General Contractor Application: Fill & Download for Free

General contractors, also known as construction managers and construction project managers, oversee building projects from inception through completion. Approximately 66 percent of U.S. general contractors were self-employed in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most had temporary offices at the job sites, and some traveled frequently. Although job descriptions vary by job, employer and client, certain tasks are typical.PlanningGeneral contractors plan all phases of a construction project. They must estimate the costs of materials and staffing; the expense involved in securing permits; and the cost for equipment that must be leased or purchased. Based on their estimates, contractors prepare a budget. They must also prepare a timetable that establishes milestones for phases of the project to ensure completion dates are met.Interacting with OthersA number of professionals are often involved in a construction project. A general contractor might need to interact with the architect who designed the project or the engineer who developed the mechanical aspects of the project. The contractor might also need to work with other professional construction specialists or sub-contractors, such as landscape architects, master electricians or demolition engineers. Jobs typically involve direct contact with the client to keep him advised on progress and issues that might arise. General contractors often handle hiring and might be responsible for instructing new workers on the specifics of the job.Ensuring ComplianceOn any construction project, there are a number of laws and regulations that a general contractor must follow. Local building ordinances might ban certain materials, for example, such as wood shingles. Contractors must follow applicable labor laws, including organized union contracts under which his employees work. The contractor must know the safety regulations for various jobs and equipment operators and ensure that employees comply.Responding to EmergenciesGeneral contractors must be prepared to handle any type of emergency that might arise. A worker might be injured on the job or a critical piece of equipment may break. A delivery of materials may fail to arrive, and inclement weather might delay progress. The general contractor is responsible for seeing that all of these situations are correctly handled, whether they involve securing medical attention for an injured worker, locating backup equipment or expediting a supply order. When progress is delayed, the contractor must seek ways to get the project back on track while staying on budget.

It’s the other way around - it lengthens the curing time, and, if used in great enough quantity, may ruin the batch, particularly in specialized applications where the chemistry and pour must meet exacting standards.In fact, adding sugar is one way that angry workers (or anyone) will deliberately sabotage a job, which can be quite costly to the general contractor and concrete supplier. The ramifications are serious.In big commercial work which is performed under a bond, the bad batch of concrete may cause significant delays and economic loss. One case in which I nearly played a part was construction of a new hospital. Both the general contractor and the concrete supplier and finisher were insurance clients.The insurance “problem” is that concrete which fails to meet testing standards has not actually damaged anything -so no property damage claim exists. And the finished work may actually be functionally adequate. HOWEVER, to be acceptable, core samples of the work must meet certain physical criteria, such as resistance to crushing force or spalling. When the tests indicate the presence of sugar, then we know the problem was a deliberate act. Typically, the sugar is added to the mix at the concrete plant, when product is loaded into the transit mixers.So NOW, the bad concrete must be torn out and replaced, with screws up the job. The insurance coverage for this is known as “rip and tear” coverage -added to the basic general liability policy.Much of the time, however, the concrete does eventually cure to the specified standards - it just takes longer. Fortunately for my clients, that is exactly what happened.But yeah - sugar is not good for concrete, and someone was telling you the opposite they are either badly misinformed -or deliberately attempting to make you make a really bad construction decision.Hope that helps.

I wasn't there but I surely wish that I was.I left the family electrical business nearly 40 years ago, leaving it to my brothers-in-law to run. Back in those days, there was no “management;” we all worked, or we didn't make money and didn’t get paid. Consequently, there was never any doubt among any of us when employees were trying to pull the wool over our eyes. My brother in law, who now runs the business, often has a time test for applicants. Simple electrical functions that anyone should be able to do, and only take a certain amount of time, perhaps something like wiring an electrical switch or outlet. He knows it should not take more than “X” minutes to perform that task. He will hand a switch to an applicant and say “show me how you wire this,” and then see how long it takes. When he tells an applicant that they need to get faster, there have been many times where they have responded that what he thinks is reasonable is not possible, and then he will sit down and show them that it definitely is possible, because he has been there and done that. He will then show them how they are wasting time and how to make it faster.Even though he is now in the office more often than out, when an extra hand is needed, he will still buckle on the tool belt and go out to work. He does not show up as “the boss” or try to take over the foreman's job, he will ask the foreman what he needs to have done and does it, just another electrician. Often the only one on site who knows that this “new electrician” is really the boss, is the foreman.There was one project a couple of years back where the general foreman of the contracting company was a real asshole and bully. He was constantly bullying all of the subcontractors, trying to get them to do things faster than what was called for, and always without any thought of paying any more for overtime or speeding up work. One day this GC foreman showed up and started bullying the electrical crew. My brother in law just watched and let the foreman handle it until things got out of control. When he stepped up and told the guy that what he was asking was not in the contract and was not a requirement, and if he wanted that to be done he could call the office and sign a change order but, until the time that he did, they were going to follow the contract. The bully did not take kindly to being spoken to by a “peon” and threatened to have my brother-in-law fired. When he demanded that he back down and demanded that the electrical foreman give him the boss' phone number as he was going to show this guy “Who Was Boss”, the electrical foreman gave him the phone number. My brother-in-law turned back around and went back to work while the General Contractor Foreman pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number.My brother in law just pulled out his phone when it started ringing, knowing perfectly well who it was who was calling him, and answered it like he would any other call. The GC Foreman at first thought they were trying to pull one over on him and demanded that he speak to the owner. My brother in law hung up the phone, turned around and stood up to the GC foreman and said, “I AM the owner,” and proceeded to read him the riot act, emphasizing that when he was talking to one of his employees, it was the same as talking to him.For some reason they never had any problem with that foreman again.