what kind of contract, fixed price, cost of the work, design-build, etc?

Check out the AIA 2007 contracts. They are far from perfect but a good reference. Available at online stores for the building trades (or from your Architect).

Standard contract forms from the AIA are copyrighted and are available by mail for $10 each in print form and for $20 each if you want to fill them out online and then print them but they are not available as samples.

The forms available from online stores often use the same alphanumeric designations as the AIA and claim the forms are in "AIA format" but they are not written by the AIA and offer less protection for the owner IMHO.

Occasionally an AIA form will be filled out for a specific project and published online so it is possible to search for one of them and download it for reference.

It's a cost plus contract - I continued to work my way backwards in this "Building a Home" forum and found someone's contract to compare against. THese forums are terrific!
Thanks for the info re the AIA standard contracts.

For a "Cost of the Work Plus a Fee" contract you can use AIA Document A107-"2007 with A107 Exhibit A attached.

A custom written contract will be very specific to the project it was written for so something important might be missing or inappropriate clauses might be added so be sure you know enough about the project to use it.

A standard contract form will be copyrighted so an updated copy will be more difficult to find online.

Which contract did you find on the forum?

THanks everyone - Renovator8 I found contract language along with lots of suggestions on this forum - Builder's Contract
Posted by: angela12345 on Thu, Nov 18, 10 at 13:52
11 follow-ups, last one posted on Fri, Nov 19, 10 at 11:26

denisehess, the contract language you found is helpful but it is written in an odd amateurish manner and confuses the meaning of terms like reimbursement and compensation, etc. and omits critical clauses like termination. If you are writing the contract there is no reason to propose a 12% interest rate for overdue payments; let the contractor propose something if he wants it. The 1 year warranty is usually written as a 1 year extension of the Correction of the Work clause and any additional warranties would be in the design documents.

An owner-contractor contract usually consists of an agreement (listing the parties, documents and describing the compensation, payment method and special issues, etc.), the general conditions (describing the responsibilities of the parties, insurance, termination, conduct of the work, etc.), the design documents (including the technical specifications), and any addenda and/or allowances.

The wording of a contract should not only satisfy you and the contractor, it should be able to be understood by a court which is why industry standard wording and formatting is desirable unless a lawyer writes the contract. In any case, a lawyer should review the contract before you sign it.

If you need samples of professionally written contracts email me at enovator8@gmail.com