SubContractors: The Most Important Piece of the Home Building Process

From the time we start pre-construction on a custom home in Star Valley, Wyoming, to the time you move in, there can be as many as 150-200 different trades-people coming in and out of your home to work. These trades-people, know as subcontractors, make up the bulk of the work force that will end up building your home. Working with the builder, subcontractors execute the blueprints and plans that bring your home from paper to reality.

Therefore, subcontractors are by far the most important piece to the home building process. There isn't a builder that I'm aware of that can self-perform every scope and stage of your home, although many can self-perform a majority if they must.

So lets dive into subcontractors. Why are subcontractors important? What is a subcontractor's relationship to you and the builder? What are the costs associated? How do we choose the right subcontractor for the job?

Collaboration and communication are at the center of our relationships with subcontractors.

What is a sub-contractor?

A subcontractor, or sub, is a business, whether sole proprietorship, LLC, etc., that is contracted by the builder to perform a certain task or stage of work on a custom home building project. Many are obvious, such as electricians, plumber, drywallers, etc., but there are sub-contractors that specialize in every aspect of the building process. Most builders utilize subcontractors to perform work that they either aren't setup to handle or are out of their normal scope of work.

For example, I could dig your foundation by renting a piece of equipment, paying to have it delivered, hop in the cab and get to digging. But I know just enough about digging a hole with a piece of equipment to be dangerous! Why wouldn't I subcontract that work out to someone who does it every day for a living who can get it done faster and at a lower cost?

This is why the subcontractors on your custom home build in Star Valley, Wyoming are so important - they're specialists. They have experience with every aspect of a very specific scope of work. This makes them invaluable as collaborators, and the on-site expert when we encounter problems when working through a set of plans.

Why are subcontractors important?

They're the expert. Full stop.

Early on during preconstruction, before a single shovel hits the dirt, I meet with each of my subs and show them the plans for review, so that we can catch any irregularities with what the plans says versus what is physically possible to accomplish onsite. This is what we call a "feasibility study". Is it feasible to build what the architect, designer, and/or engineer have drawn up on paper? This not only save us headache early on, it can also save you money. Sometimes, there's an easier or more cost-effective way to acheive the same result.

As much as we like (and have to) work with architects and designers during the building process, a lot of the time they don't have the field experience to understand how difficult or expensive a certain specification might be. Our sub-contractors help us to "value engineer" certain aspects of the project, which saves me time and you money.

On a project we're currently working on, the excavator saved our client ~$13,000 by convincing us to switch from a small concrete retaining wall to a rock retaining wall. The client was thrilled because he just saved money, and the site looks incredible because we switched to a natural material that works with the landscape.

The relationship aspect

As much as we think that building a home is a transactional process (and don't get me wrong, it is), there is very much a relational aspect. These are real people, with hopes, dreams and fears, just like you and I; as such, these people demand our respect.

I do not tolerate anyone disrespecting the sub-contractors on my projects. As soon as a sub walks, the project grinds to a halt. This leads to severe budget overages and scheduling issues. I have to now establish a new relationship with someone who may not understand how we do things on our custom home builds.

Our subcontractors are normal people, wanting to make a living doing what they enjoy and wanting to return home to their families each night. This means that, in many cases, I don't shop prices with other sub-sontractors (depending on the scope!). After years of being a custom home builder in Star Valley, Wyoming, I've built relationships with these trades-people - I know how they price, their quality of work, even their families. When you build with Unshakeable Custom Homes, you also build with the subcontractors that help make it possible for me to deliver a high-quality final product.

Behind each trade that performs work on your project, is a person trying to do their job and get home safely each day to their loved ones. Treat them like you would want to be treated!

What is the sub-contractor's relationship with you?

The way I have my business set up, I am the first point of contact. The communication from you goes to me, then runs through to the project manager, and then finally to the subcontractor. On every project, I am the project manager (this is how I prefer it).

Many times, the clients want to meet the subs. The clients either are interested in getting to know the people who are working on their home or are curious about how the process works. Most times we all meet onsite before work begins because they want to put a face to a name. Again, this is the relational aspect of home building. There's been plenty of times that the client and sub form a relationship that extends beyond the project.

But because I need to know what's going on day-to-day, the main line of communication runs through me, back and forth.

Paying your sub-contractors

Money can be an uncomfortable subject, but promptly paying subcontractors is part of what preserves their relationship with me. It's what keeps them coming back if there's changes or something needs to get fixed. Promptly paying our subs means that they are sometimes willing to go above-and-beyond their scope of work to get the job done. And let's be honest, we all have to get paid, or the work doesn't get done.

Remember, the builder and sub-contractors aren't your bank. They are held to vendor payment schedules or they incur fees that can cripple their profit. The necessary evil of subcontractors is that they have to bid competitively to keep busy, many times at the expense of the profit that keeps their family fed.

So it's incredibly important to promptly pay our subs. It keeps them happy which in turn keeps everyone happy!

Choosing the right subcontractor

So how is a specific subcontractor chosen to complete a specific part of the project? Most of the subs we work with are trades-people that we have a history with. Over the years we've curtailed this pool to a select few that, 1) we enjoy working with, 2) bring value to our projects, and 3) treat our clients and us fairly.

Going to a job where you can't stand your co-workers is tiring, to say the least. We choose to work with subs that we enjoy working alongside. When I first started my business, I held myself to a simple standard: "I want to build cool projects with cool people." Trust has to be at the core of the relationship.

Value is a hard thing to quantify, but it's something you know as soon as you see it. Much like interviewing clients, we interview our subcontractors before we start working with them. I'm not a master painter by any means, but I can tell within a few minutes of meeting a new sub whether or not they know what they're doing; when talking to a true craftsman, that passion for their craft shows through immediately.

"Treat other as you would want to be treated," is a concept we're all familiar with. There will almost always come a time on a custom home project where something goes wrong. Instead of immediately casting the blame, we choose to work with trades-people who are solution-oriented, who are ready to roll up their sleeves and get the job done.

At the end of the day...

...we value relationships. The construction industry is built off of these client-builder-subcontractor type relationships. We're not only building a product, we're curating an experience. And that experience can be enhanced or diminished by the people you choose to have on your team.

Want to know more about what subcontractors we work with and how exactly they bring value to building a custom home with Unshakeable Custom Homes? Send me an email, davis@unshakeablecustomhomes.com, to get the conversation started. If you can take 30 minutes out of your day to chat, we can hop on a consultation call to see if we're a good fit for building a custom home in Star Valley, Wyoming.