 General Contractor
What is general contracting? Lets say you are about to have a new home built, or perhaps you want to build an addition to your existing home, the term general contracting is going to come up in your life. Of that, you can be sure. But what exactly is a general contractor and what do these people do?
To begin, when it comes to construction, whether it is commercial or residential, there are two basic types of contracting and contractors. The first type is general contracting, and the second is sub-contracting.
General contracting is a broad terms and it covers individuals and companies who will work as the lead or head contractor of a project. These individuals, often called general contractors, hire on as the "person in charge". They oversee most, if not all, of the work that takes place on the project. If you were to think of this as a pyramid, they would be at the top of the diagram, with the sub-contractors being below them.
Another way to look at this is to imagine a home being built from the ground up. In order to complete the construction of the home, many different tasks must take place. The foundation must be laid out and built, water and sewage lines have to be run to the house, electrical work has to be done, framing, siding, and roofing must be completed. Each of these specialized tasks is usually completed by a sub-contractor who is experienced and knowledgeable about his trade. But who oversees these individual contractors? That is where a general contractor comes in.
A general contractor, working under a general contracting agreement, will perform the duties listed in the construction contract. These duties will vary, depending on what the contract says, but commonly the general contractor will seek out bids and estimates for each specialized job (such as plumbing or roofing), present the bids to the owner for a decision, hire the sub-contractors, brief them on what the work entails, schedule sub-contractors so that the work runs smoothly, handle the purchasing of materials, make sure deliveries are accepted, and inspect the work that is being done by the sub-contractors.
Generally speaking, people hire out their general contracting needs because they do not have the time or the expertise to do this work on their own. When choosing a general contractor it is best to do some background research before hiring. Some of the issues that you may wish to know about the general contractor include:
Is the person or company licensed in your state?
Do they have any references you can check?
How many years have they been in business?
What does their work schedule look like and will they be able to spend the required time on your job site?
Do they carry workmen's compensation insurance? It is always good to ask for proof-you do not want to be held liable for injuries sustained on the job.
When searching for a general contractor, it is not unreasonable to obtain as many as three bids from three different contractors. However, keep in mind that the lowest bid may not always translate to good results. Saving money is fine, but it should not be done at the expense of quality work.
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