When starting a new project that includes a wealth of construction, your first step is to decide whether or not to go with a general contractor or to go out on your own as your own contractor. The decision is a two fold issue that includes considering your own personal knowledge of contracting as well as the hefty responsibility that comes with running an entire construction project.
What Does a General Contractor Do For You?
The purpose of a general contractor is to basically act as a liaison and manager for your construction project. They are in charge of hiring the subcontractors, bidding and estimating, obtaining all of the needed permits, doing all negotiating from materials to subcontractors, as well as being the go to person for any issues. The general contractor has to have a myriad of skills from knowledge of the construction business, great connections, to budgeting, and negotiation skills.
How to Find the Right General Contractor?
When you decide to hire a general contractor for your project, you have to find the one that is right for the project at hand. Firstly, decide between Plan/Spec (plan/specification) and a Design/Build delivery system. Simply put, the plan/spec model requires you to create two separate contracts and hire and architecture firm to create the plans and specifications for the project. They take care of the bidding and you then hire a separate contractor for the design and build portion. The design/build system cuts out the architecture firm and puts the entire process in the hands of the general contractor.
Once that is decided, think about the following questions to ask your commercial general contractor to select the best one:
- How many sites have you completed in the past?
- Do you have experience with energy efficient building?
- Do you have your own employees and if so, how many of them will be performing the duties aside from subcontractors?
- Will I be working with you directly or will the be a different person supervising the construction site?
Construction by Daniels
There are trustworthy, efficient, and cost effective commercial general contractor companies. At Construction by Daniels we can provide you with the best possible building experience. Contact us today, and our contractors can help you go over the best way to approach your next building project.
