When it comes to contractors, there are specialist contractors and general contractors. Specialist contractors work on one or more aspects of the work. Therefore, on a home renovation or construction project, they might work on the electrical and plumbing side of things only. This compares to a general contractor who is responsible for the complete project. They oversee it and act as project manager leading the contractors to ensure everything gets completed on time.
Here are a few of the benefits of hiring general contractors and how they work for you.
Leading from the Front
A general contractor takes control of the project. Instead of the home developer or homeowner having to deal with each individual contractor one by one and juggle different responsibilities, that’s the general contractor’s job. What they say goes and other contractors report directly to the general contractor who in turn reports to the owner of the project. The buck stops with them. They’re also legally responsible and may also bear the responsibility and risk connected to what contractors below them have done or not done on the project.
Head in the Details, Not in the Clouds
The larger the building or renovation project, the more difficult it is to manage all the aspects simultaneously. Rather than the owner of the land or the property needing to get up to speed on what every contractor does, the general contracts already knows.
They look at what supplies are needed and source the right quality for a good price to keep on budget. They’ll usually have some good contacts with preferential deals on supplies compared to what the homeowner can access alone.
Good Communicators
As a general contractor, they’re required to speak the customer’s language and not only that of the contractors. They’re the point person to the developer or homeowner. While it’s difficult to talk with many contractors, the general contractor is the public face that pulls all the relevant information together to speak informatively and accurately about how the project is going and what difficulties are being experienced.
Responsible for Recruiting Other Contractors
Hiring specialist contractors is difficult because you have the experience to know what you’re looking for exactly. This makes it hard to find the right people. A general contractor understands the different specializations and how certain contractors can help complete projects better or sooner than expected. They also know the pitfalls of making a bad hiring call. They plan and make the hires and take care of the firings too.
Less Stress
When you have a general contractor on your building project, it’s far less stressful. Taking on the project and making it their responsibility is a huge burden off your shoulders. This allows you to relax about how things are progressing and place your focus elsewhere. You’ll still receive regular updates on progress, setbacks and delivery timelines, but your mind will be clearer.
Hiring a general contractor means that you no longer must micromanage each specialist contractor that you hire. They’re the team player with construction and home renovation knowledge, plus project management skills to keep everything on-track. Once you have one, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without them.
