If you are building a new home or a certain construction project, a General Contractor is one of the people you most certainly need to achieve your goal in building. Sure you may want to be very hands on in building your own house or structure but this job can be very difficult and instead of saving for expenses by not hiring additional personnel, you may then realize that you certainly need one to avoid errors, miscommunication and eventually extra expenses. In order to make operations run smoothly a contractor is essential. If you are curious what a General Contractor is and how important can this person be in projects, you may want to read some information below.
What is a General Contractor?
A General Contractor is a person who acts as a manager and coordinator for building projects. From construction site, budget and up to every little detail in building structures such as houses, the general contractor is responsible for smooth sailing operations.
Duties of a General Contractor
- Visit the site of the project and from then assess the location for cost materials, equipment, labor, the amount of time the project will be finished and many other factors that will affect the success of a certain project.
- Has to be on the site everyday of the operation.
- Present estimates and studies to the owner.
- Work with involved parties in the project and keep all communications open for better operations.
- Responsible for seeing that agreements in the contract are being followed.
- Usually, general contractors can be the engineers of the project and they should always work hand in hand with the architect in charge.
- Coordinate with specialty contractors. Most times this general contractor is the one responsible for hiring individuals and different departments for building the projects. Different departments include the plumbing works, carpentry and many others.
- General Contractors are responsible in resolving issues within the construction.
- Responsible in obtaining permits, inspections and seeing to it that regulations are being followed.
Work Condition of a General Contractor
- The work of this person can be very hard depending on the project involve. It is important that a General Contractor must possess the skills as well as the experience to be able to come up with an organize operation and that deadlines will be met on time.
- The working time of a General Contractor can also be demanding because lots of time are needed on site. Within this time, this contractor must be able to coordinate with different departments and see to it that every detail is polished within the appropriate given time.
Educational Requirements of a General Contractor
- There is no definite set of educational requirements to become a General Contractor but most employer prefer to hire people with a Bachelor’s degree in construction science and any other related field. Usually a General Contractor starts as a worker in construction. Experience in construction as well as advices from seniors and General Contractors can be very helpful in becoming a successful General Contractor. Written exams are needed depending on the state or place you want to work in order to obtain a license for working. Some licensing exams need a bachelor’s degree as a requirement to take the exam.
Occupation and Progress of a General Contractor
- General Contractors are in demand in construction projects. Most General Contractors run their own private business. There are advantages and disadvantages in choosing this job. The advantages are first, you are your own boss and second you get to choose and accept clients personally. The down part is you get to provide health benefits and paid vacations for your employees which can become costly.
- With the growing demand of the General Contractor’s job and working relations with other persons such as architects and clients, General Contractors have created services that are not just for building structures. This services are in relation to design. They create pre-design services in order to make work faster and lower expenses.