General contractors Calgary are the people you run to when you need to have your property built from scratch or when you are remodelling your existing properties. However, do you really know the real scope of their duties? It is important that you do so that you can set your expectations and demand the right service from them.
General contractors, in a nutshell, are in charge of construction management. This means that they supervise the building of a property from the planning stages until it is completed. Hence, they are expected to interact with different types of people in the course of the project, like designers, architects, and other specialized subcontractors. This means that even if different teams handle the jobs in the different phases of the project, the general contractors are still held responsible for reporting to the clients since they are the ones running the construction companies. A general contractor can sometimes be called a remodelling contractor if the project involved is a renovation or remodelling
A general contractor’s job starts with the planning stage. Here he has to pinpoint the various phases of the construction and hire the qualified people to do the job. Some general contractors usually offer general construction services and thus have the right workers under their direct employ. Most, however, usually subcontract some aspects of the project, like plumbing, electrical, and others. The planning phase also includes setting deadlines for key phases of the construction project. This schedule should be presented to the client so that they can agree or disagree on it, then make necessary changes. Some clients, for instance, want their properties finished quickly. Therefore, the contractor may have to hire more people to meet this demand.
Once everything is planned, work will now ensue. The general contractor has to acquire the necessary permits from local agencies and once granted, he can give the go signal to the first phase of the project. He must oversee the daily progress of the job to ensure that deadlines are met and that problems that are encountered along the way are immediately addressed. He must also be in constant communication with the client to report on the progress of the project. Further, the general contractor is also in charge of making sure that workers get their salary on time.
Top general contractors are very good at managing their time and resources. They usually are well connected, so they know exactly who to hire for their different needs. Since the scope of a contractor’s job is very wide, it is but natural that he hires very qualified people to whom he can delegate some of his responsibilities. For instance, he can send an engineer to visit the construction site when he is unable to do so. Most contractors also have an executive assistant who help manage their daily schedules. Nowadays, general contractors even make use of construction management software, which are laden with various features to make the administration of construction projects go with ease.
The next time you are in need of a general contractor, be smart to go for someone that has years of experience because it really takes years of exposure in a construction environment to perfect this role. In fact, it is not surprising to find a general contractor who started out as a carpenter then slowly worked his way up the ladder to finally start his own company.
