The residential building contractor 
- Responsibilities -

Are you thinking of building a home or planning to have an addition constructed ? Then hiring a residential building  contractor is a good way to go. A professional building contractor can handle your project from start to finish as well as taking all the burden of the construction details off you.

However, if you have no experience then it’s often difficult to tell what exactly is the residential building contractor's job and what can be expected to be done by yourself. It’s essential that this unknown factor becomes clear between you both before a job commences. 

When engaging a residential building contractor

When you engage a residential building contractor, an agreement can be signed whereby the entire job from hiring an architect to final inspection are handled by the building contractor. In other projects, it’s possible for the homeowner to be more actively involved. Of course, this depends on the contract itself and what both parties prefer.

If you’re building a home or adding on an addition, then, in general, the building contractor or home building company that has been hired will have control of the job site and you’re simply an observer with a strong voice. You can expect to need only sign on the dotted light and take care of the financing.

After the agreement has been made, the residential building contractor will begin the process of building the home if design plans are already in place. The building contractor will look after land preparation, permits, clearing and foundation construction.

Once the house commences, the building contractor will continue to handle the job, hiring or calling in preset subcontractors as the process moves along. Most homebuilding companies have a number of sub contractors from each trade. They use them, as needed, so deciding on a good plumber, for example, is their responsibility, not yours.

The real advantages of hiring a residential building contractor or a homebuilding company are many. However, the main advantage is their understanding of the entire process including as to when the various different types of subcontractors are needed to be called in.

A building contractor, for example, will know when the roof and windows are needed to be in place before the drywall crew is called in. And they'll know the drywall must be done before the painters can get to work and so on.

Building a home, doing a major renovation, or even adding a room on to a house are all big projects. Making sure the job is done right can be a nightmare for a lay person. That's where a trusted contractor comes into play.

Knowing what the 'red flags' are so you can avoid hiring a bad residential building contractor  is important as well.

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