General Contractor

A General Contractor can help on meet your Home Improvement Needs

A general contractor can be both a residential and commercial contractor and may also be a builder. In many cases, a general contractor covers all three services. If you have any building needs, whether for a residential project or a business project, a general contractor can help you by being in charge of project management.

Whatever you want to build, though, you have to make sure that the general contractor you hire has had extensive experience in that field. A residential contractor, for example, would not know the special requirements of commercial building while a commercial contractor would not know the special needs of building a family residence. There are different laws, ordinances and regulations covering each of these building projects. There are also certain practical problems with solutions that can only be learned through actual experience.

Usually, the home builders have a vision of what they want in their dream home and a budget to spend on it. They have no specific technical know how to determine the feasibility of various aspects of that home, though, or how the features they want could fit into their budget. Sometimes, husband and wife even have differing visions of how the house should be. Finding and hiring the right Home improvement or general contractor would then be the best first step in starting such a project. The general contractor and also a professional Remodeling contractor can help the homebuilders put together the right team to start planning the house according to their vision and their budget. This includes the architect and the builder. If the general contractor happens to have an in-house architect and is a builder to boot, it would not only bring down costs but would also greatly facilitate smooth coordination.

Home builders often ask bids from several general or HomeRemodeling contractors, among which they choose whom to hire. The common practice is to ask for bids from only two to three general contractors. Having too many bidders may turn off some contractors, prompting them to withdraw. Preparing for a bid is quite a heavy task and they would not want to invest time and effort if there is little chance of winning.

To prepare a bid, the general contractor takes the homebuilders’ budget and their preliminary requirements. With the help of a team consisting of the architect, builder and sub-trades such as electricians, plumbers and the like, which the general contractor will eventually hire for the project, the list of material requirements, service fees and other costs shall be drawn up. This also includes the cost of processing all the necessary permits for the project, equipment rentals and even clean up after construction. An allowance is built in for emergencies and for inflation. Finally, the contractor’s management fee is added on. This usually runs to around 15-20% of the total cost.

After the homebuilders have chosen a general contractor, the contract is prepared. Have this checked by your lawyer to ensure that everything is covered. The specific details of the project, including specific materials, must be included, as well as the deadline for the construction.

The general contractor assists homebuilders with financing requirements, submitting papers asked for by loan officers. The general contractor is also responsible for acquiring all permits for the project. The entire team is assembled and paid by the contractor. The project is then begun, starting with the foundation and followed by the framing, including walls, roof trusses, stairs, windows and doors. Roofing finalizes the basic structure. This is followed by the exterior finish, electrical system, plumbing, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, insulating, drywall and interior finish. Landscaping is done after everything else so as not to be damaged by ongoing work. The general contractor checks on everything during the building process and at the end to ensure that everything is in place and working according to specifications. The general contractor then turns over the project to you.

With the right general contractor, your building needs are met perfectly.  

Source from: http://www.doyouknow.in/