possible, with references to prove it.
Guarantees
Poor waterfront construction shows its inadequacies faster than nearly any other piece of property, so a guarantee on marine construction services can tell you a lot about what to expect in quality. A solid piece of waterfront construction should last decades, so any guarantee for less than one is a dubious proposition.
Compliance and Best Practices
One of the most important factors in marine construction projects is compliance with relevant local and federal regulations. You’ll be caught out quicker and more harshly for violations on a body of water than for nearly any other code violation, thanks to the potential environmental impact and safety concerns inherent to any marine construction. Work with a company that knows the law and knows how to work with it without ruining your project or ramping up costs.
Remember, you’re hiring a team to put something together you expect to last for decades—and it will cost you every single year of those lifespan if you choose poorly.