How to Hire a General Contractor: September 2009

Quality construction is never inexpensive, and at our company we explain that the total cost will always depend on how active the homeowner participates in the project. In the construction industry, the general contractor typically will add a percentage to the total cost of all materials and labor that go through his company. When the homeowner is actively involved in the project, he may provide the doors, windows, appliances, plumbing fixtures, electrical fixtures and other items that best fits his own budget and warranty requirements. In doing so, the contractor is only charging for the installation of these items and the homeowner will save the cost of the contractor’s mark up.

However, there is a downside to this process, and that is the homeowners’ time availability to do all the shopping; taking all the responsibility of ordering the correct product; and understanding the warranties and limited warranties for all of the products that he will be providing. The contractor cannot be held re-sponsible for any of the products that he does not provide. We always try and work with the customer when they have the time available, and want to select many of the items themselves. Our standard ”Contractual Terms and Conditions” are very clear addressing the issue when the homeowner wants to actively participate. The total savings are directly related to the quantity of the finish products the homeowner provides.

To assist the homeowner is this decision making process we provide them with a list of our suppliers websites. Since we only work in specific areas,we have included the websites of the Department of Building Safety that governs the issuance of permits in the area in which they are residing. In addition, we have included a list of websites for the local Chamber of Commerces that could be of further assistance. Enjoy surfing the web!

Marshall Elberson, General Contractor

Door and Window Websites:
www.okmfg.com
www.taybros.com
www.classics-unlimited.com
www.stockbuildingsupply.com
www.homedpot.com
www.lowes.com
www.tmcobb.com
www.milgard.com
www.marvin.com
www.kolbe-kolbe.com
www.fleetwoodusa.com
www.integritywindows.com
www.andersenwindows.com

Hardware Websites:
www.homedepot.com
www.kwikset.com
www.schlage.com
www.lowes.com
www.crowncityhardware.com
www.baldwinhardware.com
www.designhardware.com
www.lahardware.com

Tile Suppliers’ Websites:
www.caltiledistributors.com
www.daltileproducts.com
www.caesarstoneus.com
www.silestoneusa.com
www.bouretbros.com
www.homedepot.com
www.lowes.com

Appliance Websites:
www.geappliances.com
www.vikingrange.com
www.homedepot.com
www.bestbuy.com
www.sears.com
www.lowes.com

Plumbing Fixture Websites:
www.americanstandard-us.com
www.georgesshowroom.com
www.plumbingexpress.com
www.navienamerica.com
www.noritzheaters.com
www.homedepot.com
www.deltafaucet.com
www.ferguson.com
www.kohler.com
www.proflo.com
www.lowes.com
www.rinnai.us

Electrical Fixture Websites:
www.brownandgoldlighting.com
www.lightingshowplace.com
www.lightinguniverse.com
www.progresslighting.com
www.hamptonbay.com
www.techlighting.com
www.homedepot.com
www.lampsplus.com
www.bellacor.com
www.lowes.com

General Building Supply Websites:
www.stockbuildingsupply.com
www.superiormoldings.com
www.glendalebuilders.com
www.phillipsplywood.com
www.saroyanlumber.com
www.lahabrastucco.com
www.angelusblock.com
www.joneslumber.com
www.bourgetbros.com
www.homedepot.com
www.certainteed.com
www.daviscolor.com
www.lowes.com
www.trex.com

Department of Building and Safety Websites:
www.ci.south-pasadena.ca.us
www.ci.burbank.ca.us
www.ci.glendale.ca.us
www.lacity.org
www.ladbs.org

Community Chamber of Commerces:
www.silverlakechamber.com
www.southpaschamber.com
www.glendalechamber.com
www.burbankchamber.org
www.la.bbb.org

Our Company Websites:
www.newmarshallintown.com
www.newmarshallntown.com
Direct Links to Our Website:
www.eaglerockgeneralcontractor.com
www.burbankgeneralcontractor.com
www.atwatergeneralcontractor.com
www.glendalegeneralcontractor.com
www.losfelizgeneralcontractor.com
www.silverlakegeneralcontractor.com
www.sopasadenageneralcontractor.com
www.southpasadenageneralcontractor.com

How to Find a General Contractor:

After I posting the previous article, "How to Hire a General Contractor", I started thinking, first the customer needs to know how to find a reputable general contractor! The article should have been entitled "How to Find a General Contractor". Although the previous article explains certain steps demonstrating how this is done, I would like to add a more definitive description on how this is done and have also taken the liberty to rename the title of the article.

In a previous era, we would diligently scour the "Yellow Pages", but in this electronic age we now use the internet for just about everything we do. To find a general contractor is no exception, and a great place to start is your local chamber of commerce. Your local Chamber of Commerce services are free to the consumer who is looking for a local merchant, business or a particular professional service.

Ask yourself: "Why would I look for a general contractor through the Chamber of Commerce?" Logically, we could assume that any business that is affiliated with an organization like the Chamber of Commerce is actively involved in the community; and by maintaining the annual membership, demonstrates a business like approach and a sense of validity with the residents and the businesses in the local community. Whereas, on the other hand, the "fly-by-night" operators would never invest their money or time in the community.

If you begin a Google search for the "Glendale Chamber of Commerce" and you will find a listing for this organization at www.glendalechamber.com and from there you enter their website. Once you have reached the main page for the "Glendale Chamber", look for the pull down menu at the top of the page entitled "Member Services". If you left click this once, you will see a couple of options; select and left click "Members' Directory". The business directory will appear with two different options: (1) Alphabetical by Name, or (2) A List of Business Categories and/or Professional Services. If you select the Alphabetical by Name and enter the letter “G” it will take you to the page with our listing “G. Marshall Elberson, a limited partnership.

How to Hire a General Contractor

When making a large investment by improving your home, whether you are building an addition or remodeling, hiring a reputable contractor is not as difficult as you might think. First, you need to select a contractor, and choosing a local general contractor is certainly your best bet. Check with your local Chamber of Commerce online and look under general contractors, construction companies or related categories to begin your search. Once you have the name of one, two or three construction companies, and their business information, you need to begin the qualification process.

Check the status of general contractor's license at:

https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicense/LicenseDetail.asp

1. Is the license number current?

2. Is the contractor’s name the same?

3. Is the phone number listed the same?

4. How long have they had the same license?

5. Do they have worker’s compensation?

CSLB or the California State Licensing Board has many features that will help you in selecting a general contractor. For example, they have records of complaints that have been filed against all general contractors and the outcome of the arbitration. Not all complaints filed with the CSLB are necessarily an indication that the general contractor is at fault, in fact, in many cases the complaints filed against contractors are not justified. Any contractor with too many complaints, regardless of the outcome, certainly is a good indication that you want to stay away from that contractor.

Remember, all the information given to you through any form of advertising or given to you directly by the contractor, should correspond with what is on file with the CSLB. For instance, sometimes the person’s name that you are given doesn’t match up with the licensed contractor; that is actually possible under certain circumstances. First, the license holder maybe an officer of a corporation, or a partner in the company; therefore, you may be dealing with another officer or partner, but their name should be listed in the “personnel records”. In some cases, a salesman will be selling the job to you, and in that case, the salesman’s name must be on file with the CSLB.

In this electronic day and age, phone numbers for anyone has multiplied exponentially; yet, the phone number listed with the CSLB is the phone number of record, and by calling this number you should be able to reach the properly licensed contractor or his company. At our company we have several different phone numbers dedicated to various ads we may have running, and we have a website phone number to handle just those who visit our website. In short, the phone number listed with the CSLB must be current and you should check this number.

A general contractor may be properly licensed, but you should check the number of years the license has been in good standing. On some occasions, the licensed contractor may switch company names, and sometimes more than once. In this particular case, be cautious in selecting a contractor who conveniently changes his company name, or the license holder is a different name with the same company. Family run businesses often change the name of the license holder when someone retires, but rarely is the name changed on the license more than once.

Insurance is another critical issue to understand when hiring a general contractor, and there is more than one kind of insurance, but in this segment we will discuss “worker’s compensation insurance”. A bond is not insurance and all general contractors have to be bonded when applying, and when maintaining a license with the State of California. All contractors must maintain worker’s compensation insurance or declare that they are exempt. When a contractor declares that he is exempt from carrying worker’s compensation insurance he is basically stating that he does not have to carry worker’s compensation insurance for one of the following reasons: (1) He only works alone (2) All of his current employees are relatives (3) All working employees have ownership in the business. There is one more exception to this rule, and that is when the general contractor does not have any employees and only hires licensed sub-contractors; and, in this circumstance, the sub-contractor must have worker’s compensation to cover his employees. Nevertheless, when only using sub-contractors, the general contractor should carry a policy for a variety of reasons; to protect his customer should the sub-contractor’s policy expire during the job, or if the general contractor failed to check the sub-contractors insurance status, or if for any reason the sub-contractor or his employees are not covered. In any case, the general contractor, and his sub-contractors must provide you with a “certificate of insurance” upon your request, and you may request each contractor to name you personally as the “additional insured”. And, the general contractor should have all the sub-contractors name him on their policies as one of the “additional insured”. If one of the sub-contractor’s employees is injured on the job, and the sub-contractor does not have worker’s compensation, the responsibility falls upon the general contractor; and should no one have a current policy, the responsibility will ultimately, and legally, will fall upon you as the homeowner. You as the homeowner, would have legal remedies to pursue the general contractor and his sub-contractors, but avoiding this kind of situation is fairly simple if you do you homework.

The next type of insurance is general liability insurance, and the CSLB does not require the general contractor, nor his sub-contractor’s to maintain proof of coverage with the Contractors State Licensing Board. So the responsibility of determining insurance coverage is that of the homeowner, and it is only good judgment for the homeowner to require their contractors to produce proof of current general liability insurance. Once again, this is simply a formality for the general contractor to provide you with a “certificate of insurance” and the same for all his sub-contractors. Normally, general contractors and their sub-contractors carry a one million dollar per occurrence policy; and this certificate is provided at no cost; but sometimes the insurance company will charge an additional fee to actually name the homeowner as an “additional insured”. To be named as an “additional insured” is optional, but it adds the comfort of knowing you are actually named in the policy. Most insurance company policies, as a standard practice, do not include, or cover, performances clauses, mold related issues or clauses; however, the general contractor may obtain this insurance at your request and pass the additional cost onto you as the homeowner or consumer. We advise all of our customers regarding this unique situation, by including this disclosure in our “Contractual Terms and Conditions” which is considered an integral part of all of our final contracts.

If you follow the initial steps we have outlined above, you will be well on the way to finding a reputable general contractor that will help you with one of the most important investments in your life, your home. The search does not end at this point, there are many other factors to consider and we will be discussing these issues in our next news letter. Our next news letter will outline: How to gather competitive bids from general contractors. Should you wish to learn more about the process before then, you may contact us in a variety of ways, and we encourage you to check us out by scrolling down the page and using the internet links we have provided for you. We look forward to hearing your comments or answering any questions you may have regarding your next construction project.

Marshall Elberson

“I hear there’s a New Marshall in Town”

Or, should I say:

"There's a New General Contractor in Town"

Treat yourself to a small adventure and visit our website:

http://www.newmarshallntown.com/ http://www.newmarshallintown.com/

Specialty: Additions and Remodels

Member of Local Organizations:

The Better Business Bureau.
Burbank Chamber of Commerce.
Glendale Chamber of Commerce.
Silver Lake Chamber of Commerce.
Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce.
South Pasadena Chamber of Commerce.

License and Insurance Info:

G. Marshall Elberson, a limited partnership
California State License #817642
Workers' Compensation #1824991
National Contractors Insurance #975901
American Contractors Indemnity #159682

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Marshall Elberson, General Partner at:

Double GC Property, a limited liability company Located in Brookings, Oregon Local Offices in Glendale, California

Specialty: Construction Consultants

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CHECK US OUT AT:

Network Profile and Resume at: www.linkedin.com/in/MarshallElberson

Our Online Photo Galleries at: http://picasaweb.google.com/home

The Better Business Bureau: http://www.la.bbb.org/BusinessReport.aspx?CompanyID=100030936

Silverlake Chamber of Commerce: http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=g+marshall+elberson&d=76650836928101&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US&w=cff8b7b9,d9cc3f7c

So Pasadena Chamber: http://southpaschamber.com/BusinessDirectory/ ...

Eagle Rock Chamber: http://www.eaglerockchamberofcommerce.com/directory/alphalist.php?alpha=G

Burbank Chamber: http://www.chamberdata.cc/ccao/wc.dll?Mem~AlphaList~&Org=cabur&MemId=9553&Page=N

Glendale Chamber: http://www.glendalechamber.com/membership_list_display.asp?action=byletter&letter_M=G

Merchant Circle: http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/G.Marshall.Elberson.a.limited.partnership.323-255-9950

Glendale General Contractor
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General Construction / Consultants
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How to Hire a General Contractor

Friday, September 18, 2009

Our Remodeling Ad in Burbank, CA

Our Deck Building Ad in Atwater, CA

Our Deck Building Ad in Los Feliz, CA

Our Deck Building Ad in Silver Lake, CA

Our Deck Building Ad in South Pasadena, CA

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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Glendale General Contractors / Construction Company / Addition and Remodel - Glendale - Other Services

Burbank General Contractor / Burbank Construction Company / Burbank Room Additions - Burbank - Other Services

General Contractor in South Pasadena CA / Construction Company / Room Addition / Remodel - South Pasadena - Other Services - South Pasadena

General Contractor in Los Feliz CA / Local Construction Company / Addition and Remodel - Los Angeles - Other Services - Los Feliz

Atwater General Contractor / Atwater Remodel Contractor / General Contractors 90039 / - Los Angeles - Other Services - Atwater Village, CA

Silver Lake General Contractor / Contractors 90026 / Room Additions 90026 / - Los Angeles - Other Services - Silver Lake

Glendale General Contractors / Construction Company / Addition and Remodel - Glendale - Other Services

Glendale General Contractors / Construction Company / Addition and Remodel - Glendale - Other Services

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Construction Cost

Saturday, September 12, 2009

How to Hire a General Contractor

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