Do You Have a Guy?
When you work with a general contractor, you may wonder how they’ll handle special parts of your project? Do they have someone that does swimming pools? Someone who installs AV equipment for entertainment spaces in your home?
The short answer that any contractor will give you is “Yes.” Any experienced contractor has working partnerships with a range of professionals who can get the job done. However, when it comes to more specialized projects a key differentiator is whether they have someone who is their “go-to”, a specific individual or company that they work with on a continuing basis based on a history of successful project completion.
The question you should be asking a contractor, then, isn’t simply whether or not they’ve got someone to handle a particular aspect of your project. You should be asking who is going to be called upon. Your contractor should be able to confidently and clearly indicate who they’re going to have working on it. When you’re doing your due diligence, consider asking some of the following questions:
• Who will be handling this aspect of my project?
• Can you show me any examples of projects similar to mine which you’ve successfully worked on with this professional/company?
It also doesn’t hurt to conduct a brief internet search once you’ve been given a name. Look up the individual/company and see if there are any positive reviews to further recommend them, or to alert you to any major red flags.
Contractors who do larger volumes of work may have several “go-to” subcontractors, even for specialized work, but they should still be able to state with confidence who is likely to work on your project based on availability and suitability.
Remember, that when you select a general contractor for a job, you are also selecting their network of subcontractors, so your contractor should be open to discussing who will be working on the project.