There are many reasons to conduct a Google search for a housing contractor near me. Residential construction is a very diverse industry and offers owners many service options for new construction, home improvements and maintance services.
Searching housing contractor near me will likely provide you with many different types of contractors in each of the contracting fields. So how can you filter this search to provide you with results that better define your query needs.
To better understand residential contractors, we will have a brief discussion about the various types of contractors, the value of their services and how to conduct business with them. Although the contracting business has many common practices, the actual methods of delivery are often extremely different.
New Construction Contractors
There are typically three different types of residential new construction contractors; residential construction companies, general contractors and home builders.
Within these 3 categories are various subcategories which can help you zero in on your exact needs. These would be titles such as production home builders, one of a kind home general contractors and home building construction companies.
Construction Companies – Although construction companies will often appear in a search for housing contractor near me, the title category name is slightly misleading because technically speaking all construction contracting firms are construction companies. But not all construction companies are new home construction companies.
Although as confusing as this may be, the term construction companies can apply to all of the following professional profile titles. The odds are if a contracting firm is conducting business for providing contracting services, they are a probably a construction company.
General Contractors – are contracting firms that provide a full-service approach to new construction contracting which may include design services, preconstruction services and actual construction contracting services. General contractors typically hire multiple trade services and purchase the required materials and equipment to perform the duties of a new construction home building project.
New construction home construction services align perfectly for general contractor services. There are many construction management services that are required for new home construction. These services can normally be classified as offsite administrative responsibilities and onsite contracting management services.
Administrative management services are traditionally considered back-office duties such scheduling, financial matters, procurement tasks, contract and insurance affairs.
Where as construction management services often refer to the direct services required for the new home construction, such as quality control tasks, project safety, drawing and specification compliance, material and labor logistics.
Home Builders – are the most commonly used term when seeking new home construction contracts. Home builders conduct many of the same services and responsibilities as the general contractor when it comes to new home construction.
The differences are usually associated with the types of houses built by the home builder. It is common that a home builder will normally build a class of houses that they specialize in, such as production homes or custom homes.
Production homes are traditionally houses that may have as many as 4 – 8 different floor plan models, each having as many as 4 profile elevations. These houses are design and built to be cost effective and the builders do not normally allow changes to be made.
While the type of custom home builders ranges from one of a kind unique contracting to more of a semi-custom house that is predesigned and the builder allows a number of changes to be made to the design plans.
Not all builders offer home plan design services, which means that if you are not using a builder with existing architectural plans, you will likely need to hire a designer and engineer to prepare the building documents.
Understanding the different types of home builders can save you money and time.
Home Improvement Contractors
Home improvement contractors are a group of contractors that often materializes when searching for housing contractor near me. Residential remodeling and renovating require a different approach for planning and preparing for construction and have generally an overall larger demand for house improvements being much greater than new home construction
This group of home improvement contractors include such service titles as remodeling companies, remodeling general contractors and home remodelers. Although each of these firms provide home improvements, each of them is better suited for different types of projects determined by progress reporting needs, budget size, quality and construction document needs.
Remodeling Companies – are another general category of contractors that will appear in your search for housing contractor near me. Much like the category of construction companies, this group of contractors is a collection of all general types of remodeling companies that offer their services for remodels and renovations.
A further search is required to understand the exact services the remodeling companies provide and their approach in offering solutions to your remodel needs. Generally speaking, the owner should be looking for project images that represent the likeminded work and read about their methods and approach to remodeling.
General Contractors – are a full service alternative when it comes to house remodeling or renovating. They offer both design and construction services for all home improvement needs. The magnitude of the house improvements will dictate the depth of design and construction services you will need.
If the project is smaller like a kitchen or bathroom remodel, the needs for drawings becomes more simplified. As with a full house remodel, there is generally a need for a complete set of permit documents as well as some degree of engineering.
Improvement projects such as home additions or complete renovations require the services of general contractors. These projects will require engineering, design talents and the experience of problem solving when the project runs into technical challenges that may not have been anticipated.
The more complex a project is, the more justified the cost of a general contractor will be. That is to say, when it comes to improvements like painting or replacing a roof, the cost of a general contractor does not warrant the additional cost.
Home Remodelers – come in many forms and skill levels, representing the residential remodeling companies that provide an assortment of services and execute house contracting projects both small and large.
There are home remodelers that operate much like the general contractor offering a full service approach toward projects, while others focus on niche remodels, such as exterior improvements like siding repairs and painting or window and door replacement.
Other such remodelers provide services for interior improvement projects like kitchens, bathrooms, book cases and trim work.
The common differences in home remodelers than general contractors are the size of the improvement projects and general approach toward carrying out the projects. The home remodelers often perform their jobs as self performing contractors. Which means instead of hiring subcontractors they will have employees perform the skilled labor tasks.
If remodelers have any advantage over a general contractor, it would be performing smaller projects more cost effectively.
Home Addition Contractors – is a special niche in home improvements. The home addition contractor must have the ability for creating design documents, conducting engineering reports and solving many construction issues that arise during construction.
Home addition contractors might operate both like a general contractor and a home remodeler, depending on their labor source. But they will need to be highly skilled in the mechanical ability of attaching structures.
Another desirable skill for owners to look for is the ability to plan and execute a home addition without disrupting the existing property condition.
Home Maintance Contractors
Home maintenance is commonly considered items such as painting, updating landscaping and house replacement products that have served their useful life expectancy. The home maintance contractors offer these services to owner to contract directly instead of the other alternatives we have discussed.
Licensed Contractors – These types of contractors in Houston are required to have a State of Texas license. These are electrical, plumbing, security system, heating and air conditioning contractors. Not all these types of contractors perform house maintance.
These contractors service owners house equipment needs during and after normal working hours for emergencies. Some of these contractors charge by the hour for their services, while other will provide you a quote after they inspect the work.
Product Replacement Contractors – These contractors offer product replacements for such items as flooring, appliances, counter tops and garage doors. Owners can contract directly with a product replacement company for a specific product replacement need.
There have been many advances in materials styles and product service life the past decades. There are a large number of product replacements to select from at a range of different prices to fit your budget.
Specialty Contractors – The specialty contractors are companies such as foundation repair firms, swimming pool contractors, after construction water proofing and architectural lighting. These contractors are considered specialty because they are training for after construction special architectural or engineering home conditions.
They also require a state license to perform their services a charge more than a traditional house repair contractor.
Home Maintance Contractors – Home maintenance contractors are associated with items such as landscape services, carpet cleaning, gutter cleaning and pool service companies. These are services that we rely on the contractor to be dependable, reliable service providers to maintain the appearance of their property.
Insurances and Warranties
There are also other factors that should be weighed in considering alternative housing contractors for hiring.
These would be the insurances the firms carry and the warranty they offer for your project.
Insurances
All contractors should maintain general liability insurance to protect the interest of the owner’s property. If they self perform their work with employees, they should also carry workman compensation.
For higher value complicated projects, it is best that a builder’s risk policy is taken out to protect against adverse risk during the duration of the project.
Contractor insurance is not anything sexy when it comes to construction, but it really pays off if an unexpected incident occurs.
Warranties
There are several different types of house warranties that owners should understand. The first type of warranty is the tradesmen performance warranty that comes with project work.
The State of Texas requires that most house improvements are warranted by the contracting party for 1 year from completion. There are also mechanics warranties that require a 2 year warranty and a structural warranty that requires 6 years.
Conclusion
The various descriptions and factors we have shared when searching for a housing contractor near me, should make your quarry results more effective. For the best results narrowing your search for a housing contractor that offers the service needs relative to the projects complication will save you time and frustration.
As Google continues to improve their search filters, it is still necessary to narrow your search keywords to target as specific details for your housing new construction or renovation needs.
