Tips for finding qualified laborers
Ask anybody and you will find out that, "it's hard to find good help." This is just as true in construction as it is in any other industry, maybe even more true. If you are beginning a construction project, you are faced with the problem of finding good help.
Finding laborers to work on your project will depend on the size of the project and the role that you are playing in the project. If you are going to act as an owner/builder, you will be responsible for hiring everyone that is involved with the project. This can be quite a task. On the other hand, if you are going to use a general contractor, you will only need to hire this one person. If you are able to find a good and well-qualified contractor, he will be responsible for hiring all of the subs and other laborers.
To find a good general contractor, you should rely on word-of-mouth. The best endorsement of a general contractor is happy customers. Ask people who have recently build or completed construction projects in your area. The more similar the project is to the one you want to do, the more likely that your experience will be similar to the experience of the person who had the work done.
Once you have found a few possible candidates, you should find out if they have all the licenses required in your state. Go to the state licensing board and find out if the licenses are in good standing. It is okay to check on all of these things and an honest contractor should be happy to show his credentials.
Another thing you want to make sure of is that they have experience with the project that you are asking about. Even if he has all the necessary licenses and paper work, you will not want to hire a rookie who will be learning on your project. Find someone that can show you similar work that they have done. If the work is acceptable, you can expect that the contractor be qualified to do your project.
You also want to make sure that the contractor is well insured. Do some research and find out about the different types of insurance available to contractors. They should be bonded, have general liability insurance, worker's compensation, and disability. Ask to see the certificates of insurance. A well-qualified contractor will also be a well-insured one.
If you are contracting the job yourself, you will have to go through these steps for every subcontractor that you hire. This can be quite time consuming. One possible way to make the hiring of subcontractors a little more efficient is to use a service like the American Subcontractors Association. You can go online and find subcontractors in your area that are members of the association. Just go to asaonline.com.
Subcontractors that are American Subcontractors Association members must hold the mandatory licenses and certificates for the state they are working in. Association members are held to association standards, which is good news for you.
However, just like with the contractors, being qualified on paper and being qualified in the field are two different things. You will want to check the references and, if possible, see the work of a subcontractor before your hire him. You should also meet the person and make sure that you get along. You will have to trust and work closely with this person during your construction project.
If you are just looking for someone to do a small job in your house, word of mouth if probably the best method. Someone with no qualifications can patch up your drywall. What you want is to hire someone who has done the exact same job for someone that you know.
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Tags: contractors subcontractors home-repair building construction insurance license word_of_mouth
