Practical Tips for Managing your Subcontractors

Construction is a team effort requiring many subcontractors from different trades. As the builder or remodeler, you must coordinate the schedules and work ethics of multiple professionals to stay organized and deliver projects on time and on budget. Certain time and people management skills will help you make every project a success.

Do your research
When choosing subcontractors, you must first do research. Pierre Martell, co-founder of Martell Home Builders, says he has a handful of subcontractors who he works with regularly, but when recruiting, he’ll spend six weeks meeting with different companies and visiting job sites they’re currently working on. He also checks all references.

Form a core
It’s beneficial and typical in the construction business to have longtime partnerships based on trust and understanding. Mike Kegley, co-owner of B.O.L.D. Homes, Inc. and member of the National Association of Home Builders’ board of directors, says his business is 23 years old, and two-thirds of the subcontractors he uses have been with him for all 23 years.

Get the details up front
When hiring subcontractors, ask what other jobs they currently have going on. Some questions Ralph Rhodes, president of Ralph Rhodes Custom Homes, Inc., typically asks are “What are you currently working on now, and what else will you be working on when my job starts?” and “Can you perform the task in this specific time frame?”

Be prepared to adjust
Because weather is unpredictable and delivery of materials can be delayed, schedules rarely remain set. One setback can cascade down and create many more problems, and that’s why Heath Honeycutt, a project contractor/manager for Honeycutt Custom Homes, likes to include a “cushion” of 3-4 days for each job depending on the type of work.

To avoid running into idle time on a job, Rhodes holds back some jobs, such as exterior landscaping or window cleaning, because they’re flexible enough to fall anywhere within the schedule and can be moved when another job is delayed.

“There are a lot of tasks that fall in a series, but there are several that can be done at any time,” says Rhodes. “If drywall gets delayed for a week, that’s when I decide to lay concrete outside.”

Consider using software
Martell uses project management software to keep all documentation in a central location. This year, he implemented software that provides subscription-based access to a Web site where Martell and his subcontractors can post schedules and messages. Any time a schedule is updated or changed, the subcontractor affected is automatically sent an email notification.

Trust their expertise
Honeycutt emphasizes the need for trust in your subcontractors’ knowledge because if you don’t know the answer to a problem, you can ask them for advice. If they’ve been around for a while, they have probably seen the issue before, he says.

“That’s why we hire subcontractors,” he says. “You have to be open-minded enough to do something a little different. Maybe it’s not what you’ve done for the last 10-15 years, but you have to listen to guys who do it every day.”

Visit the job site often
“The more time you’re in there, the more you can mentally walk through the house,” says Honeycutt, who mentions he often has to give answers over the phone when he’s not on site.

Kegley believes communication is the most important thing when it comes to managing subcontractors, so he or another supervisor visits each job site at least once or twice a day even though the projects are sometimes spread out across three or four counties.

Build relationships
Rhodes likes a lot of face-to-face time with his team so he can answer any questions they have and provide them with whatever they need to perform their tasks.

Honeycutt emphasizes establishing mutual respect with your subcontractors because demeaning attitudes can potentially lessen the quality of work.

And sometimes, it helps to go the extra mile. For example, if Honeycutt has to ask his team to work overtime, he’ll bring them lunch or dinner.

“It’s just to say, I know you guys are working hard, and I appreciate it,” he says.