When considering a home improvement project, here's how to go about hiring a general contractor.
Homeowners are savvy with their money and their time. Sometimes they want to tackle a home remodeling project on their own. Other times, they want to hire a seasoned general contractor like South Land Remodeling. When considering any home improvement, it’s important to know when to hire a general contractor to ensure safety and quality work.
Before hiring a pro, it's important to know how to find a reputable general contractor. This includes that he/she is licensed, bonded and experienced in the project you’re hiring him to complete. Also, look for an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
We also recommend your home remodeling contractor be a jack-of-all-trades capable of design, construction, installation, electrical, plumbing, etc. This streamlines the construction process, expedites a completion date, and ensures he can mitigate and quickly solve any construction issues. It simply makes your life easier by not having to find a new, specialized pro for each job. You'll also have a GC who can easily pivot into any additional needs you have now or in the future.
While not inclusive of all projects, here are popular home remodeling projects that require a seasoned, reliable general contractor.
Building an ADU or Room Addition
Large construction projects like this are simply too big for the average homeowner to do solo. As a Los Angeles general contractor, we build a lot of accessory dwelling units (A.K.A an ADU or granny flat) and room additions. These projects can take months to complete. They require architectural planning, building codes, building permits, laying a foundation, electrical, plumbing, window installation, finish installation and much more. Even if adding a room, think of it as essentially designing and building a new structure. It's something you definitely need a pro to do – and do right.
Creating a New Footprint
A bathroom or kitchen remodel, for example, often includes demo-ing the entire space and creating a new footprint. The right general contractor has all the tools in his belt to design that footprint and put everything in its new place. This particularly includes electrical and plumbing, which is no safe feat without expertise. Your GC can also assist with permitting this building project as well as ensure everything complies with state codes.
Working with Electrical or Plumbing
Unless doing something as simple as replacing an existing light fixture or faucet, we highly recommend hiring a general contractor to handle electrical and plumbing. Cutting corners here can result in unnecessary damage, added costs and injury. Electrical is a potentially fatal job and plumbing can cause costly water destruction, if not done correctly. Plus, the right contractor will be able to bring outdated electrical or plumbing up to code.
Doing a Combination of Home Remodeling Projects
We’ve seen it too many times... A homeowner tries tackling multiple projects at once and then realizes it's too much to handle. This typically means significant time and money were wasted, plus unnecessary stress was caused. In some cases, all their work has to be redone. A pro can get a finished product done much faster and in far better quality. A design-savvy contractor can also help save money by helping you find budget-friendly solutions and finishes.
Overall, it's the duty of a general contractor to ensure you're happy with your home remodel. He/she should also ensure your safety, budget and lifestyle needs are top priority.
South Land Remodeling is a highly experienced, licensed and bonded general contractor servicing the greater Los Angeles area. Give us a call today to discuss your home remodel!
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