{"id":8976,"date":"2017-09-01T09:00:35","date_gmt":"2017-09-01T09:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/?p=8976"},"modified":"2022-03-28T21:54:06","modified_gmt":"2022-03-28T21:54:06","slug":"what-does-a-general-contractor-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does a General Contractor Do?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are a lot of quick ways to improve your home but some of the most effective changes you can introduce will require some degree of remodeling. However, even when you\u2019re just remodeling just one area of your home, such as your kitchen or bathroom, you will need the expertise of several craftsmen. This is where a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.homeadvisor.com\/r\/residential-general-contractors\/\">general contractor<\/a> comes in.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>General Contractors Defined<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>A general contractor is essentially a remodeling professional in charge of a home improvement project. To get what you need to be done, they will bring together subcontractors and coordinate within the group to facilitate the process. You can think of a general contractor as what an event planner would be to a wedding, with subcontractors as the wedding\u2019s suppliers. In the same way that an event planner puts together pieces to make someone\u2019s dream wedding a reality, a general <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/tips-for-finding-a-reliable-home-contractor\/\" class=\"wpil_internal_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contractor is there to bring your dream home<\/a> to life.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8978 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>General contractors are there to oversee home improvement projects and ensure they go off without a hitch.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Why Hire a General Contractor?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to look at general contractors as mere overseers to remodeling projects. However, they don\u2019t just organize schedules and make sure everything is in order&#8211;they are also remodeling experts in their own right. When you hire one, you\u2019re paying for:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><u>Exceptional Organizational Skill<\/u>.<\/strong> Depending on the kind of work you\u2019re getting done on your home, it\u2019s not unheard of to require more than a handful of subcontractors at a time. And while each subcontractor has a specialization, their work is tied to one another. Should one be delayed, for example, it can cause a ripple effect that can negatively impact your remodeling project. A general contractor can help you avoid that by staying on top of things for you, which is why it\u2019s not unusual to see them on the phone all the time.<\/li>\n<li><strong><u>Building Process Know-how<\/u>.<\/strong> To stay on top of things, a general contractor has to know as well what\u2019s going on. This means knowing what needs to be done and when allowing them not only to control the schedule but to also prevent unnecessary spending.<\/li>\n<li><strong><u>Building Trade Familiarity<\/u>.<\/strong> A good general contractor knows how to evaluate a subcontractor\u2019s work. By knowing the standards of the trade, they are able to determine if a subcontractor\u2019s output is sufficient or not.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8979 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>From making everyone\u2019s on schedule to ensure that the right tasks are being completed, keeping a remodeling team together is what makes a general contractor so valuable.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><u>Building Code Knowledge<\/u>.<\/strong> All construction work, big or small, have to meet building codes. Your general contractor will know what requirements are in place for your area, letting you not only avoid fines come inspection time but also assures that you are receiving quality according to industry standards.<\/li>\n<li><strong><u>Subcontractor Relations<\/u>.<\/strong> Any supplier or subcontractor worth working will be professional but they\u2019re also likelier to be more responsive to a general contractor they\u2019ve already worked before and had the pleasure of working with. Subcontractors are also selective of jobs so they\u2019ll also take into consideration the general contractor you have. One who already has a thriving network will make it easier for you to find subcontractors for your remodeling project.<\/li>\n<li><strong><u>Project Guarantee<\/u>.<\/strong> A good general contractor is also a guarantee that a project will stay on track should a subcontractor demand payment upfront for certain kinds of work. This is because they will be financially stable enough to have cash on hand to cover costs, billing you just afterward.<\/li>\n<li><u><strong>Contract Expertise<\/strong><\/u><strong>.<\/strong> General contractors deal with contracts and subcontractors all day every day so they have a firm grasp of valid terms, allowing them to advise you accurately if conditions you are presented with are just. This also means you can talk to them about anything contract-related should you have any questions or concerns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Generally, you should hire a general contractor when the remodeling job you\u2019re looking at will call for different professionals to complete, require over a week to accomplish, and need a few permits to get started.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8980 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Finding the Right General Contractor<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>There will be a lot of general contractors out there so it\u2019s not actually difficult to find candidates; it\u2019s whittling down your list to just one that can make the selection process a bit troublesome for you. At the very least, you should make sure that your general contractor is licensed and experienced&#8211;a license ensures that you\u2019re working with a legitimate business while experience assures you that you\u2019re enlisting the assistance of someone who truly knows what they are doing. Take note that licensing requirements may vary from state to state and the more years of experience you\u2019re looking at, the better.<\/p>\n<p>To help you quickly weed out who you should NOT be working with, here are some <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/4-warning-signs-need-new-roof\/\" class=\"wpil_internal_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">warning signs<\/a> that a general contractor is NOT to be entertained:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Solicits door-to-door (A classic sign of a fly-by-night contractor!)<\/li>\n<li>Is not listed in your local phone book or doesn\u2019t have a physical office address<\/li>\n<li>Ask for payment upfront in full<\/li>\n<li>Will only accept cash as payment<\/li>\n<li>Offers you discounts if you can find other customers for them<\/li>\n<li>Highlights your remodeling job will be a demonstration<\/li>\n<li>Makes you get your own building permits<\/li>\n<li>Forces you to sign a contract<\/li>\n<li>Demands a lien on your home (A lien is the right to possess your home until you the remodeling job is fully paid)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8981 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>BAD EGGS: There will be a lot of excellent general contractors out there but watch out for the bad eggs! Knowing the warning signs will help you avoid scammers.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Opting to remodel can be an exciting time but it can also be just as overwhelming as the reality of the level of work a home improvement will require starts to set in. Fortunately, general contractors are here to get that load off your shoulder. Sure, you\u2019ll still be involved in the project but your general contractor can take care of the technicalities for you, allowing you to enjoy the process more of remodeling your home. Given the kind of responsibility a general contractor takes on then, it\u2019s crucial that you take the time to find the right one for you and your home.<\/p>\n<p><strong>============================================================&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Author Bio:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Vincent Nanfito<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Nanfito name has been synonymous with construction in Connecticut for over 52 years, our President <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vnanfito.com\/\">Vincent Nanfito<\/a> founded V. Nanfito\u2019s in January 1965. Vinny continues to be involved in the daily administration of V. Nanfito <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/how-to-maintain-your-roof-sidings\/\" class=\"wpil_internal_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Roofing and Siding.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>============================================================<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are a lot of quick ways to improve your home but some of the most effective changes you can introduce will require some degree &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1872],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.9.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Does a General Contractor Do? - Kravelv<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Does a General Contractor Do? - Kravelv\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are a lot of quick ways to improve your home but some of the most effective changes you can introduce will require some degree &hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kravelv\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kravelv\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kravelv\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-09-01T09:00:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-03-28T21:54:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kravelv\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@kravelv\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@kravelv\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kravelv\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do\/\",\"name\":\"What Does a General Contractor Do? - Kravelv\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-09-01T09:00:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-03-28T21:54:06+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d862ff37084b809242695322f1ba0fe2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/what-does-a-general-contractor-do\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Does a General Contractor Do?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/\",\"name\":\"Kravelv\",\"description\":\"Small Space Living and Home Improvement Tips\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d862ff37084b809242695322f1ba0fe2\",\"name\":\"Kravelv\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.kravelv.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ac326c5e15907c682c56f758f50987fa?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ac326c5e15907c682c56f758f50987fa?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kravelv\"},\"description\":\"Kravelv is a full time digital marketer and part time furniture and cabinet maker. 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