A general contractor or main contractor is a critical part to any construction project and is responsible for the day-to-day oversight and supervision of a construction site. They are responsible for providing site services and the material management necessary to complete today’s complex projects successfully. They also offer electrical and mechanical support for industrial and commercial projects.
In addition to these roles, a general contractor is also responsible for working as the mediator between the design team, the construction workers, subcontractors, and the project owner.
However, if you’re living in Canada and are thinking about starting your next big project, you’d probably know by now how difficult and challenging it is to find just the right contractor to handle your project. Finding a reliable and professional contractor is no easy task because it requires so much research and pre-planning that it can easily get overwhelming and frustrating.
For this reason, as experts in the field, Taurus Projects has compiled below a list of its best tips that can help you find the most suitable contractor to make your project dreams come true!
Recommendations
One of the most challenging parts of starting a new construction project is finding a reliable and responsible contractor. But as the project owner, the first question you need to ask yourself is, do you know anyone who had recently hired a contractor? Friends, family, and colleague recommendations can go a long way because their experience will help you count in or rule out a contractor in your town and will help you narrow down your list.
However, getting recommendations, although may be the simplest and easiest way to find a contractor, does not mean that you don’t do any further research or do a background check on them. Often, we have come across clients who did not do a background check after getting suggestions from their colleagues and ended up with someone who ruined their project instead of making it a success.
Background/ Experience
Doing a background check and finding a contractor that has experience in your type of project should be the first thing you do after compiling a list of contractors in your town. Every contractor has a portfolio of his past projects, so make sure you ask the company to show it to you. Their portfolio will give you an idea about their work quality and the scale at which they have managed projects.
Follow the points mentioned below to ensure your commercial contractor is reliable and has enough experience to handle your project successfully:
- Verify the company’s credentials and make sure they have sufficient experience in projects of the same type and scale as yours.
- Make sure the company is licensed and insured.
- See if the company can provide you with their portfolio or a list of their previous clients and references.
- Follow up with the company’s references to know how their project went and what was their experiences with the contractor.
- Determine if any legal or formal complaints had ever been filed against the firm.
License And Insurance
Checking a contractor’s license and insurance is an essential step to take before finally hiring them. Making sure your general contractor is certified and insured means you’re selecting someone knowledgeable enough to handle your construction site services efficiently. Construction sites are often full of dangers and lingering hazards. Having insurance ensures that the project owner will not be responsible should anything go wrong on the site.
Follow the steps below to make sure you’re employing a reliable and professional general contractor:
- Ask the company to give you a copy of their license and get it checked and verified. Make sure the license is valid.
- Get a copy of their insurance certificate verified. Uninsured contractors should not be providing your construction site services at all.
These are the top three tips you need to keep in mind before hiring a contractor. If you’re looking for a professional contractor to provide you with construction site services in Saskatchewan and Alberta, visit our website or contact us today for a free consultation.