Whenever you choose to embark on a journey of home construction, one thing is for sure: You can’t do it alone. Whether you are in the beginning stages of planning for your custom home or your Winnipeg property is undergoing serious renovations, many people must come together to successfully follow through with your plans. You will encounter many new faces on this journey and it’s important to have a clear understanding of who everyone is and the important role they serve in this process.

Many individuals are often tempted to turn every project into a DIY, but home construction is no simple task. Quite the contrary, any home building project, no matter the size, requires a ton of planning. This is not to disway you, but only to say it takes a lot of helping hands to accomplish this.

Others may instinctively turn to an architect or even a designer to help them begin their plans. These specialized professionals can help offer expert advice. However, this can also be a gamble of your valuable time and money for plans that will have to be modified later.

That’s why my team and I like to step in from the very beginning. In this article we will help you to discern 3 homebuilding roles that are often mistaken for one another. These are often the first faces you are likely to see, so it helps to familiarize yourself before you seek help.

Quicklinks

  1. General Contractor
  2. Project Manager
  3. Construction Manager
  4. Assembling Your Team of Experts
  5. Tips For Communicating

General Contractor

The first person you should recruit to help enact your plans is a General Contractor. Your GC is more like the overarching entity who will help you in making your dreams of building a reality. Take your time reviewing bids, because your Contractor’s primary duty is making sure all work is completed correctly and on time. To help with this task, at Alair Homes Winnipeg we also rely on our relationships with other local market experts. If you work with us, we will help in securing the best deals for you from our local subcontractors.

In many ways, the scope of the project is determined on the contractor you choose to hire. That’s why, to better understand your needs we offer commitment-free, consultations. This is the perfect opportunity to discuss important budget and timeline goals. These consultations also help in matching you with a Project Manager.

Project Manager

At Alair, every project is assigned a Project Manager to work with you from start to finish. They will collaborate with you to build a personalized project plan. Your Project Manager will take lead in orchestrating a smooth home construction project. However, through our proprietary Client Control System you remain as involved as you wish. The Project Manager acts as a bridge between you, the client, and our local market partners.

Winnipeg custom home under construction
Here’s a look at one of our most recent projects under construction in Winnipeg.

Your Project Manager will also make sure you have all the proper licensing and permitting. This is a critical step that must be completed prior to breaking ground. With so many building regulations, this can sometimes be a long and arduous process. Any misstep in this process can set you back time and money, so having a professional help guide you is invaluable.

Construction Manager

As the name might suggest, construction managers help with the building and construction site.  Prior to construction, they can offer insight into more exact estimates and time-frames. Depending on the contracting firm you choose to work with, your Project Manager may take on this role. A Construction Manager works directly with builders and subcontractors. These individuals are also in charge of managing the actual construction site. This includes organizing the delivery of all building materials.

When I make my rounds to visit job-sites, I often check-in with the construction manager to get any day-to-day job updates I can pass along to the client. At Alair Homes we make weekly reports available through an online portal so you can check into your project at your leisure. Here you are able to see our notes on how everything is accounted for and plans are executed.

Assembling Your Team of Experts

As you can see, each of these individuals help in the success of your home construction project. Having an experienced team of professionals by your side to offer guidance is critical if you want to protect your investment. With so much planning involved, hiring the right team will allow you to focus on the details that matter.

Because you’ll be working so closely with your build team, it’s important to meet with plenty of local builders and collect bids to get a better idea of your options. Every experienced professional should have references and previous examples of their work. You can always ask if they have any current projects you can see as well. This is the team that will be working on your home after all, so take care to do your due diligence in researching.

Tips For Communicating With Your Build Team

Now that you’ve gotten a little clarity on who’s who, I’ll leave you with a few tips on how to best work together.

I believe setting a standard of clear communication is key in any successful relationship- your build team is no different! That is why from the moment you’ve been partnered with a Project Manager, we encourage you to express your honest expectations. By being upfront about all of your goals, we can work to better understand how to provide the most valuable and cost effective solutions.

Thanks to the online reports made available to you, you will know exactly where we are at in the process and how your money is being spent. We disclose the true cost of all building materials and labor costs, so there’s absolute clarity in all communication.

tips table

If you’d like to further discuss your home construction goals, give my team a call. Set up a consultation and we can begin discussing the possibilities of your custom home construction project!