Locating and identifying the right required general contracting services in Houston can be surprisingly challenging when considering a major new construction or renovation project.
For general contractors by their very definition are skilled at facilitating the operational expertise of general contracting services by facilitating labor, material and equipment to execute any construction project.
The challenge that many people have with this quarry is sorting through and understanding the many different types of professional general contracting services that exist.
Although general contracting by definition involves the day-to-day prime management of a variety of responsibilities to perform a construction project, the actual type of construction dictates the actual kind of general contractor to fit your needs.
Understanding the construction industry market and industry segments will offer you greater insight to expedite your search for the proper general contractor.
Determining the kind of contracting services for your project begins with the simple understanding of the construction industry markets.
The 3 basic construction company market segments are classified as residential construction, commercial construction and industrial construction.
Inside each of these market segments are classifications for construction service subsections. The largest of these two subsections are new construction and remodeling / renovations.
We will examine in detail the different types of general contracting companies that provide general contracting services.
Residential General Contractors
Residential general contractors provide general contracting services to people with residential homes.
This type of dwellings normally includes single family houses, townhomes, condos and apartments. Although, apartment and condo construction are technically classified as commercial construction due to the life safety and public access requirements associated with the commercial building code.
These general contracting companies that offer general contracting services are trained to work with home construction materials and the common house construction building practices.
New Home Construction
New home building is a segment of the housing industry that has many subsections.
New home building can be categorized into 3 subsections; production home building, semi-custom home building and custom home building.
These types of building contractors are also known as home builders. Home builders operate just like general contractors by hiring subcontracts to perform the trade services and maintaining responsibility for project financials, administrative tasks, construction management affairs.
Production Home Builders
Production home builders are traditionally known as tract builders and are large regional or national home building companies. They build volumes of houses from a small variety of standard house plans. They normally do not offer to allow changes to their home plans.
Semi-Custom Home Builders
Semi-custom home builders are normally medium to large companies that operate very much like production home builders. They offer standard off the shelf house plans, but will allow customers to make changes to these plans at a price.
Custom Home Builders
Custom home builders are ordinarily small to mid-size building contractors that operate more like traditional general contracting companies. The actual house builders are normally the owners whom will directly manage the financial and construction activities. They may have staff to assist with supporting roles such as administrative tasks, design / selections and some construction supervision responsibilities
Home Remodeling Contractors
Home remodeling contractors are also general contractors that hire subcontractors directly to perform the trade work of remodeling or renovating houses.
They orchestrate the home remodel process while being responsible for the financial, administrative and construction management responsibilities.
Home Remodelers
Home remodelers are typically small companies that can operate as either general contractors or some will operate as self-performing contractors on items such as carpentry and painting, while subcontracting the licensed trade work to subcontractors.
Home Addition Contractors
Home addition contractors operate much like home remodelers but have a special skill of expanding the envelope of the primary building. In the case of a home addition, the remodeling contractor actually builds a separate structure while attaching it to the primary house structure.
Kitchen Remodelers
Kitchen remodelers are a remodeling contractor that focuses on kitchen remodels. They may offer products such as cabinetry and services such as design and installation of the cabinetry.
Bathroom Remodelers
Bathroom remodelers are remodeling contractors that specializes in a bathroom remodel. They may have plumbing fixture products as well as stone and manmade tile products.
Commercial General Contractors
Commercial general contractors fundamentally function and operate like residential general contractors, but also have some distinctive differences.
These differences begin with commercial construction, which is dramatically different in the building practices and codes.
The primary variations are associated with the general public use. Due to the public access to commercial buildings, the building codes for public access and assembly focus on life safety and handicap accessibility.
Life safety is governed by the national NEC and local fire protection codes. These codes would require entry and exit restrictions as well as fire suppression.
In addition, public buildings are required to comply with ADA compliances. ADA compliances are defined by the federal government and are designed to protect the interest of people with disabilities.
They address items such as access to buildings, restrooms and the ability to enter and exit through doorways.
Whereas with private residential contracting is not required to comply with these types of restrictions.
Commercial Construction
New commercial construction typically involves architects, a variety of engineers and a large number of skilled trades and material vendors to execute a project.
The process begins with an architectural firm preparing preliminary plans of a building to the general specifications of the owners.
As the design process develops, civil engineers will begin to prepare the site plans. These involve items such as cut & fill of the building site, drive & parking spaces, drainage & retainage of storm water.
The architects will also hire MEP contractors to design and calculate the needs for mechanical, electrical and plumbing needs of the building.
At some point during design the architect or owners will bring on a commercial general contractor to evaluate the constructability of the building and develop the building cost, among other tasks.
Commercial construction requires the use of experienced commercial general contractors to facilitate the planning and execution of commercial contracting services.
Commercial Contractors
Commercial contractors offer a variety of skills and responsibilities to the leadership of a commercial construction project.
Depending on the preferences of the owners and architect firm, the commercial general contractor may be introduced to the project as early as the design stage or at the end of design, when the plans are awaiting a bid.
During the bid stage of early project development, the general contracting companies will solicit bids from a pool of contractors with the goal of developing a competitive bid to the owner or architect.
When one of the commercial contractors is awarded the proposal they will finalize contracts, schedules and begin to assemble the building team to begin.
Although the planning and preparation of a commercial construction project is essential to execute, a building contractor’s talents are on display when managing the day-to-day operations of a project.
The ability of maintaining a tight schedule, controlling building cost and completing the job safely are goals that they will be judged by.
Commercial Remodeling
Commercial remodeling requires similar skills for new commercial construction, but requires the commercial remodeling contractor to have an added layer of experience.
This is due to the number of unknown hidden problems that may occur during the project. Commercial remodeling often demands that the existing building structure be modified.
That can be as simple as moving waste lines for a commode relocation or as complex as a change of use strengthening to the structure due to live load requirements.
The more complex the structural modification requirements, the greater the need for a highly skilled and trained commercial remodeling contractor.
Commercial Remodeling Contractors
Commercial remodeling contractors provide similar leadership to a commercial remodeling project as commercial contractors but must assess and prepare for the risk of unknown conditions that may arise during the building process.
Although the construction schedule is also important to any major building project, it becomes critical when renovating a business that will continue to operate during the commercial renovation or has temporarily suspended operations until completion.
Conducting a commercial renovation while a business is operating is very challenging to both the business and the remodel contractor.
In order for the project to be conducted without greatly interrupting the business’s operations, the construction is required to phase the remodeling to predetermined areas, to allow the business to operate in a smaller temporary space.
As the renovations progress the business operations move into the completed space so the remodeling can continue. These types of commercial renovations require an experienced remodel contractor before and during the remodeling activities.
Design Build Contractors
Design build contractors are specialty general contractors offering both design and general contracting services as a one stop shop service.
These general contracting companies can operate as either residential general contractors or commercial general contractors.
Design build contractors can also perform new construction or remodel contractor services.
The distinction in their services separating them from traditional building contractors is that they offer construction design services.
These building contractors facilitate the design development, construction documents, permitting and execute the construction work under 1 contract.
The design to build service is unique to the building services industry.
Conclusion
So, when you are searching for general contracting services, you will now have a better understanding of the different types of general contractor companies to fit your needs.
Once you have identified a short list of viable building contractors to vet, you want to prepare yourself a list of qualifying questions and circumstances to review with them.
Finding the right general contractor is much like finding a doctor or attorney. You will need to trust them and their advice through out your project.
Obtaining the best general contractors in Houston will require patience and proper vetting. Interviewing is required to determine if they are like minded and are personally a good fit for you to do business together.
