What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Our prices are based on the scope of work that the customer presents to us. We take into consideration the time it takes to complete the job/project which depends on several factors such as building type (residential, commercial, industrial), use (single family, condo, retail store, medical), materials used to construct it(brick, concrete, wood, steel), ETC. Another important number that we look at is the type of materials that the customer requires, good, medium, or lesser quality. At NCA Construction, we look for the most efficient way to perform our projects, that way, we benefit our customers with the best possible estimate.
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
The process we use for working with customers is as follows:
#1.- When a customer contacts us, we look to getting as much information as possible about the project. By doing this, we hope to have a good painted picture of our customer needs and wants. Once we understand and are in the same mind with the customer.
#2.- We proceed with a ball park pricing over the phone based on similar projects we have done in the past. If the ballpark price is something that the customer and us can work with, we proceed with the next step.
#3.- Which would be a site visit to evaluate the job/project, and go thru the final details of the project with the customer.
#4.- If the estimate is approved by the customer. We build a written contract in which we specify the project details previously discussed with the customer, job schedule, and the term under the contract.
#5.- Once the job is completed, we do our best to make the customer 99.99% satisfied.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
10 years working for a general construction company, in which, we did building maintenance, new home projects, built restaurants as tenant improvement projects, and overall home and building repair.
2 years as employee working for 2 management companies took care of hundreds of units.
7 years as licensed general contractor, plumber, electrician and HVAC technician.
How did you get started doing this type of work?
I got started thru a small construction company on which I was the jack of all trades. One day I would be doing electric, other plumbing and yet another HVAC helping senior technicians and absorbing as much as possible from them. In there, I gained enough knowledge to be able to get the licenses that we currently have.
What types of customers have you worked with?
I believe that thru the years we have worked with a good 90% of the whole spectrum when it comes to customer types. Different nationalities, religions, backgrounds, Ethnicities, ETC.
Describe a recent project you are fond of. How long did it take?
Full home rewired done for a Thumbtack customer that gave us a really nice review. We thank that particular for it.
The project consisted of a full home rewiring, including existing (old) wiring demolition, new wiring installation, new outlets, new ceiling fan boxes, smoke detectors and outdoor outlets. It also included the upgrade of the electric service panel from 100A to 200A. All this work was permitted and approved by the City of Pasadena. The overall project took a month, from getting the permit to final inspection. The total days worked inside and around the building took 12 days for completion with two or three techs working on it.
What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a provider in your area of work?
We could give three advises:
Get a licensed contractor, no matter how small the project is and verify his license on the Contractor's Board, which is very easy to do online.
Verify with your city if your particular project requires a permit. This can be easily done by calling your city building and safety office.
Get at least 3 estimates to get a good sense on the project cost.
Extra Advice: Follow your guts when deciding. We understand the pricing might be the kicker for hiring that particular contractor. However, we have found that sometimes times our guts have the right answer.
What questions should customers think through before talking to professionals about their project?
If I were to hire a contractor, I would ask myself:
Do I have a concrete idea of what I want or need?
Do I have bare minimum information about what the project might take to be completed?
If I will stay on the site during the project, will I be able to deal with all the hustle and bustle of the project?
Am I looking for the cheapest price that comes with some risks or for performance knowing that a higher price is attached to it?
