The Different Types Of General Contractors
A general contractor must obtain a license to perform this job role to ensure that they are qualified to coordinate a construction project from start to finish. General contractors work with the architects and clients during the planning stage of a construction job and are in charge of the oversight of the day to day operations at the jobsite.
There are different kinds of general contractors who specialize in various fields of construction. We will be covering each of the following kinds of contractors in more detail in future blog posts, but in this article, you can find a quick overview of each kind of contractor.
Contractor Type Definitions
Construction management is focused mainly on the budget and timeline of the project.
The day to day operations of the jobsite are usually delegated to another company while the construction management contractor manages the big picture aspects.
A design-build contractor is a construction technique of leaving all aspects of the construction job from the design to the building up to a single contractor. A design-build team is usually made up of a designer, a contractor, and other individuals who all work together under one contract.
A corporate general contractor specializes in building projects that are in the corporate sector. Chain restaurants, gas stations, and retail stores require each building to be a cookie-cutter replica and so the corporation will use one contracting company to build all of their buildings. Because the contractor may need to travel to other cities and states to work on the chain of buildings, they are sometimes also called a Traveling General Contractor.
Real estate developers buy land and invest their own money into a construction job, leaving them with the highest risk of losses and often the highest chance of a big payout when the job is complete. Developers can make a lot of money by buying land and orchestrating construction jobs from start to finish.
A residential contractor is a contractor who specializes in the building, remodeling, or renovation of residential homes. Residential contractors in the state of Virginia are only licensed for working on single-family homes and cannot build multifamily properties such as apartment complexes.
A commercial contractor‘s expertise lies in their training and experience in overseeing the construction of commercial retail spaces.
Different standards of building codes must be followed for government buildings, which is why government contractors must have a specialized skill set to encompass the responsibilities of the job. They are commissioned by the state or federal government to oversee a construction project and must follow strict government regulations. Government contractors complete a large amount of paperwork, inspections, and scheduling to abide by these regulations.
Entertainment contractors orchestrate the building of temporary structures used for movie sets, television, and commercials. Entertainment contractors know how to make buildings look perfect on film, but up close the structures would never meet the codes required for a real building.
A handyman contractor is an individual who operates on a smaller scale than contractors for large projects but still possesses the tools and training to complete a variety of construction work, usually for renovation projects.
Carlton Building Services VA Contractors
Companies and individuals looking to expand to the Hamptons Roads Region of Virginia can connect with a variety of specialized contractors and construction teams through our website. Give us a call or send us an email and we will get back to you quickly. We aim to be a valuable resource for you to use in your next construction project.
