St Louis General Contractors Offer Expertise For Your Home Project

What value does a general contractor bring?

While the residents of the city of St.Louis and the rest of the “Show Me” State have long relied on their own talents to get things done, those looking to have their kitchen, bathroom or other room in their house should consider the use of a professional – a general contractor – to get the job done.

A general contractor – or GC as they are more informally known – has the requisite expertise, resources and practical experience to handle everything involved in a remodeling project from the mundane to the unexpected. Finding a competent and reliable GC is not always an easy task however. There many factors for the project owner to consider. Here is a quick rundown on the most important questions that a home or office building owner should consider:

In Greater St. Louis area, residential and commercial contracting companies are routinely used to oversee a home or apartment remodeling project because they relieve the project owner from having to oversee any number of subcontractors, vendors and inspectors. Generally they are given complete control over the day-to-day aspects of the construction project once the plans are finalized and approved by the project owner.

The owner will then only meet with the GC on an ad hoc basis or at specified times – known as milestones – to inspect the work and make payment for that or the next stage of the project. The value in this part if the process is that it saves the project owner a great deal of time and aggravation.

The GC’s responsibilities often include a number of specific duties. In general, the GC will create an timeline so that the project owner knows when the project will be complete. In particular, the GC will start by ordering the necessary materials and scheduling them for delivery at the appropriate times. In addition, they will hire and schedule the necessary subcontractors – that is, the people who will actually do the physical construction work.

As mentioned, the GC will also collect payments from the project owner and then disburse these funds to the subcontractors. He keeps a portion for himself in payment for his own services. Finally, the GC will interact with the local building authorities to ensure that all permitting and inspection of the work is done in a timely manner. The value in this part if the process is that it saves the project owner a great deal of money and problems with the local building department.

A second, equally important aspect of the home GC’s role is to act as an intermediary between the project owner and the subcontractors. While the project is being completed, the homeowner may be tempted to intercede with a subcontractor if they notice something they do not like or want to change. While the subcontractor will most likely listen, they will usually not do anything until they speak to their actual employer – the GC.

It is important for the project owner to understand this point as repeated interruptions will only delay the completion of their remodeling project and probably increase its costs. Instead, the owner should communicate their concerns to the GC and let the professional do the job he is being paid for.

One other caveat – change orders can be accommodated once a project has been started but they always entail a cost increase in the job and can seriously wreck a budget if done late in the project timeline. The value for the project owner here is that the GC can bring their considerable experience to bear on any problem or change to keep the costs down.