Building contractors are important stakeholders in any construction project. It is such a building contractor who is assigned the responsibility of transforming the vision of the client or architect into reality.
It is not without reason that general contractors should be a professional of impeccable integrity and commitment given that a lot of rides on them. If you plan to hire such a construction contractor for your new home construction, it is extremely essential to select the construction company in Houston.
This can mean a combination of experience and expertise to complete the job within the limitations of the timeline and budget. Hence, let us discuss the best qualities of Houston general contractors. Additionally, you may read our resource to know about custom home building and its various aspects.
The professional qualities that the best building contractors possess
Since general contractors are entrusted with executing the construction process right from the design phase, they are needed to be chosen with care. The top qualities of a general contractor are as follows:
Curiosity
The construction process is fairly dynamic with new procedures and techniques making their foray. Successful building contractors should keep themselves abreast of all new developments in the field and remain curious about things. They should have an open mind to learn new things and keep themselves updated professionally.
Practicing building contractors should be involved in professional development by attending continued education classes. For instance, they should attend the construction contractor’s certification classes, and contractors’ association meetings and keep a tab on what other contractors are doing and the types of developments taking place in their realm.
This way the construction contractors can bring new ideas to your project and help bring down the cost and possibly timeline, and enhance the quality of building projects. On the other hand, if he is stuck in the past, then it will not be likely for him to think out of the box should any challenges arise.
Humility
A building contractor should not be arrogant to the point of not accepting the mistakes that occur on a project. Their responsibility is to own both the wins and losses that occur. Every project is likely to make some mistakes during the course of various phases of construction. He should be all ears to any suggestion coming from any quarter, be it you, the subcontractor, or the architect.
He should be gracious enough to understand his limitations and be open to ideas. Humility shall inculcate in him the art of listening to others and recognizing the talent of others. He should not follow the dictum of “My Way or the Highway”. You may read our blog to further enrich yourself about general contracting and the tasks it entails.
Professional Acumen
General contracting, like any other business, should follow the yardsticks of ethics and integrity to be competitive and successful. The Houston builders should have a very well-defined professional acumen for their construction companies, which when followed to the T, provides a beacon of culture for the employees of the construction company.
This will translate into a professional creed that manifests itself in the way the employees interact and treat the construction companies’ clients. Adhering to this professional acumen means the builder is not compromising the quality of the construction for the sake of profit.
Self-awareness
Successful building contractors know about their limitations and will not stretch themselves unnecessarily at the expense of sacrificing their reputation or in total disregard of their projects.
For instance, if they know that they can handle 3 projects at a time, then they will not take 5 projects just to increase their bottom line. Self-awareness means to be true to oneself and not overplay your cards.
If a prime contractor doesn’t know about a particular approach or technique, he should not take shortcuts to get the job done at any cost, but rather consult with experts to find an alternative method or hire an expert that does grasp the methodology.
Simply put, self-awareness would require the Houston general contractors to remain grounded and not stretch the envelope for the sake of another job.
Service Oriented
You hire the services of any general contractor to complete the project to your satisfaction. This would mean the contractor not leaving any stone unturned to finish the project as per your specifications and vision.
The building contractor should be aware of the fact that you have assigned him the job against a certain amount of money and he should take it upon himself to deliver the service.
A professional should be service-oriented and know what and when to deliver to the client. It is only then he will generate trust among his clientele and enhance his reputation. This does not mean that there will not be disagreements between the general contractor and their clients, but rather the client should have the confidence that the builder is serving their best interest and will make the effort to amicable resolve the issue.
Service also means carrying out the intent of the specified tasks when there is a grey area, not performing new unintended changes for the sake of satisficing the client. View our video to know the top tips for hiring a Houston general contractor.
Leadership
A building contractor works with many subcontractors and other stakeholders to complete the construction process. They remain the first point of contact for the client to get updates about the construction process.
However, it is important that they develop a working relationship with the subcontractors and other stakeholders to keep proper communication flowing and to get the work done as efficiently as possible.
This is where the leadership quality comes to the forefront, as the general contractor goes about doing things by being at the forefront. They provide encouragement when there are challenges, they and use a team approach in both good times and bad.
They take ownership of all issues that present themselves related to the project’s goals.
Quality building contractors will resolve any issues that might crop up between the designers and subcontractors or even with the client. As a true leader, he should listen to everyone’s point of view and deliver what is right for the job.
Persistence
Houston builders are resilient lot and do not give up easily in the face of challenges. They ride it out when the going gets tough and do not compromise the interests of their clients. Builders are not expected to be perfect all the time but should endeavor to be right in whatever approach they take.
Talented construction contractors translate to making every effort possible to try to complete a project to plans and specifications despite disputes or personal issues that may develop between project stakeholders.
Integrity
Arguably the rare quality that construction companies are supposed to uphold but often fail in following it. Successful contractors should never compromise their integrity and not serve their client’s interests.
They should not use inferior materials or take shortcuts to meet project timelines or to accommodate their client’s need to move in. They should keep the interest of their client in mind while delivering their service.
With integrity comes trust and more business for the building contractor. An unscrupulous contractor can make money in the short term by compromising the quality of his workmanship but is surely going to pay in the long term in terms of bad reviews and loss of business.
Integrity is not something a construction company practices but rather it is innate to the company’s culture and presents at all times.
Optimism
A Houston general contractor with a positive frame of mind will spread optimism to everyone around them. They will not back down on seeing challenges but take them as an opportunity to learn and make amends.
For instance, if others find a design feature difficult to implement, a positive building contractor will think out of the box and suggest a solution. Instead of worrying about weather conditions impacting the schedule they will seek out alternative routes to make up time.
An optimistic general contractor can take an extremely intense dispute and find an amicable solution to the conflict.
Transparent
This is one of the offshoots of being honest as the building contractor does not hide anything from the client. They keep you posted about the progress of the construction process and informs you beforehand about any possible risk. A professional builder will share challenges and issues that develop during the project.
These items can be either the fault of others or the fault of the builder, but because they take ownership, they will communicate these relevant activities to their client. This will help you gauge the status of your project on a real-time basis and make correct projections on budget and timelines to complete the project.
Innovation
This stems from optimism wherein the Houston general contractors embrace innovation and try to find out-of-the-box solutions to intractable problems. They use advanced technological tools to make a seamless transition from one approach to another.
This also involves showing a degree of flexibility wherein the building contractors do not shy of trying out new things. However, they make adjustments whenever the new things do not work as desired. Both innovation and flexibility mean looking at the big picture and drawing a long-term objective.
Discipline
The general contractor should be disciplined enough to go about his job in a meticulous manner. Being disciplined means scheduling the work properly and letting each stakeholder get on with work in their allotted time. Disciplined to follow the best practices of building construction.
A building contractor’s discipline means properly preparing the required administrative tasks before letting a subcontractor begin work, like a defined scope of work, getting their insurance certificate, and having them under a written contract.
Further, he should visit the construction site routinely regularly to oversee the progress of the job and ensure everything is being done in a quality manner in accordance to the plans and specifications.
Conclusion
General contractors are arguably the fulcrum around which the entire construction activity revolves. They need to possess impeccable qualities, some of which are mentioned above.
So, before you hire one of the building contractors to give shape to your dream home, read a blog to know about the sterling character qualities he or she should have.
