What does a general contractor do?
A general contractor is an indispensable part of a construction or remodeling project. And in brief terms is responsible for supervising and coordinating all aspects of the job-all the way from securing permits to watching over subcontractors. For a more detailed breakdown of a general contractor’s role, responsibilities and costs involved in hiring, read on.
General Contractor Role
Planning & Supervising
A general contractor is responsible for everyday planning and supervising of the project. This includes scheduling, timelines, resource planning and cost assessment. At the project planning and execution stage, a general contractor is responsible for drawing up a project plan and getting it approved from the client. Next, he works on establishing a budget, listing down equipment and manpower requirements for specific aspects of the job and a timeline with stage by stage breakdown.
A general contractor will also be the person who hires the subcontractors, negotiate agreements with them and create risk mitigation strategies in tandem. At every stage and movement in a project, a general contractor will be responsible for getting changes and updates approved and looked over by the client. This includes any changes in budget, hiring, special circumstances, emergencies, legal issues and any other build related challenges. More complex tasks like managing inventories, booking professionals, paying vendors and subcontractors, supervising inspection and preparing every day progress report also fall within the purview and responsibilities of a general contractor.
Sourcing Equipment & Materials
The general contractor is usually responsible for sourcing all the building materials like cement, wood, stone etc. and also essential equipment on the job site. The contractor also helps manage vendors, supervise quality of material sourced and liaison with professionals.
The general contractor is responsible for overseeing that timelines with regard to materials, quantity and quality are met. He is also responsible for budgeting and inspecting to ensure that client expectations are being followed at every stage of the project-all the way through from quality of materials to timelines.
Managing Job Site
The general contractor is the day to day manager of the building site and is responsible for ensuring that tasks are competed on time. In addition, he is responsible for ensuring safety on the project site, cleanliness and that all rules and regulations are being adhered to. General contractors are responsible for ensuring building codes are being followed, waste is being disposed off according to city rules and work is being wrapped up on time everyday.
They are also responsible for managing premise security and on site cleaning.
Managing Subcontractors
Another important aspect of a general contractor’s on site role is supervising subcontractors and workers on site. The supervision also extends to vendors, suppliers and other third parties like equipment providers etc. The general contractor also coordinates activities and schedules work for everyone to ensure the project works smoothly.
Managing Budgets and Timelines
The general contractors is the main point of contact for the client. He is responsible for answering questions related to timelines, progress, budget etc. A contractor is hired to ensure the project runs on budget and follows quality standards set by the client. Basically, he is responsible for the performance of the project as a whole and quality of the end result.
Legal Management & Safety
The general contractor is responsible for everyone working on site under him-from the subcontractors to the workers, cleaning crew, third party workers etc. It’s his responsibility to conduct safety drills, prevent accidents on site and ensure safe handling and management of expensive equipment. If the contractor has their own business, then they’ll also need a business insurance policy to protect them, their equipment, and the team. They’ll likely have worker’s compensation insurance as well.
The general manager also takes care of all legalities such as acquiring licenses and permits from requisite authorities. He must also ensure no laws or building codes are being violated on site and that all lower end workers are following rules and regulations.
Point of contact between client and subcontractors
The general contractor is the liaison between the client and third parties involved in the project. Whether it is coordinating meetings or keeping clients informed of progress, the general contractor is the person on call. He is also responsible for communicating all requirements from the client to third parties and vice versa. The general contractor should also share any communication regarding change in budget or timeline with the clients and get the same approved. In this regard, the general contractors must keep all documentation between the client and different parties.
In this chain of communication, the contractor has to document every change and conversation between the client and the different parties involved in the project.
Why Hire A General Contractor?
With all this said and done, you might be wondering whether a general contractor is even necessary. The fact is projects vary greatly in size and complexity and will determine whether a general contractor is necessary. If you are willing to take on the responsibility of handling the job and it feels manageable, by all means, do it yourself. You will definitely end up saving more and can use your subcontractors as support too.
Keep in mind though, if you a big remodel or construction project with specialized help required, it is better to hire a contractor to handle everything. A general contractor with years of industry experience comes with connections and know how. They can guide you on say the best flooring option or the most affordable for your brand new house. Or who to contact for a particularly tricky kitchen model. If you have expensive tastes and require high quality finishes and great results, hiring a general contractors with contacts is your best bet. General contractors have relationships with builders and subcontractors and can be of great help when hiring professionals or getting your a discount.
If you handle a build yourself, you might struggle with timelines and supervising as it’s not your main job or expertise. Whereas with a general contractor, you only have to ask about timelines and best materials and you will get an experienced answer.
Also look into the scale of your job. If you a have a small kitchen remodel that you need getting done, you might as well hire a general contractor as it will be relatively inexpensive. Not to mention, you won’t have to worry about the hassle of supervising the build. However, if it’s a complete house build you are looking to hire for, a contractor will cost you a pretty penny. Keep in mind though, the bigger the job, the more the complexity involved. If you are handy with construction even in a novice capacity, you can likely handle a small kitchen remodel yourself. But an entire house build will be outside of your expertise.
Before outsourcing your building work to a contractors make sure you cover the following questions:
Professionals Required: If you have need of multiple professionals requiring supervision, it’s better to hire a general contractors to watch over them. In general, more than two subcontractors probably warrant a general contractor.
Length of Project: If you have a small project that will only take a few days or a week tops, hiring a general contractor may not be worth it. However, if you are a full time professional and the job will take months, it might be worth it to let someone take over the work.
Permits: If your project requires special permits and complicated building codes to manage, hiring a general contractor makes a lot of sense to avoid any legal issues down the road.
Ultimately, the costs and quality of your project will depend on who you hire and if you choose to hire at all. So make you have researched all your options. This guide can serve as a reference when you are making your decision.