So why do you need a General Contractor, and what are the benefits of using one when it comes to remodeling or building your new home?  A respectable General Contractor will eliminate most of the stress from you and carry the burden or stress of managing the demands and details that are always a part of building. A General Contractor will also save you from making costly mistakes because they manage every facet.  Sparling Construction, Inc. has been successfully operating as a General Contractor for over 27 years now and we enjoy taking the stresses and demands of remodeling/building upon our selves.

 

When homeowners try to take part in doing some, or all of their building, often times this is where mistakes happen and the project all of a sudden comes to a screeching halt and expenses get out of hand.  When you let us as the General Contractor take care of everything the responsibility and liability is all on us.  The general public really doesn’t understand the power of the General Contractor.  When you’re dealing with us as your General Contractor, you’re dealing with our already established subcontractor teams and  quality suppliers.  Not only do we as your General Contractor control the quality that goes into each project, but we also control the costs to a certain degree too.  With the volume of sales and spoon-feeding business to our subs and suppliers, obviously we as the General Contractor receive a discount.  Our Contractor discounts take care of most of our company’s overhead, which allows us to be able to be competitive in the market.  It’s a win-win situation for both you the homeowner and us the General Contractor.  A solid General Contractor in many ways acts as a personal physician or an attorney in always protecting you as their client and helping you as the homeowner to make the best decisions for your home.

 

When it comes to remodeling or building your new home there’s more than just the basic tasks of concrete, framing and finish work.  Remodeling and building requires a lot of planning, managing and design before we your builder set foot on your property.  Most homeowners really have no idea the extensiveness that goes behind the scenes of construction jobsite.  The challenge some smaller building companies have is not having much time or manpower to effectively orchestrate or manage the administrative part of the project, both before and during the project, resulting in an unpleasant experience for the excited homeowner.

 

So what are the things that a homeowner should look for when considering remodeling or building?  First, find out if your builder is a General Contractor, or if they are more of a carpenter crew.  This makes a huge difference.  A General Contracting company such as ours will take care of every detail of the project for you such as your flooring, cabinetry, electrical, painting and staining etc.  Whereas a carpenter crew will simply put up your shell and maybe insulate and sheetrock the inside of your home, but they don’t manage subcontractors.  Even among General Contractors you will still find a difference in how they handle you as a client.  There are many General Contractors that still lack detail and yes, even experience.

 

Second, does your builder provide you with a detailed proposal consisting of many pages, or do you have maybe only one or two pages?  Never do business on a verbal agreement; this is a disaster ready to happen.  On a home, your proposal should be at least 8 to 10 pages long.  Anything less you can expect to apart on the final bill, or encounter many change orders.  The same kind of detailed proposal applies for an extensive remodel as well.  Something else to consider when reading your proposal is does it have a section of what’s “not included” which is just as important as what is included.

 

Third, how many years of experience does your builder have in remodeling or building in your area, and are they licensed and bonded? 

The odds are in your favor when you deal with a company such as ours that is still in business after 27 years compared to a company that’s only been around for a couple of years. 

 

Fourth, how well are you able to communicate with your prospective builder?  Does your prospective builder listen to your ideas and needs?  Do they take the time to retrieve the necessary information in order to generate a detailed proposal?  Are they able to answer the first day they meet with you how much they feel the project will cost, how long the project will take, and when they feel they could start on your project.  At Sparling Construction, Inc. we are happy to say that we address and answer every one of these questions.  If a builder is not able to answer these questions you as the homeowner should strongly consider a different builder.