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General Contractors
Many home improvement jobs require the coordination
of different skilled tradesmen. Bathroom
remodeling, for example, could require a
plumber, a sheetrock and plasterer, a tiler,
someone for the electrical work, and some
unskilled laborers. If you are considering
paying to have the work done, you should
also consider working through a general contractor.
As the name implies, a general
contractor
is the party through which you
contract to
get the job done. A general contractor
is
the manager who, in turn, subcontracts
the
work to various specialists.
There is a cost,
of course, of inserting a middleman
between
you and the tradesmen, but there
are advantages
as well:
- an experienced contractor is familiar with
the work of his subcontractors and so knows
who and when to assign them to your project.
- if there are problems with a subcontractor's
work, it is usually the responsibility
of
the general contractor to resolve
them
- because of the volume of business that the
general contractor does with subcontractors
and suppliers, it is possible in many cases
for him to get a "wholesale" price
Picking a good general contractor
is not
always easy. As with any situation
in which
you are contracting for work,
you should:
- hire only a licensed and bonded general contractor
- obtain and check references on the quality
of their work, their experience with similar
projects, and their ability to "handle
the project" without unnecessary involvement
by you
- enter into a contract (which your lawyer
has approved) for the job
- have specific, written agreement on the final
cost, the scope of the project, the materials
and fixtures to be used, and the expected
appearance and functionality
- ensure that there are stated time limits
for when the work is to be completed, penalties
for significant tardiness, and a payment
schedule tied to completion of significant
milestones -- one of the most frequent complaints
is that the work seems to drag on.
Projects often encounter "unforeseen"
problems. A good contractor with experience
in similar projects will be able to minimize
the number and magnitude of such problems
-- that's the value of the experience you
pay for. But, nonetheless, do not be surprised
if, in unusual circumstances, they still
happen. |
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