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Subcontractor Types in Contruction: The Importance of Knowing the Diffrences
The General Contractor
Normally the construction company handles the major parts of the actual structure — the foundation, the framing,
and all of the parts that make up the building itself. Many times, this takes a large crew of 10 people or more. Handling
the detailed work of construction, like the roofing, air conditioning, electrical work, and plumbing would take a substantially
larger operation, which could become pretty overwhelming to keep track of.
It's much easier for a general contractor to “sub” the work out to multiple subcontractors and pay them out of the total revenue
generated for the entire project. There are several different types of subcontractors, and we'll cover them in this article.
1. Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning
Plumbing, heating, and air conditioning is handled by specialty contractors known as mechanical contractors. However, many will choose to niche down and specialize only in heating and air conditioning, in which case they are known as HVAC contractors.
2. Painting and Paper Hanging
Painting and paper hanging normally handles any type of interior and exterior painting, as well as the application of wallpaper. These workers often paint larger structures too — bridges, towers, and other high rises that need painting will be handled by these subcontractors. The only type of painting separate from this discipline is roof painting. This is considered a different trade altogether.
3. Electrical Workers
Electrical subcontractors make up a broad portion of construction subs. Their scope of work is incredibly vast and may include fire alarm installation, telecommunications, and other specialty forms of electrical work.
4. Masonry, Stonework, Tile Setting, and Plastering
These four types of subcontractors fall under one umbrella, according to OSHA. Many times, these four disciplines will divide down even further and include insulation workers, drywall hangers, and other specialties. Plastering, drywall, and insulation are critical to many building types because they handle the layer between the exterior and interior walls.
5. Carpentry and Floor Work
Floor workers handle any type of flooring materials during the finishing portion of a project. Carpenters are usually present during the same phase of construction but will handle things like cabinet hanging, joinery, garage door installation, and doors. They will also handle other trim and intricate finish work.
6.Roofing, Sliding, Sheet Metal
These three categories also hold a variety of jobs, including skylight installation, architectural metal, roofing, ductwork, and gutter installation. Industrial jobs and design changes rely heavily on this type of subcontractor.
7. Post-Construction/Closeout
Concrete finishes handle a large variety of jobs. They will pour footers and foundations during initial project phases or handle concrete
interior walls all the way down to the sidewalks. Their project size ranges from small and intricate to incredibly large and structural-based
work.
Clearly, there are multiple portions that make up one large construction project. There are rare cases where one construction company will
handle everything, but normally, these trades work in unison to produce a collaborative finished product. If you are looking for any
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