Dealing with a general contractor for the first time.

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zappy

zappy

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Location
CA.
Iv'e always dealt with the home owner directly,so i guess i'm a little uncomfortable having not talked to the home owners at all.Should i have any confersation with them or get any info on who they are?Or just have the GC sign the contract and be done?Thank you for your help.
 
If the General Contractor has the job then you are working for him. He's the guy that's going to pay you. His signature on the contract is all you should need because now you are a sub contractor.
 
Information can get a little off when going through a third party.
If the home owners are involved and you are not comminicating with them. It might be a good idea to have some change order sheets available.
In most cases you might want to talk with them. You could probably talk them in to a few up grades. Such as a generator panel, etc...
How ever that's not always true. Some times they might be a Pain (PITA)
In that case you would be happy letting the contractor deal with them.
Sorry I'm no help. You'll just have to feel the situation out.
 
avoid the home owners if possible, you are not working for them. stick to the prints, and refer them to the general contractor for any changes.
 
In general it is best to take direction from one or the other, not both. Put whatever you are doing in writing, have the reponsible party sign it and don't worry about it.
 
Some GC's (maybe even many GC's) get a little wound up if you have communications with the homeowner. Take all your questions to the GC, and make any suggestions about the install to the GC. The fact that there is even a homeowner should have no bearing on anything. You're working for the GC, nearly as if you were one of his employees (well, not quite). Having said that, sometimes it is valuable to have the GC arrange for a homeowner walk through after you have all your boxes nailed up, so the people who have to live there get an idea of how things are going to be. This suggestion can sometimes generate change orders. What looks good on the print doesn't always hash out so well in real life. If you do this walk-through, schedule it through the GC.

Just my two cents...
 
If your time has no value, by all means - yak it up with the HO.
You could spends hours talking to a HO w/no product being sold to them at all.

Your contract is with the GC, deal with the GC.
If the HO would like some input, communicate only in the presence of (and with the blessing of) the GC. (His time also has value)

This of course does not mean that you should shun the HO as if they were escaped lepers...you can be (and should be) friendly and civil ~ but business is business.
 
mdshunk said:
Some GC's (maybe even many GC's) get a little wound up if you have communications with the homeowner.
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Agreed. Approach the GC honestly with this question. Some are adamant about no direct contact, and some are happy to be left out of it. He should be expected to do the selling if he insists on benefitting a lot, and vice versa.

You might suggest upgrades (as mentioned above) that both of you can benefit from selling, such as split-wiring receptacles in livingrooms, dens, bedrooms, etc., dedicated circuits for entertainment systems, whole-house AV, networking, and other LV enhancements.
 
Communication with the HO is up to you & the GC, but for legal reasons I require HO information (Name & Address) on my contracts. You'll need that info if you need to Collect & Lien.

Dave
 
Sparky555 said:
Communication with the HO is up to you & the GC, but for legal reasons I require HO information (Name & Address) on my contracts. You'll need that info if you need to Collect & Lien.
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Not to mention the electrical permit.
 
Every one has given you some of the best advice you need for dealing with this situation. But if you do not know this GC or his track record you need to talk with the other subs on the job. Just strike up conversation with the others and slide in how long have you been doing work for this GC? Dose he do a lot of work? Just slide things in to get a feel for this GC so you can be alert for slow or no pay, dose he try and beat you down on your prices so he can line his pockets more than what he already does? Get ALL change orders in writing and signed BEFOR you do the work.
 
ceb58 said:
Every one has given you some of the best advice you need for dealing with this situation. But if you do not know this GC or his track record you need to talk with the other subs on the job. Just strike up conversation with the others and slide in how long have you been doing work for this GC? Dose he do a lot of work? Just slide things in to get a feel for this GC so you can be alert for slow or no pay, dose he try and beat you down on your prices so he can line his pockets more than what he already does? Get ALL change orders in writing and signed BEFOR you do the work.
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I don't know the GC at all.There are no subs to talk to.So how should i go about finding more about him?Thank you everyone for your help i really appreciate it!
 
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ceb58's advice is spot on. General contractors make money by coercing and cajoling subs into doing work for which they won't get paid for, so be very specific in defining your scope of work, actually itemize how many receptacles, switches, etc you are going to install.

It's OK to install an additional plug or two gratis in the interest of customer service but after that charge a fair price for extras and never do an extra without getting signed authorization first. GCs will complain about you "nickel and diming" them to death, but if you don't charge for these items, it is *you* who are getting nickel and dimed to death.

Remember, even though the GC thinks it's "his job", it is not, he is merely an agent for the home owner. If he doesn't pay, your collection efforts should be focussed on the home owner, not the GC.

All GC's are dishonest, there are no exceptions, some people like to claim they work for honest GCs but the truth is when money gets tight, all GCs revert to dishonesty to preserve their profits. Never believe anything a GC says and always conduct your business in a professional fashion.

In the last 30 years I've worked for hundreds of GCs and my experience is that they can give you lots of work with narrow profit margins but you must always keep your guard up. The key is diversification, don't let GC work be all that you do.
 
zappy said:
I don't know the GC at all.There are no subs to talk to.So how should i go about finding more about him?Thank you everyone for your help i really appreciate it!
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Check his references as if you were the homeowner. Try the local BBB. Try local local lumber yards and supply houses somebody will give you some information about the GC.
 
You are working for the guy signing your check. Anyone else you talk to is just a friendly chat.

We get into a fair number of these kind of situations where a third party contracts us to do something. They can get awkward because usually the end user naturally expects to be kept in the loop.
 
will the HO continue to feed you work or will the GC? I have left a card behind with the understanding that after the fact they can call me personally.
 
C3PO said:
Niether, they will both screw you over if you let them.
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If you look at real world records, you may find, only a very small number of homeowners will call the same company for new work, and GC's will shop for the sub that will increase his share in added profits, nothing makes them happer then finding some green EC that has little or no business experience, they usually try to run the show when they find one.
 
It doesn't hurt to put your company sticker on the panel board when you are done. They are cheap and if down the road the need an electrician they may well call you.
 
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