Houston residential construction consists of any construction improvements made to single family homes. Residential construction is the largest construction sector in the industry with annual expenditures of approximately $870 billion.
This construction sector involves the participation of a multitude of professionals, material suppliers, and skilled laborers each having specialization in a specific field. This industry segment is comprehensive in its scope and takes time to complete the many different types of Houston residential construction projects.
If you want to initiate a residential construction project, complete it within a reasonable time, and comply with the established quality best practices, then hiring a qualified and experienced general contractor will be the key.
It is a general contractor who can put your execution plans into action on the ground by assembling and orchestrating various resources that become a team. These may include an architect, structural engineer, maybe an interior designer (not every time though), suppliers and vendors, labor, plumbers, masons, electricians, and others.
The Houston general contractor is also responsible for creating the synchronized contracting schedule and arranging the inspection of any residential construction site to ensure the completed work adheres to the prescribed local government norms and minimum performance standards.
You may view our video to know about the steps to hire a home building contractor for new home building. The Houston general contractor for residential construction offers a range of services:
Discussions on the Different Types of Ccontractors in Residential Construction
Responsibility Role Provided by a Houston Building Contractor
Building contractors are seasoned trained professionals who know the inside-out of any construction-related job. In many states, they are required to be licensed, but in Texas, they are not.
They offer a large number of services, right from design and construction including home building milestones such as placing the foundation to the final completion. The services offered by a residential contractor having expertise in residential construction include:
Advisory and consultation services: The residential contracting companies can work with the owner to connect with a designer or architect to prepare a plan or they can make those arrangements through their home building services. The latter would fall in the lines of the design-build construction process wherein the contractor remains part of designing the plan.
In either scenario, as the primary consultant to the project, the home contractor can give his or her valued suggestion to the architect (and project owner) regarding the most effective means and methods of a specific architectural feature based on the feasibility of the budget and timelines.
In addition, a qualified home contracting company can recommend solutions to resolve certain bottlenecks in design constructability.
A residential contractor that knows the typography of the project site may offer apt suggestions to the designer to enhance the house’s structural integrity. In fact, the residential contractor can suggest the types of products or features to be installed in the building within the constraints of budget and time or when product shortages materialize.
For instance, if you are stuck on the idea of making three separate bedrooms and a master bedroom suite, the Houston home contractor can advise you on the same.
Further, risk control management is a crucial aspect of any residential construction project. The building contractor will have the experience and expertise in risk management to suggest the things to be included or discarded.
For example, he or she may suggest not to use any questionable materials or suggest the procurement of quality safety process procedures or equipment for workers while working on a specific task that could lead to potential injury.
Design and construction document services: The first step to go about any residential contracting project is preparing the design plan, engineering, and construction documents which can be in the form of a set of drawings and third-party reports. These are referred to as construction documents.
These construction documents will guide the actual building process and contain the entirety of the property to be built, including the various features in minute detail. The documents are generally prepared by the architect, along with the engineer and other consultants, and are a required procedure before the actual construction begins.
The general contractor shall arrange these documents by liaising with the architect to be reviewed by the project owner for validation. The documentation should be in proper form as it would serve as a document of reference for various people, including possibly a future buyer of the property.
The design and contracting services offered by the building contractors for the construction of your house can be used by a host of stakeholders, including the one who is going to inspect your property at various stages of residential construction.
The documentation should be self-explanatory with suitable illustrations and all techno-jargon to be properly explained. Simply put, there should be little if any scope for further “interpretation”. For the development of custom home plans and add to your knowledge of building design necessary for new home construction.
Construction management and project management services: This entails a vast sweep of functions that a building contractor is supposed to execute. It is a professional service that oversees the planning and construction of a home building, right from its beginning to completion.
Residential construction requires project management skills that encompass several functions:
Cost management: Understanding the cost related activities to building a house is crucial to managing it. It starts with creating a budget wherein the client’s inputs are properly studied to understand if they can be completed within the budget.
The owner then will seek construction financing from a lender. Once the lender does their due diligence the lender and building contractor will agree to a progress payment schedule commonly called a draw schedule.
The house contractors will make a payment application request to the project owner to pay after the completion of specific steps. This can make the project affordable for the subcontractors as they will not be saddled with financing their entire cost from the beginning.
Cost management includes executing the residential contracting project within the restrictions of the cost. Here, any unnecessary expenses are controlled or eliminated and only the essential ones are considered for execution.
Based on the cost factors, the contractor may suggest to the project owner to use certain products or features. For example, if the budget allows, the contractor may suggest installing costly features in the house and making it look elegant, upmarket, and opulent.
On the other hand, if the budget does not allow for buying costly features, the building contractor may suggest alternatives that are available at moderate costs.
Time management: The more time is spent on completing a project, the more expenses are involved, both for the building contractor and for the project owner. Thus, the building contractors should be cognizant of the timelines and hire the services of subcontractors and other resources likewise.
He or she should be clear in communication, prioritization, and delegation. The services of every stakeholder should be properly scheduled in advance so that there isn’t any time lag. Further, understanding the qualities of residential contacting is key in selecting the best building contractors.
Quality management: Maintaining the quality of home building is of critical importance as it determines whether the structural stability of the house is assured. The home contractor must look into the quality of materials used and whether various stakeholders are executing the work according to the best practices.
Quality control in residential construction is essential through onsite inspections, adherence to material specifications, and all engineering details. If quality is not ensured at every stage of the home building process, the project owner could face issues a few weeks, months, or years later.
Moreover, if the quality is compromised, it will send a negative message all across, which will adversely impact the ability of the home contractor to secure new projects. That is why it is important to conduct a proper vetting of the residential contractor before you hire them.
Safety management: In the construction industry, a slight mistake can lead to injuries or even death. No wonder, safety management is given high priority.
Any home contractor must identify the safety hazards and take effective measures such as using protective equipment and zoning, to prevent injury to both workers and bystanders.
There is an ever-increasing demand for building contractors to comply with OSHA requirements that govern residential construction regulations.
Building Contracting Services Provided by a House Contractor
General Contracting Services: The building contractors are responsible for executing the project right from its inception. They must address any challenges that may present themselves out of the blue.
This may include dealing with any supply-side issues, the availability of workers at the site, etc. This is a reality in the residential construction industry. Resolving everyday house contracting issues defines the quality of the building contractor’s skill as a manager and professional. For a deeper dive into general contracting visit here.
Custom home building: A custom home building process is not the run-of-the-mill residential construction that a general home builder may be accustomed to. It involves understanding the requirements of the homeowner and preparing an execution plan that incorporates the suggestions and inputs given by the owner throughout the entire project.
The custom builder may offer their suggestions by considering the thresholds of time and cost. He or she ensures that the construction is completed as per the requirements of the owner and that every custom feature looks appropriate to the surroundings.
This type of home building is a one-of-a-kind house creation. Custom home building requires a higher level of skill to execute in general contracting than production home building or semi-custom home building.
Visit our builder’s resource to learn more about custom home building.
Home remodeling: When it comes to home remodeling, the home remodeling contractor must incorporate the changes or features that the homeowner wants to install.
These may include redoing the flooring, expanding the size or adding to the number of rooms, strengthening the plumbing system, and repainting the exterior and interior, among others.
Home remodeling also requires a special skill set, training, and most of all experience. Major home remodeling often requires the disassembling of the house prior to reassembling.
The home remodeler must understand the weight loading and engineering dynamics of load bearing paths and understand when it is necessary to shore different loads before moving bearing walls. For a comprehensive overview and guide to home remodeling, visit our website.
Conclusion
A qualified and vetted building contractor is your best bet when it comes to residential construction services. They deliver a comprehensive range of services according to the budget and within the established timelines. It is, therefore, important to hire the best Houston residential construction professional for the job and save yourself from the rework and misery that could come.
