Many of us have dreams of building our own home. We have been dreaming about the space and freedom to stretch out in a comfortable design that will be built to fit our needs. Hiring the right general contractor will be one of the most important decisions you make along this journey. This choice will impact how you go about every phase of the process and how pleasant or unpleasant it will be. In every construction project, there will be ups and downs. There will be great successes and many unexpected problems. You want to find someone that you trust and whom can handle problems effectively when they arise. These persons responsibility takes the weight of much of the building process and how it is pulled off. You want to hire someone you can trust and who would handle conflict and problems similar to you. There are many things that you will be able to handle when your home is being built, but most important are the times when you want to hand it over to your general contractor (GC).
A great reason to have a seasoned GC are the workers that will be hired to do much of the actual labor. Among their responsibilities is the hiring and negotiating the contracts with the subcontractors. Not only will the workers and craftsmen be hired through someone else, but all of their payment schedules and hiring contracts will also be managed by the GC. The contractor is held responsible for supervising the work of subcontractors, such as electricians and masons. They provide a cohesiveness amongst all the different skills hired to complete such a project.
Permits and inspections are a huge portion of building your own home, so unless you are a professional, that can easily be missed or misinterpreted. From zoning to building codes, there is a lot of information and legalities that must be crossed and dotted before you can live in your newly-built home. General contractors are skilled and responsible to obtain any and all legal permits to build in a specific city or state. This alone is worth a little more money than the headaches this can incur when you don’t know what you are doing. Just redesigns can be enough of a headache, so you would want to hire a person who really knows what they are doing to head the entire production process.
Outside of the GC’s responsibilities and accountabilities, there are many decisions and jobs that you as the homeowner will have to face. When problems such as unexpected weather, unexpected expenses, and general surprises pop up, your decision making is key. During the building process, you might have unexpected critters coming to snack and take refuge in your new wood beams. It would be a great investment in the building of your new home to find appropriate pest control to maintain the life of your home masterpiece. Hiring a company such as this would fall under your responsibilities as the home builder and owner. You might want to consider Joshua’s Pest Control as a reliable pest control company.
Other jobs you can do yourself during the build is specialty work. If you are looking to add artistic craftsmanship in your design, you will want to work closely with your crafter or artist. If you would like to involve the local community in the build, you can organize groups of friends or volunteers to help assist your workers. This can be assistance in the clearing, cleaning, or heavy lifting. This could make your contracted work go faster. If you have demolition work to do, this can also be a time to utilize friends and family.
If you have a background in any type of construction or building, you might be able to work with your GC and negotiate that you will take care of certain aspects of the job. Depending on what forms and techniques you are using to build, you might be able to take over a few more projects that would take a personal touch. Communication and having a solid relationship with your chosen contractor is key. This is one of the most important choices you will make for the building of your home. Take your time, check references, and establish clear lines of communication. It takes a team to accomplish the vision.