8 Questions You Must Ask Your Dock Designer

Posted by Alumi-Span Docks on 12/27/2017
Working with a pro for dock designs? Not sure you are asking your dock designer the right questions? Want a few tips to get the conversation with your dock designer started?

If you’ve decided to turn to the pros for expertise in dock designs for your new boat dock, you’ve made a smart choice. You want to put the project into experienced hands, but you don’t want to be left out of the process entirely, right? Whether you need to know what to ask a potential designer or need to keep the conversation going with your current designer, our list of 8 questions you must ask will be a great benefit to your relationship with a designer.

1.    Experience

It should always be a priority to ask your dock designer or any type of contract worker you hire or plan to hire about their experience with similar jobs. You can ask how long they have been doing this work, how many similar projects, and even ask for some personal references.

2.    Contact

A reliable dock designer will be one who is easily contacted; you don’t want it to take a week or two for someone to get back to you! Ask the designer for multiple ways to contact them and test out the responsiveness to both phone and email contact.

3.    Warranty

Ask your designer about warranties offered on their work. If this is part of their business it should also be part of their contract, another topic of conversation to consider. A warranty might cover service visits required in the first 6 months or more after installation.

4.    Endurance

Asking how your dock will endure wear and tear can be a good way to reveal what considerations your designer has made or will make for your dock regarding local weather and waterway demands. If you experience any extreme weather, traffic, or other conditions, you designer must plan for it.

5.    Materials

You can’t have a quality dock without quality materials. That means asking your designer about their preferred materials will tell you a lot about them. If the designer tends to use a certain manufacturer, you can look up information about the company and decide if you think it’s a good fit.

6.    Timeline

When it’s time to really get serious about your project, one of the key questions you must ask is your designer’s timeline. Try to zero-in on a specific schedule and have some aspect of timeline expectations in your contract.

7.    Property Protection

Well before construction begins, make sure your designer has a plan to protect your property. If trucks and other equipment must be driven through your yard, make sure you know now and direct the designer to protect your property as you see fit.

8.    Changes

However unlikely it is that plans for your dock will change, there is always the potential for problems to arise with a construction project. Ask your designer what the process is if changes to the design must be made, especially concerning changes in cost. Make it clear that you want to know about changes before they are ordered by the designer.

Asking these questions will set you up for an extremely successful relationship with your dock designer. You’re much less likely to face setbacks or disappointments if you set up a good foundation of understanding from the beginning.

If you’re looking for expertise in dock designs, give us a call today. We’re ready to help you design the dock of your dreams! Check out our new dock design tool!