General Contractors to Avoid

The caliber of general contractors can make or break building projects. A general contractor is a professional in the construction industry who is hired to oversee a large building project. They will be the individual who make a bid on a project based on a set of architectural plans. If their bid is accepted, they will run the entire job, purchase materials, deal with governmental agencies, adhere to code requirements, hire and pay the subcontractors. They commonly add up all of the potential costs and then add a certain percentage on the top for their services in order to present a bid with a pricetag to the owner. The owner of the project will typically take a building loan to finance the project which will be paid in installments to the contractor through the course of the project. The lender will also have requirements and inspections during the building process in order to make certain that their investment is being well constructed.

It is crucial that the general contractor of a job be a high caliber professional. Here are some red flags of an unprofessional:

- Tardy: If a prospective pro is late in providing a bid to a project owner, this is a red flag. If a person is late gathering and submitting a bid in order to offer their services, it is likely that they will be late doing many other aspects of the job along the way.

- New to the community: A general contractor should be a seasoned professional well acquainted with the community where the construction project is being built. A seasoned pro will know who the best subcontractors are for electrical, plumbing, roofing and other key components. They will also have a supply of workers to call on it order to do the job. They will know where to purchase the best supplies and materials in order to do fine quality work at a fair price. A new person won’t have a strong enough base to draw from. A newcomer may need to spend time as a worker in a new locale before becoming the head honcho.

- Wimpy: A person running a crew of subs and workers must be a strong individual who doesn’t take nonsense or pussyfoot around. In order to gain respect that will let his or her crew realize that they must get the job done right and in a timely manner, they must be working for someone with substantial strength.

- Short fuse or cranky: It takes oil to lubricate machinery. Kindness, reliability and good communication skills are imperative to running the machinery of a building project. Short tempers and cranky, unlikeable types will anger governmental overseers and employees alike. The owner will not be able to handle a feather-ruffler during the challenge of the project, either.

- Inept financial manager: There’s a lot of money juggling to do in a construction project. Workers, sub-contractors and building permit fees must be paid in a timely manner or the house of cards may tumble. A general contractor must be a capable financial manager or the whole project could fall apart due to cash problems.

If a consumer runs into non-professionals with shaky skills or ethics, they need to keep looking till they find capable general contractors.