General contractor manages any size building project

General contractor manages any size building project W hen Greenfield residents Michael and Elizabeth Mack were ready to build their first custom home, they hired a general contractor to manage the project. For the Macks, they wanted somebody who was experienced and trustworthy to have total control over their project. "He just seemed to give us good advice and made us feel like we were getting good value for the things we were spending money on," Elizabeth Mack said. Whether it's a large custom build or a small remodeling project, a general contractor can manage all areas of the job -- from hiring and paying subcontractors for the various parts of the construction, to securing all building permits and code inspections. A general contractor typically will charge a flat fee or a percentage over the cost of labor and materials for a job, which can range from 10 to 25 percent, Depending on the scope of the job. Rowe said his company works within a client's budget and provides estimates at each phase of a project so there are no surprises in the process, but it's really up to the homeowners as to just how involved they want to be in a project. Before you hire, check a general contractor's references, licensing and insurance. Be sure the project includes a mutually agreed-on contract, which should include lien waivers. This protects the homeowner from retribution from subcontractors, should the contractor not pay them. "A good contractor provides waivers of lien as he receives money and should receive waivers of lien as he pays off his subs," Rowe said. They just want to come home and know it's moving along and is being done properly. Most GCs have specific subcontractors they work with on a frequent basis. "With our subcontractors, basically we're their repeat clients year after year, so we get some preferences from them in pricing and timely scheduling," Rowe said. With that, we would typically prequalify them, even if they've worked with them, to be certain they have the ability to do the work when we need it done and they have got the proper insurance. He gave us answers to every question we could ask, which was a lot. Things went very smoothly. "It depends on how hands-on they want to be; how much of the process they've gone through before and how much time they have to spend on it," Rowe said. Or they may have subcontractors they prefer. We were thrilled with the way it turned out and thankful for that, too. "That was the biggest thing for me, knowing that everything was taken care of. As we go through a job, we require our subcontractors to sign partials in addition to the final, just as we provide those to a client. It keeps everything clean as you move along with the project. Angie Hicks is a Fishers resident and founder of Angie's List, a national provider of ratings in more than 550 categories of service. General contractor manages any size building project Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 09/06/2012