Remodeling Contractors near me
Conducting an internet search query for remodeling contractors near me can provide a wide band and variety of results. The primary reason for this is that there are many types of remodeling contractors serving a large assortment of different kinds of remodel customers. This search is further muddled by the various professional trade titles that are used that are alternative common names substituted for remodeling contractors.
Identifying the appropriate remodeling contractors near me is only where this search begins. After identifying a short list of relevant remodelers that may fit your needs, you will need to interview and assess their skills and hire a professional remodel contractor for your project. We will share our thoughts on how to conduct this process, while preparing you to discuss and execute your project.
Renovation contractors can first be classified as residential remodeling contractors or commercial remodeling contractors. Remodel contractors are also known by a variety of names typically dictated by the industry sector they service. They go by names such as general contractor, renovation contractors, commercial builders and remodelers to list a few. So, it’s important to dig deeper than just the title to identify the best remodeling contractor near me.
Explore our recommendations for searching for a local remodeling contractor
We will be asking some relevant questions on this topic and explore some options to them;
- What is remodeling contracting?
- What are the different types of remodeling contractors?
- What are the responsibilities of a remodeling contractor?
- How do you hire the right remodel contractor?
What is remodeling contracting?
Remodeling contractors facilitate building improvements by providing labor, material and equipment for a stated scope of work. The process they use to deliver these improvements to their clients is called remodeling contracting.
Remodeling contracting is the process that remodeler implement to conduct during their business practice of executing construction improvements. This refers to the actual administrative factors of the business-like contracts, insurances, accounting and procurement practices.
The process begins with an owner expressing their improvement needs with a set of construction plans that they have commissioned from an architect or meeting with a renovation contractor to discuss their remodel goals. In the case that they have construction drawings, the remodel contractor will ask a list of questions and prepare a proposal based upon the documents provided.
In the case of construction documents not being available, the owner will need a design build contractor to prepare construction documents. Once these documents are prepared the design build contractor will prepare a scope of work and a formal proposal.
As you can see the details vary in each case, but the process we have described is the beginning of remodeling contracting. For additional insights about remodel contracting visit our free remodeling guide.
What are the different types of remodeling contractors?
As we have described, a remodel contractor facilitates building improvements by furnishing labor and materials per construction documents and a remodeling contract agreement. Identifying which type of remodeler, you want starts with understanding the different types of remodelers you need.
Remodeling contractors can be first classified by the industry sector that they serve. The general industry sectors are residential, commercial and industrial. Each one of these industry sectors has distinctive differences in the building codes and means & methods of delivering the construction improvements.
Apart from the industry sector that defines remodel contractors, remodelers can also be defined by the source of their skilled labor obtained. Some remodeling companies hire their labor as subcontractors, while others hire the skilled trades as employees.
Remodel companies can be self-performing remodel contractors (using labor employees) or general contractors as renovation contractors (using subcontractors).
Remodelers that hire their labor as subcontractors are essentially functioning as a general contractor.
The general contractor business model contracts directly with skilled labor companies as subcontractors. The labor subcontractor is responsible for their own insurances, wages, withholding taxes and supervision of their employees.
The remodeling general contractor pays the subcontractor based upon a defined scope of work. The general contractor is responsible to obtain releases of liens from their subcontractors.
Remodel companies that operate as direct employers for their labor are responsible for their employee’s wages, insurance and benefits. They are also responsible for training them, scheduling them as well as each employee’s performance.
There are advantages and disadvantages of each of these business models for the property owner. The key to the owner is recognizing how these distinctions can benefit their needs during the interviewing stage prior to hiring them. To understand the differences in more detail, click here.
The two remodeling construction industry sectors that we will discuss are the residential remodel companies and commercial remodel contractor’s segments.
Residential Remodeling Contractors – The residential remodel contractor services home owner’s renovation improvement needs. These contractors are commonly called home remodel contractors.
They can be self-performing or operate as general contractors. They also operate as either small single member ownership model or large remodeling companies with many employees.
There are home remodelers that specialize in a specific submarket of the residential remodel industry. An example of these types of remodelers are kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling and roofing replacement contractors.
These specialty replacement and renovation contractors offer various services and products in their fields such as plan design and offering product lines. They may provide in-home design services or may have a design studio /show room for prospective clients to visit. The larger the local market is the greater the chooses there are for home owners to consider for selecting a home remodeler.
On the other hand, the more home remodelers the more confusing the selection process becomes. We will discuss the process of hiring a remodeler for your home remodel further in this article. If you are interested in learning more about home remodeling, you can click here.
Commercial Remodeling Contractors – Commercial remodel contractors offer their services to owners of commercial properties of all types. Commercial contractors commonly operate like general contractors and in many cases often advertise as general contractors. Much like home remodel contractors, commercial construction companies are many sizes and manage many different projects.
Commercial construction companies construct many types of commercial buildings. It is also common that these same commercial contractors offer commercial remodeling services. These projects cover many building types and commercial renovation services.
Services include new construction build-outs, interior remodeling, commercial restoration and exterior façade remodeling to name a few. To learn more about commercial remodeling contractors follow.
The major differences in commercial remodeling compared to home remodeling are the building codes, public safety regulations and ADA compliances. These 3 construction compliances that commercial builders must follow are significantly different then the requirements for a home remodel contractor.
This is due to the use of commercial property by the general public. These buildings require fire egress, fire sprinkler, maximum assembly capacity and fire alarm controls.
The American Disability Act requires that commercial buildings be assessable to disabled people. This effects many construction details and standards of the commercial remodeling and build-outs. Some of the areas that need to comply with ADA are ramps when there are steps, doors that will open automatically and restrooms that are assessable to wheel chairs bound individuals.
Design Build Contractors – Design build contractors can be either residential or commercial construction contractors. Their new construction or remodeling contracting niche is the ability to facilitate both the design and construction improvements. There are many advantages of using a design build contractor.
- Reduce overall project time by eliminating bid salutation step and value engineering if required due to high bid prices,
- Develops a working team approach toward design and construction instead of the adversarial relationship between designer and remodeler,
- Offers complete control of the design and construction process to the owner,
- Provides owner a single point of responsibility and contact throughout the entire remodeling process,
To learn more about design build remodel contractors please click here.
What are the responsibilities of a remodeling contractor?
As mentioned, most remodel contractors operate as general contractors. They orchestrate the improvements on buildings using mostly contract labor and stated materials per the construction plans and specifications.
Their responsibilities include both project management and administrative tasks. The management activities include planning & execution of scheduling of labor and materials and the inspection & quality control of all job site improvements.
Administrative activities include preparing contracts, monitoring insurance, general bookkeeping, cost controls, financial affairs and facilitating payment processing. Any remodel improvement project requires an equal balance of both onsite management and administrative task to be successfully executed.
For a further detailed review of general contractors’ responsibilities click here.
How do you hire the right remodel contractor?
Locating the right remodel contractor to fit your needs does not require it to be a risk-taking process. It begins with you clearly defining the specific services you need in your search query. Once you have identified a small group of potential general contractors, you want to dive deep into their websites.
Selecting a remodeler requires studying their project portfolios, read some of the relevant articles they have posted and read their past clients reviews and testimonials. You should be able to create a short list of select three remodelers to interview.
Preparing a set of questions based upon your website visit and the specifics of your project will guide you through a good part of the interview. Spend some time understanding their process and how they resolve issues that develop during remodeling projects.
These will give you some insights of how they are likely to react on your project. Visit our full a list of potential questions to ask a remodel contractor.
Conclusion
A remodeling contractor is an expert in building improvements and a superior resource for evaluating projects during improvement development. They offer a wide variety of services and products and serve different client’s needs.
Having a clear understanding of a remodel contractors’ expertise and the services they can provide will save you time and reduce your frustration in finding the right renovation contractor for you.
