How to hire a general contractor
Vet the business, read the references, confirm insurance and settle the scope in writing — with an interview worksheet you can score.
General Contracting
Choosing who runs the job, and what to put in writing.
A building or remodeling project is mostly a sequence of commitments. The first one — who runs it — quietly decides how the rest go.
General contracting is the work of coordinating a project: scheduling trades, ordering materials, keeping payments tied to progress, and standing behind the result. For a homeowner, the useful skill is not doing that work but choosing the person who will, and writing the agreement so both sides know what was promised.
These guides stay on that ground. They cover how to build a shortlist you can trace, how to tell a general contractor's role from a home builder's, and how to plan an addition so your bids describe the same job. We do not list, rate or refer contractors, and nothing here is legal advice — licensing, lien and permit rules vary by state and locality, so confirm current requirements with your local building department before you sign.
General contractor vs. home builder
The two titles overlap and local usage varies. What each role tends to own, and the question that matters more than the label.
Plan a home addition before requesting bids
Site, design, approvals, scope and budget are dependencies, not a checklist you can reorder. Settle them before the numbers come in.