Almost 5% of the American workforce is in the construction industry. If you are working with one of these people on a project unrelated to residences, you might be dealing with a commercial contractor. Although, what is commercial contracting and what does such a person do?
This article will help illuminate this area of commercial construction. By the end of the piece, you should have a good idea of what a commercial contractor is and the best way to investigate hiring one.
WHAT IS A COMMERCIAL CONTRACTOR?
To understand a commercial contractor, first, you must understand what a general contractor is.
A general contractor is a person or company who heads up the day-to-day work of a construction project or construction site. A client would hire such a contractor to coordinate all the moving parts in a project like this.
A company hires a commercial contractor when it is completing work on a commercial building. They have expertise in engaging with how such a process works, as opposed to what needs to occur when building residences.
Commercial contracting involves organizing things such as:
CHECKING ZONING LAWS
A commercial property contractor will ensure you follow appropriate zoning laws. Examples include staying below specific heights and using the building for specific purposes.
Failure here may interfere with your building project, or even lead to demolition. As such, it is important to make sure the contractor has all the information they need.
ENSURING INVESTED PERSONS COMMUNICATE
There are many different people involved in a construction project. If they do not communicate with one another, this could spell danger for keeping everything in order. Some of the people who need to be on the same page include the owner of the location, any planned vendors, or the project manager for the building.
One of the jobs of commercial general contractors is to keep these people talking, especially when things go wrong.
FINALIZING ARCHITECTURAL PLANS.
While commercial general contractors are not architects themselves, they need to talk to them. They can help ensure any building plans finish before construction starts.
If they then need updates, the commercial contractor can then act as a line between the client and the architect. This can ensure that construction projects are not bottlenecked.
GROUND PREPARATION.
Before anything can go up, commercial contractors must ensure the site is well-prepared. This can include organizing the clearing of the site and any surveying that needs to occur. Any other investigation, such as soil testing and planning the site layout itself, is also in their purview.
MANAGING THE PROJECT BUDGET
Commercial construction comes with a large budget that the team must not squander. It needs careful management to ensure people do not go over budget due to poor planning.
Having a commercial general contractor as part of the construction team ensures someone has oversight of the money. This can help keep costs down on any project work for new construction.
OBTAINING PERMITS.
Having the right permits for commercial construction can ensure you make good progress on a construction site. A commercial general contractor has knowledge of how to get such permits and what they need to do to ensure they resolve fast. This can keep overall costs down by efficiently working with local government departments.
REQUISITIONING EQUIPMENT.
Commercial construction demands you have the right tools at the right time. A commercial general contractor has the experience and knowledge to know where to pick such tools up. The right contractor can use this ability to save time by hiring services or tools before the rest of the team knows they are needed.
RESEARCHING BUILDING CODES
Before you build, they can look over any architectural plans and check them compared to local building codes. There may be specific rules for the materials you use to build or the methods by which you create a building. This helps a commercial construction project move forward by ensuring there are no roadblocks in the planning stage.
HOW TO HIRE THE RIGHT COMMERCIAL PROPERTY CONTRACTOR
When you pick up a commercial contractor, you need to ensure you hire the right one. Finding the right commercial general contractor might involve the following steps:
RESEARCH YOUR OPTIONS
Over 36,000 people in the USA have the job title of “General Contractor”. Commercial contractors fit a great many of these, so you will need to ensure you choose the right one for your needs.
Investigate online, look at reviews, and find some testimonies for each one. You want to know if your construction project matches their abilities.
DETERMINE COSTS
Commercial construction projects are an expensive endeavor, and hiring the right people will make sure they do not go over budget. Therefore, work out how much you are likely to save with a good hire, and put that straight into hiring the best commercial general contractor you can.
ASK FOR A LICENSE
In the state of Florida, a commercial general contractor needs a state license. So, when talking to commercial contractors, make sure to check they have the right credentials. If they do not, both you and them could end up in a lot of trouble.
VERIFY THEIR INSURANCE
Much like having a license, any commercial construction project demands anybody hired for it has the right insurance. Get the paperwork through for anyone you investigate to make sure they can work with the insurance they have.
PROFESSIONALISM
Commercial construction is sometimes a bit of a “boys’ crowd”, but you need them to act professionally when it matters. Talk to the general contractor and ensure their responses do not suggest a lack of professional skill.
FIND THE BEST COMMERCIAL CONTRACTORS FOR YOU
With the above information in hand, you should understand the role of a commercial contractor more than ever. Still, you might not know the best place to look for one. Lucky for you, this is what we are here for.
We are ready to get started on any commercial building projects you need to complete. If you get in contact, we can begin a discussion with you related to logistics, how fast we can put it up, and how we can help you more in the future. So, give us a call today and find out how we are at the forefront of construction work in St. Petersburg, Florida.