Home Additions

Home Additions

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A home addition requires the work of a few different types of contractors. The exact number of contractors you'll need will vary depending on the size and scope of your project. You may find that your home addition project simply requires a generalized contractor. However, a more advanced project will call for any number of specialized contractors.

Home Additions

People hire home addition contractors to build everything from pergolas to sunrooms. Contractors are most commonly hired to build swimming pools and erect outbuildings for storage. Home additions that are connected to the actual home are the most expensive and complicated additions to complete. They require you to hire construction contractors, CAD contractors, roofers, and many other contractors. You should remember that any home addition that is connected to your home will be subjected to local code-enforcement regulations on habitability.

Types of Home Addition Contractors

CAD Contractors
CAD stands for Computer-Aided Design. It is the standard technique used by architects and construction professionals to draw out schematics for building projects. Complicated projects require an experienced CAD contractor who can create blueprints that make your designs clear to everyone involved.

Framing Contractors
If you are building an additional building that connects to your current home, you will probably need to hire a framing contractor. Framers put together the wooden or metallic frame that supports roofs and walls.

Flooring Contractor
These contractors are in charge of everything from laying baseboards to installing carpet. Laying carpet is a particularly difficult thing to do and many carpeting experts need to train for years to get it right.

Qualifications and Licensing Bodies for Home Addition Contractors

Licensing for home addition contractors is handled at both the state and local level. In some states, there is an organization that provides oversight on general contractor licensing. In these states, contractors are required to be licensed by state licensing boards.

In other states, contractors need to be licensed at the local level. The specific types of licensing required by contractors will vary significantly from state to state. There is no reasonable way to give an overview of the requirements for all 50 states. However, these licensing requirements are easy to find at your local government offices.

CAD contractors need to be certified in the use of CAD. Certification can be attained through a couple of different agencies. CAD contractors can get licensed through the state if they have a significant work history that can be verified. This work history requirement can be waived for individuals that attain certification through an accredited university or certification course.

Flooring contractors, electrical contractors, drywall contractors, and other specialized contractors face similar qualifying requirements. Years of apprenticeship needs to precede an application for licensing as an independent contractor. Workers need to go through a licensed apprenticeship with a licensed contractor before they are allowed to go for independent licensing. The exact time requirements for this will vary significantly from state to state. This requirement can often be bypassed if the contractor gets certifications through courses at an accredited four-year or technical college.

Keep Your Project on Track

Write out a simple document that explains the relationship you have with each of your contractors. Make it very clear in the document that you are not technically their employer and that they are not entitled to disability or other forms of automatic coverage. You should also lay out exactly what each contractor is hired to do for you. This should include a definitive starting point for the work and a definitive ending point for the work. You should also lay out the terms of payment very clearly. When the document is complete, a stranger should be able to look it over and have a 100 per cent clear grasp of everything. It needs to be that clear.

You should have an extra fund set aside for unexpected financial blocks. A piece of machinery may cost more to rent than you previously thought, a fire may start, and many other possible issues could arise. If you incur unforeseen and significant financial expenditures during construction, then you may have to put the entire project on hold. When you have a fund set up to handle these issues, you don't have to worry about construction stalling.