If you’ve dealt with any kind of major home renovation, you’re probably already familiar with the term “General Contractor,” or GC, for good or ill. Yet, you may or may not have heard of “Specialty Contractors” depending on the work you’ve had done.
What is a specialty contractor? What makes them different from a GC? Most importantly, why should you always go with a specialist when it comes to getting impact windows installed in your home?
Let’s start by comparing specialty and general contractors.
Specialty Contractor vs General Contractor: What’s the Difference?
So, what is the difference between a specialty contractor and a general contractor?
What Is a General Contractor?
In construction, a general contractor is typically a company (or individual) who is in charge of a building project of some kind. Their primary responsibilities are to oversee the project. They aren’t specialists in any project, but managers of specialists.
The problem is that many general contractors don’t always hire the right specialists for the job, they hire the most affordable subcontractors for each job. After all, their top responsibility is to the bottom line.
Sometimes, the term is colloquially applied to a non-specialist subcontractor who does odd jobs. They do a ‘bit of this’ and a ‘bit of that’ across various projects. For example, one day, they might be helping install flooring tiles, another day, they might be doing HVAC maintenance, and then the next day, they’re installing windows.
The thing is, these non-specialist subcontractors tend to do each job poorly. It isn’t just a lack of skill. Being forced to tackle a wide variety of jobs keeps them from being able to gain a truly deep understanding of any one field. It also means that they typically only carry the most commonly-used tools needed for a wide range of jobs, as more specialized tools that only ever get used for one specific type of task would be dead weight if the subcontractor doesn’t do that work very often.
It would be more accurate to call these folks ‘generalist subcontractors’ rather than general contractors.
What Is a Specialty Contractor?
A specialty contractor is, as noted by the American Institute of Constructors (AIC): “an expert in a specific trade.” Examples include HVAC specialists, electricians, and fenestration specialists.
Karoly Windows & Doors is an example of a specialty contractor with a focus on impact window and door installation. We don’t do electrical work. We don’t do flooring (except where trimming is necessary to install a door). We only do window and door installation.
We train for window and door installation. Keep up with the latest window & door installation regulations. Carry specialty tools for every situation involving window and door installation. We live, breathe, and eat (metaphorically speaking) window installation each and every day.
Our installation team members have years of experience installing doors and windows in a variety of situations.
It’s this focus that sets a specialty contractor apart from a generalist subcontractor.
Why You Need a Specialty Contractor and Not Just a GC
So, why is it so important to find and work with a specialty contractor who focuses exclusively on window and door installation?
Many people start subcontracting companies that do windows and doors in addition to the scores of other tasks in the larger construction and home remodeling industry on the assumption that window and door installation is simple.
However, going with a non-specialist subcontractor for impact window and door installation is like going to a primary care physician for a brain tumor.
The primary care physician probably knows enough about medicine to request a specialist to do an in-depth examination, but they simply don’t have the tools, training, and experience to handle the actual problem. Any treatment the primary care would provide would be a band-aid, at best. If they didn’t refer you to a brain surgeon, that’d be medical malpractice.
Similarly, a GC knows enough about construction and the Florida Building Code (FBC) to know that impact windows are necessary for homes located in wind-borne debris regions (WBDs), but may lack the expertise to properly install impact-rated fenestration. If the subcontractor they bring on is picked not for their expertise, but for their low cost of labor, there’s a risk that your new windows won’t be installed correctly.
The worst case scenario in this instance isn’t just having windows that look bad due to poor installation. That’s something you’d see and demand fixed ASAP. The worst case would be having a window that looks fine from the outside, but isn’t sufficiently secured to the window opening. In that case, there’s a risk of the window being pulled right out of the wall if a major storm hits… leaving your home open to driving wind and rain.
Is Your Window Installation Company Operating Like a General or Specialty Contractor?
Here’s the (several) thousand dollar question: Is the company you’re thinking about hiring for your window replacement project running like a general contractor or a specialty contractor?
Are they experts who install windows every day themselves, or managers of subcontractors who farm out installation work to the lowest bidder?
If your installation crew shows up in vans that don’t have the installation company’s markings, uses cheap parts, and rushes through the install to get to the next job while there’s still sunlight out, that’s not your specialty contractor, that’s a subcontractor!
Skip the subcontractor risks and drama! Get expert installation from a real team of professionals who do window installations daily, with a 25-year track record of excellent workmanship.
Reach out to Karoly Windows & Doors to begin on your five-star-worthy impact window installation as soon as possible!
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