Pre-construction Pitfall

I want to clarify something that has bugged me for years - a general contractor does not wear a set of toolbags. In construction, a contractor enters a contract with a customer to execute an agreed scope of work, then the contractor issues subcontracts for each related part of the project. The contractor ultimately oversees the work of subcontractors and ensures the project goes as planned. If your “contractor” is wearing a set of toolbags all day and physically performing the entire project himself, it turns out you have hired a REMODELER, not a contractor.

Why does that matter? Because this nuance, this semantic issue, has been the cause of LOTS of confusion in residential construction. My job description as a general contractor is to plan a job prior to starting work to ensure customers are receiving what they paid for. It turns out, there are REQUIRED MANUFACTURER INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS written on the packaging for most building products, there are building codes that must be followed, and there are inherent customer expectations in construction (efficiency, cleanliness, craftsmanship). It is the contractors job to manage the folks physically performing the work, to supervise, to ensure safety…

More often than not, “contractors” are pricing jobs for unrealistically low values because those “contractors” have no oversight and no concept of doing things CORRECTLY. The biggest pitfall I see in construction is the lack of pre-construction homework by the customer.

Please, consider this before starting your construction project - are you looking to hire a professional manager of construction projects to oversee your project and give you a headache free experience (a legitimate contractor)? Or are you looking to hire a guy that owns tools to remodel/build your house? If you chose the latter, I’d argue that you’re getting a subpar product and poor execution.