Can a General Contractor do Electrical Work?
Whatever your vision is, contractors make sure to turn that vision into reality. A general contractor or construction contractor is a person who is responsible for all aspects of construction projects. Their main duties are hiring subcontractors according to project types, applying for necessary licenses and building permits, and getting estimates. They supervise the work throughout and provide the required materials.
The scope of the work is one of the most important parts of a contract. The scope means the area of your responsibilities. Defining the areas for all stakeholders, contractors, subcontractors, and supervisors is important. If you can not describe the boundaries of responsibilities, anybody asks that a general contractor do electrical work. At this time, you will have no justifications because you did not define your and your sub-contractors roles. In upcoming paragraphs, we will explain the scope and responsibilities of a general contractor and its links with electrical work. Let’s connect with us and get details.
What can a general contractor do?
As we are on the way to defining the role of a general contractor. We will study some crucial aspects of their duties. These will help us to understand the complete process of constructing a project and the role of contractors.
- Meeting with clients to review their project requirements.
- They are communicating with customers to answer their questions or concerns.
- Advising on the best way to complete specific projects.
- They are creating timelines and budgets for clients.
- Purchase of essential materials and equipment.
- Applying for permits and licenses.
- They are hiring subcontractors.
- Supervise their team to ensure they are working safely and efficiently.
- Inspecting their team’s work throughout the project to ensure it meets the client’s requests.
These are the key responsibilities of a general contractor. A question: Can a general contractor do electrical work? It is asked many times. The simple answer is yes. It is beneficial for you to sign a contract for electrical work with a construction contractor already working on your project. He will easily hire a subcontractor according to his experience and you will eliminate extra headaches.
Understanding the aspect of electrical work
The basics of electrical work are installing wires, switches, and circuits. But it is not easy as shown. It requires technical expertise and sometimes a few legal permits. Knowing that an electrician can only do some of the work is also important. For example, a commercial electrician can not solve residential electrical problems and vice versa.
When we conclude that the general contractor does electrical work, it means that he will also hire a sub-contractor and will use estimation services to provide you with extra work costs. However, it is best to contract with one person to complete a project instead of signing different contract papers for each piece of work. You can easily save a significant amount by signing one agreement.
Second, you can get an estimate for your work from Electrical Estimators before signing an agreement, which will help you talk with the contractor. This firm also provides a detailed estimate for each part of a project. It can also be beneficial for you if you want to sign different agreements for each part of the project. We provide details on each part of the project, and our firm is always focused on client satisfaction.
What is the difference between an electrician and a general contractor?
Now, you are ready to know the difference between electricians and general contractors. In some cases, they look similar, but there are some key differences between them. We will also explain many more about it in the upcoming paragraphs.
| Electrician | General Contractors |
| An electrician has special certifications. | He only has the license to work. |
| He can solve all types of issues in electrical systems. | General contractors need to hire professional electricians for complex tasks. |
| Electricians can charge more money. | It is a cost-effective solution to complete a project. |
These were a few important differences between general contractors and electricians. There are several others but these were very important to know.
Licensed electrician over DIY and general contractor
There are many works around your home that you can do yourself. But electricity is not one of them. Repairing, installing, joining, changing circuits, and anything related to electricity needs a study and experience of thousands of hours. It is also risky work and you can’t understand it by yourself.
You can hire a general contractor for low-level tasks but need a professional licensed electrician to complete complex tasks. Hiring a professional is best practice if you want to replace the complete wiring or install some high-voltage circuits. He can easily cover any troubleshooting and provide you with the best suggestions.
The benefit of hiring a licensed electrician vs a general contractor
In the discussion of the general contractor do electrical work, we can say that he can do it, but there are some benefits of directly dealing with a licensed electrician. When you need to do only electrical work. Then hiring a licensed electrician now can be more beneficial than approaching through a general contractor. There are a few common benefits of the direct approach, as follows.
Cost Saving
When you need to improve the electrical system of your home, office, or any building. If you contact a general contractor. He will charge his fees along with the expenses that will be required to complete the project. But when you hire a licensed electrician directly without the involvement of a third party. You will save the fees of a third party and may deal at a lower rate than a general contractor.
Improved Energy Efficiency
When you sign an agreement directly, you can deal with the material according to your demand. There is a probability that a general contractor may buy low-quality material that can affect the efficiency of the supply line. But there is no chance of low quality when you buy material directly.
Licensed Work
When you deal with a general contractor, you only know about his license, but sometimes, you do not know their subcontractor’s license. On the other hand, you can hire a licensed worker directly after seeing his license.
Expertise
A reputed electrician has abilities to handle different tasks. You can see his previous work from his portfolio and hire an electrician according to your needs. So, a great benefit is availing an electrician according to your needs and budget.
Guaranteed Safety
It is also one of the benefits of hiring a licensed electrician instead of a general contractor that you get mental peace on safety. You know about the quality of wires, circuits, and the abilities of workers.
Conclusion:
This discussion on the service “Can a general contractor do electrical work?” is now at the final stage. It’s time to decide on it. So, we can say that it is best approach to deal with a general contractor if you are starting a project now. But if it is just about electrical work, then hiring a professional electrician is crucial because of their expertise.
If you are not cost-conscious, always hire professionals for each job. If you depend on a single contractor, your project can not reach high-quality standards. In this aspect, you need complete guidelines and an estimate of the project.
This estimate will help you hire professionals on a minimum budget. You do not need to worry about getting estimates. Electrical Estimating is a firm that offers these services for different projects. You can get information from the service pages section.
