The most important factor in selecting a general contractor is ‘fit’. Fit depends on the project goals and objectives, the amount of capital available to invest in the project, and the schedule. The schedule and investment are relatively straightforward to check. Can the general contractor complete the work on time and within the available budget? Your goals and objectives are less black-and-white, but will drive the results, detail, and level of finish your project requires. This, in turn, gives you the characteristics you need from your general contractor. These factors may feel complicated, but, assuming you haven’t gone for a design-build contract, a strong architect can assist you with the process of research, shortlisting, interviewing, comparing, and then selecting your general contractor. When the architect has experience with your project type and in your market, they should come to the project with the appropriate contractors in mind. Finding the right fit is important because, ultimately, your project can only be as good as your general contractor. Every contractor has experience, strengths, and weaknesses. Success comes through carefully matching these with your project objectives.
It is important to understand the difference between your relationship with the architect and the general contractor. The architect is a design professional and a professional business. Like a doctor, lawyer, or accountant, your architect is licensed and bound by state statutes or similar regulations. You pay for their time and expertise. Your contractor is, first and foremost, a business that builds tangible, physical things for profit. General contractors are licensed and regulated too, but this relates to the business rather than the individual. With a general contractor, you are paying for materials and labor. They are two very different modes of operation. Your architect is most likely to be a designer first and a businessperson second. It is important you share a vision and align your goals. Your general contractor is a businessperson first, who is primarily tasked with getting the work done. You have a direct contractual relationship with both your architect and your general contractor, and your architect and general contractor have an indirect contractual relationship with each other through you.
Working with one contractor from an early phase of the project and involving them in design and planning meetings can yield much higher results than a selection process based on competitive bidding. Paying a general contractor for their time upfront in the project will generally save you money in the long run too. However you go about the selection process, your architect should have a formal and transparent approach to meeting potential contractors. This should involve a face-to-face meeting. If you are working with an existing site and building, the initial meeting should be on site with the architect looking at a set of preliminary design documents. This will yield the most meaningful introduction to the project and the individuals involved. Ideally, this meeting should end with the general contractor having enough information and schematic drawings to begin pricing.
Working with Subcontractors
Subcontractors are the trades that your general contractor will hire to help them complete your project. The list of trades depends on your project, but will typically include mechanical installers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters or framers, finish carpenters, drywallers, insulators, flooring installers, concrete subs, excavators, roofers, welders, steel fabricators, millworkers, and landscapers, etc. It will also include all the vendors that will supply the materials, equipment, finishes, fixtures, and so on to the general contractor and their subs to install. There could be more than a hundred people working on your project. Any complete organizational chart of your project is likely to resemble an extensive family tree. The general contractor’s primary role is to organize and manage all these different people, groups, and companies in keeping the project on track and at the costs agreed to. This is a daunting task from the outside, even if the project is running smoothly. This is why it is essential to feel comfortable with your chosen general contractor’s capabilities.
The subcontractors ought to be kept at arm’s length from you by the general contractor. They act as your primary point of contact, and all project construction communication (including subcontractor correspondence) should be routed through them. The general contractor may send questions or requests from their subcontractors directly to the architect and engineers, who accept, log, and respond to these on your behalf. In this way, your architect will use their expertise to guide the project. It is natural to feel a little left out as the client, but the old adage that ‘no news is good news’ applies here. A lack of communication can be a sign that all is going well.
This is because it is the general contractor’s role to ensure the level of subcontractor skill and experience matches the level, type, complexity, and sophistication of the project. An appropriate general contractor should have relationships with multiple subcontractors. They will also always have favorites. If the project has elements that are particularly complicated, custom, or of special importance, it can be useful for a general contractor to work with a proven subcontractor they are familiar with. Equally, they should have a broad range of subcontractors on hand to ensure they can be flexible and responsive. Without getting involved in the details, you should be comfortable with your general contractor’s approach to subcontractor relationships.
Inspections and Punch Lists
Let us assume that the project has run smoothly and is wrapping up and very near completion. Things can feel to happen quickly, especially as contractors and subcontractors have the prospect of final payments on the horizon. They are typically keen to complete their scope promptly, get paid, and then move on to their next jobs. However, there are a few hurdles to overcome before this can happen.
Final inspections will need to be coordinated with your local AHJ inspectors, who will need to confirm the construction is complete to code and matches the approved construction documents. You, of course, will need to be satisfied with the work too. Inevitably, there will be areas of dissatisfaction that need fixing before you’re happy to consider the contract complete. In the construction industry, a list of final client concerns is often referred to as a ‘punch list’. Involving your architect can reduce the extent of changes on this final step. Site visits as the project comes to a close can support wrapping up tasks amicably. If outstanding or missing scope can be completed while contractors are still on the project, for example, it is far easier and less expensive for them to complete tasks. Having to call back contractors who may have moved on to new work is always more challenging.
In some cases, tradespeople may not be aware of outstanding tasks. Through an understanding of contract documents and managing appropriate communication, you have a much better chance of a smooth completion. Indeed, a larger commercial, industrial, or institutional project may have a dedicated specialist completion consultant who handles the close-out process. This may be referred to as ‘commissioning’ the building. Commissioning is a term for the entire process, from closing the project out to testing all the building systems and operations, identifying how each piece of equipment is to be operated and maintained, and documenting items that do not conform to the contract and need to be corrected. For a house or a smaller project, a specialist may not be necessary, but it is still important to pay particular attention to the final weeks and days of a schedule. The fit and finish of the project must match the contract documents, and everything should work as expected, by you, before the contract can be considered delivered.
You may feel time pressure to move into your property and put the construction phase behind you. Close-out can also be stressful, which means opportunities to handle the situation well can be missed. It pays not to feel rushed. Besides, walking into a newly completed project for the first time is a great moment to experience. It is always very personal and moving. It can be life changing. It can also take time to use new spaces, test all your new fixtures and appliances, and experience places at different times of the day and in different seasons. Architecture should challenge your perceptions of the project enough to allow surprise and wonderful moments long after the drama of construction has subsided.
This journal entry has been distilled from our book Speaking Architecture: From Concept to Construction to Completion which is a client-focused field guide to the architectural process. If you’re preparing for an upcoming project, pick up a copy of the book to get a more comprehensive look into the process.
