When evaluating your needs for a major remodeling project it is important to have a clear understanding of how to match up your home and personal needs with the proper home remodeling contractors.
In order to achieve the remodeling goals the owner must have a grasp on which of the many different types of house remodel contractors to reach out to.
Owners will also need a reasonable expectation of the associated remodel cost of the services required from the various types of home remodeling contractors serving the Houston area.
Even for the most experienced homeowner matching the right price with the right contractor can be a process or trial and error.
We always recommend learning the most effective methods of interacting with contractors for remodeling.
We will discuss the different options that owners have for selecting home remodeling contractors in Houston.
Learn About the Different Types of Home Remodeling Contractors in Houston
Different Types of Home Remodeling Contractors
There are many types of house repair and home remodeling contractors that service homeowners project needs.
Matching the right contractor with your project needs is half the battle.
We will attempt to assist you with a better understanding by classifying home remodel and repair contractors into 4 basic categories for the purpose of clarification.
Pick-up Truck Owner / Tradesman – This classification represents the vast majority of house repair and home remodeling contractors in today’s industry.
These types of self-employed tradesman primarily work for wages. They commonly work by themselves but will hire other tradesman if a project warrants help.
- Advantages – These contractors are a good fit for smaller house improvement projects, handyman house repairs and general house maintenance projects. They are a cost effective solution for smaller projects.
- Disadvantages – These types of contractors seldom have proper insurances. If their work causes damages to your house, you are likely on your own to resolve the problem. If you do not like the quality of the work that you receive there are very few options that are available in rectifying the issues.
Product Replacement Contractor – The product replacement contractor can be small to large in size and generally specialize in house product replacement such as garage doors, windows, siding and roofs to name some typical product types.
It is not uncommon for these contractors to service more than one house product replacement service such as siding, windows and painting.
Many will combine the product sales efforts. They will normally do all the required work with their subcontractors or employees and not hire outside trade contractor assistance for a project.
- Advantages – These contractors usually offer specific product replacement lines that they have strategically structured pricing agreements. These special brand pricing agreements allow these contractors some competitive edge over other contractor alternatives. The use of these types of contractors can save time and the effort of collectively coordinating the right materials with the labor trade.
- Disadvantages – These contractors will steer the homeowner toward specific strategic products that are difficult in competitively comparing prices directly with comparable products. Their sales pitch can be more complete than the actual product installed.
Specialty Remodeling Contractor – Specialty remodeling contractors will usually focus on remodeling home room spaces such as bathrooms or kitchen remodeling.
They often have strategic product partners such as a cabinetry manufacturing line or counter top products for updating these areas.
This type of contractor is a good choose for remodeling efforts that update products without requiring engineering or substantially effecting the floor plan of the house.
- Advantages – These types of contractors can be very efficient at their expertise. They will have crews that have the ability to do multiple trades such as carpentry, plumbing and light electrical. As well they are especially effective at replacing in kind.
- Disadvantages – Custom kitchens that require moving waste lines and structural components can give this type of contractor some difficulty. Their labor resources can often be limited to the trade expertise and remodeling projects that require engineering presents them process issues.
General Contractor – The general contractor is a good choose for complicated and unique house remodeling or renovation projects.
Projects that require house plans, engineering and multiple trades to achieve the homeowner’s goals are a good fit for the general contractor.
The general contractor provides quality control standards, schedule coordination, project risk management and coordinating the balance of constructability and design function.
- Advantages – Sole source of project responsibility for all items. Provides guidance and advice throughout the entire project. Generally experienced in all aspects of house building and remodeling.
- Disadvantages – Can be more expensive than the alternative contractors, especially if project does not warrant their skills. Not a good fit for handyman, replace in kind or tight budget projects.
Different Types of Home Improvements and Home Remodeling Projects
As the description of the different types of contractors suggested, understanding the needs of your remodeling contractor project is essential to matching with the right remodeler.
Some projects can be self-evident such as needing a new roof or your house requiring a paint job.
But if your intentions are to eliminate load bearing walls, increase the footprint of the home, you will require the needs of a general contractor.
When it comes to assessing your personal needs, you will need to be comfortable with your personal abilities of working with a team of professionals for both design and construction.
In these types of cases finding remodeling contractors that you can trust will make the project more enjoyable is an absolute advantage.
If you cannot communicate or you do not enjoy working with the contractor, it is best to keep looking.
Major Home Renovations
Major house renovation plans require the skills of an accomplished full service general contractor. As an owner you want the most experienced master builder you can afford.
If you are not careful in vetting your house renovation contractor, you will likely experience a significant number of change orders, inferior craftsmanship and a number of general headaches from design through completion.
Major home renovations are general associated with demoing the space back to the studs while redesigning certain structural components of the house.
It creates an opportunity to evaluate plumbing supply lines, outdated electrical and inspect for concealed structural damage from termites or water damage.
As an owner you want the confidence of having a season builder on your team to identify and address any and all issues that may reveal themselves.
Home Historical Restoration
When your house design goals are to implement updates and merge them with a historical accuracy of a particular architectural period, you want a specialized general contractor that understands your design goals but can assist you in value engineering options for mixing and matching the new with the old.
There is an optimum value approach that most homeowners would prefer to take that makes historical restoration effective and affordable.
These types of projects require an artistic and creative approach. An experienced general contractor with historical restoration experience is warranted for these projects.
The larger the scope of work the greater level of experience is required. Substituting an ill prepared contractor will likely result in a greater expense and frustration on the part of the owner.
Home Remodel
When planning a home remodeling project it often depends on if the owner is generally replacing products in kind through updating or if house plans are required to make structural modifications to the house.
For instance, if the owner wants to change the location of the shower tub and toilet in the master bathroom, you would be required to prepare plans for the new floor plan.
If you are replacing the fixtures like a new tub or toilet, it would not be necessary to create remodel plans to execute.
House remodeling as a phrase is a catch all description. It is always a good idea to carefully define the scope of the project and an expenditure range.
Sharing this information with your contractor candidates is a good thing. It helps you and the home remodeling contractors to qualify a fit for the project.
Many homeowners think by sharing their budget range that the contractor that it may result in the home remodeler being less competitive in their project bid proposal.
This could not be further from the truth. If you have multiple bidders, they would all need to collude in order to be less competitive in their pricing.
This is a highly unlikely chance of happening.
Home Improvements
Home improvements generally can be simply or complicated depending on the age of the house and the project scope of work.
In most cases house improvements are generally considered to be items like roof repairs, siding replacement and appliance replacements.
These types of repairs are lower risk projects and require a lower skill level to perform. This allows the owner to be a little more price sensitive to competitive bids without a higher amount of exposure.
A few words to the wise considering home improvement contractors. First if your house repairs require a licensed trade such as an electrician, plumber or air conditioning contractor, make sure they are indeed licensed.
These types of projects will typically require permits and inspections although minor improvements.
Secondly it is always a good idea to request a certificate of insurance before having work done on your house that could result in consequential damages, such as roof work or any of the licensed trades.
To ignore this task could end up costing far more than the money you thought you were going to save.
Conclusion
Selecting the best short list home remodeling contractors for your house remodel project requires the owner to properly align the scope of the project with the best remodeler for the project.
This requires understanding the talents and skills of the remodeling companies and matching them to the needs of your house remodel project.
Provided that the owner can do this, they will have a far better chance of having a rewarding house remodel experience.
View our infographic about hiring the contractor for home remodeling that best fits your needs.
