Finding The Right Contractor: The HomeTriangle Guide

Planning a home remodel or building a home from scratch usually involves hiring a civil contractor. For many of us the process of finding a contractor can be baffling, even knowing where to start looking for a reliable contractor can be a challenge especially when attempting your first building project.

The process of hiring a contractor depends on many factors, for instance how large your home building or remodeling project is. The type of contractor that you hire will depend on the degree of complexity of the work you are hiring the contractor to execute.

Hire a general contractor to manage the entire project

The various types of contractors that you can consider for your job are listed below.

General Contractors

This type of contractor will handle every aspect of your build. The plus point of hiring a general contractor is that they are a one stop solution, saving you the hassle of hiring different specialist contractors for different fields of work as well as the time and energy consumed in monitoring the work as it progresses. A general contractor will hire sub-contractors, supervise the work, organize your building permits and liaise with your interior designer and architect.

Specialty Contractors

Specialty contractors as the term implies specialize in a particular field. The benefit of hiring a specialty contractor is that the level of skill that they have in their field is a plus when handling complicated remodels. For example a specialized electrical contractor will be able to lay sensitive wiring for home automation systems and be able to integrate your existing electronics if you so desire. A general contractor would also need to hire a specialist for intricate, complicated work and will charge you accordingly.

Architectural firms can be a one stop shop when looking for a contractor

Architectural Firms

Architectural firms are often themselves a one stop shop for home remodeling and building work covering all aspects of building from design to execution. A large remodel that involves structural changes to your existing home calls for hiring an architect to ensure that structural integrity is maintained through the integration of the remodel or extension. Architectural firms may have in-house teams to handle your work or will alternatively refer a reliable contractor that they sub-contract to complete your project. An architectural firm will also monitor the building process and provide a consulting service to introduce a system of checks that ensures the quality of the materials and inputs used by the contractor to build your home.