What does a General Contractor do anyway?

What does a General Contractor do?

When you hire Will Kenly, the owner of the home remodeling company, Kenly Construction, he acts as the General Contractor (or GC) for your home renovation project.

Many people ask .....

What the heck does a General Contractor do? Can't I do this myself?

What does a General Contractor do?

General contractors (GC), are responsible for the coordination, supervision, and management of the renovations at your home. It's the GC's job to streamline all various aspects of your home construction project. The GC has extensive experience in troubleshooting potential issues.

Ultimately, the GC's expertise in managing and overseeing construction projects saves you time and money.

The GC acts as a central point of contact for the client, subcontractors, suppliers, and other stakeholders involved in the project. The experienced GC has numerous business contacts and solid relationships with various suppliers and subcontractors serving the New Jersey home remodeling market. The GC handles all building permits and oversees subcontractors. 

The GC interprets architectural plans into a buildable structure, and analyzes what materials, equipment and types of skilled labor are needed to complete the project.

What skills must a General Contractor have?

Today's General Contractor is computer literate and able to create complex construction project contracts that are are continually modified as the project evolves.

Today's GC reads, interprets and implements complex architectural plans and engineering diagrams. The GC is well versed in town building codes, and in practical employee and building law.

Today's GC is emotionally intelligent, communicating tactfully with anxious clients and their families displaced in their homes for months on end during home renovations.

Today's GC is available to communicate with clients and families during this time to discuss all concerns.

Your relationship with your GC

Once you hire Will Kenly of Kenly Construction, it's the start of a business relationship as well as a subtype of a personal relationship. We will be in your house for the life of the project and managing expenditures associated with your project. Building up trust and respect goes both ways.

How does a GC manage a home construction project?

As your GC, Will drives hundreds of miles every week, in his truck, which has effectively become the Kenly Construction mobile office!

Will visits job sites, vendors, building departments and architects. He is picking up and dropping off materials, inspecting his crew's work and revisiting and revising plans as the projects evolve and move forward.

Permit process

In general, the GC fills out the necessary permits from local town building departments. This often involves driving to the building department to discuss the scope of the remodeling work with the building inspectors in person to ensure accuracy of the project details.

The GC ensures that the construction company, such as Kenly Construction, remains compliant throughout the construction process. Often, construction in older buildings uncovers unseen problems, which requires a re-evaluation, expansion of the project and new permits. This is all under the GC's remit.

Materials

The GC discusses the choice of material at length with the client. These discussions include cost and client preferences.

The GC has established business relationships with numerous vendors and has knowledge based on hard won experience with various vendors about pricing, lead times, and quality issues.

As the GC begins to order materials based on the client preferences, the choice of vendor becomes relevant, as different vendors have different quality levels, lead times and material availability.

As the vendor availability solidifies, the GC again discusses available options with the clients to ensure they understand the cost, material availability and quality.

Even with reliable and known vendors, there are often some delivery and quality issues that are managed by the GC. The GC inspects deliveries on the job site to ensure quality control. Usually there is something that needs to be replaced or sent back. The GC negotiates all of these returns and deliveries.

Equipment

The GC also analyzes which equipment is needed for the project. The GC has established relationships with businesses that rent dumpsters, excavators, Port-A-Potties, fork lifts, skid steers, etc. Some large equipment needs specially certified and insured operators of this equipment as well. The GC works to collaborate with these businesses to ensure timely delivery of equipment.

Employees and Subcontractors

Furthermore, the GC oversees project scheduling to ensure that tasks are carried out in a logical sequence without delays or conflicts. The framing, of course, goes up before the plumbers come in, then the electricians, then the floors, etc...

Kenly Construction coordinates with different subcontractors, such as plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and other specialized tradespeople, plus the employees involved in different phases of construction.

Expect the unexpected

The GC manages unexpected situations that come as the project progresses. And there are always unexpected situations that come up.

For example, in a 55 year old house, the plumbing pipes might crumble when the plumber starts to work on them.

In this case, the subcontractors would halt work on the project and alert the GC to the situation. If the pipes were leaking, this could cause mold. That would need to be investigated further.

After investigation, the GC develops solutions to the situation discusses this with the client. The client then chooses a solution based on budget and personal choice. This additional work changes the scope of the project.

Should I GC my project myself?

Ask yourself:

• Do you already have a full time job?

• Do you have children in various activities?

• Do you know how to fill out building permits?

• Do you have contacts with tile, flooring, lumber and cabinet vendors?

• Can you be there to receive delivery of tile, flooring, lumber and cabinet materials?

• How much do you know about electrical, HVAC and plumbing work?

• How much do you know about unexpected situations such as structural problems with your foundations or drainage?

• How do you manage stress?

• How does your partner manage stress?

• How is your communication with your partner or spouse?
  

Handling all of this by yourself without an experienced GC will significantly put real demands on your time and your emotional state.

Benefits of Using Will Kenly as your GC

Will Kenly is an experienced and communicative GC who manages stress and responsibility well. He will manage the details of your New Jersey home remodeling project for you, and help you make important construction decisions.

Overall, hiring a competent general contractor will help manage your stress and help your life flow more smoothly throughout the stress of construction and hopefully help bring some clarity to the disagreements with your partner about materials and project scope.

Kenly Construction is a well known and reputable construction company in Wayne New Jersey and will ensure completion of your New Jersey home remodeling project construction project.

Choosing Kenly Construction ensures your peace of mind and a steadier emotional state during the stress of your New Jersey home remodel.

Call Kenly Construction at 973-985-8338 for an estimate on your Home Renovation Project Today

Kenly Construction specializes in New Jersey Custom Home Building and Home Additions