What does a general contractor do?

<div>General contractors are the ones that coordinate home construction projects. They are in charge of the day-to-day oversight of the subcontractors to ensure that the project is completed on time and to resolve problems as they arise. General contractors:<ul><li>Complete pre-construction planning, both with the customer and crew</li><li>Provide realistic cost estimates</li><li>Develop construction timelines</li><li>Ensure deadlines are met</li><li>Acquire permits as needed</li><li>Purchase supplies and materials</li></ul></div>

What questions should I ask a general contractor?

<div>Before hiring a general contractor for your home project, it’s a great idea to write down a list of questions to discuss with each prospect. Some example questions to get you started include:<ul><li>Which types of insurance do you carry?</li><li>Can you provide a list of references?</li><li>What is the expected timeline for this project?</li><li>How will my project be supervised?</li><li>Will you hire subcontractors for the job?</li><li>What is the best way to communicate changes?</li><li>Will you obtain all of the required building permits?</li></ul></div>

Should general contractors be certified or licensed?

<div>While city and state laws vary on general contractor licensing requirements, hiring an unlicensed general contractor could lead to poor quality work, costly future expenses, and potential code violations. Be sure to check our <a href="https://www.angi.com/angi-license-check.htm">state licensing tool</a> to review the local general contractor guidelines for your area.As you browse our pro listings, take note of the “Angi Approved” badge. Angi Approved businesses meet our standards for certification which include: <ul><li>The owner, principal, or relevant manager passed a criminal background check</li><li>Required to have applicable state and local licenses</li><li>Maintain an average star rating of 3.0 or better on our network, if they have at least one review</li><li>Paying to advertise their services</li><li>Meeting any other eligibility criteria required by Angi</li></ul>Keep in mind licensing is different from certifications. A license is a legal requirement to operate a business, while certifications are voluntary.</div>

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Last update on August 20, 2025

Reviewed in March 2025
Contractor built me a custom 3D model trellis for my barbecue area, and it’s fantastic! They were professional, creative, and delivered a sturdy, stunning piece on time. Highly recommend!
A.D.R Construction inc.
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Reviewed in July 2024
Cody West is a very friendly, intelligent, responsible, thorough and highly capable handyman. He arrives on time, cleans up after himself and is a diligent skillful craftsman. He’s done several projects for us and is great to work with!! You’ll be happy you hired him!! We loved the work he did...
West Handy Services
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Reviewed in July 2024
Cody is honest, reliable, knowledgeable, and helpful. He is very skilled in all areas of carpentry and has an acute eye for detail. He designed and built a large deck including a sauna, outdoor shower, and hot tub complete with tile surround in my backyard. I couldn’t be happier! Definitely...
West Handy Services
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Reviewed in July 2024
It went well. He showed up on time. He picked up each day after he was done, and we were treated in a respectful manner. His pricing was excellent.
West Handy Services
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Reviewed in July 2024
Cody West is a great worker: punctual, responsible, hard worker efficient and a good problem solver. I would hire him again and be lucky to have him on the job
West Handy Services
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Reviewed in July 2024
I hired West Handy Services to build a deck and railing at my home. Cody helped with the design work and it turned out even better than I expected. His price was competitive and he did what he said on time. I was very happy with the results and give Cody my highest recommendation.
West Handy Services
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Reviewed in July 2024
Cody arrived on time, presentable, and ready to work. He has an eye for detail. He was very professional.
West Handy Services
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Reviewed in October 2020
We were so fortunate to find SOD home group to redesign our house. It has been a while since we did any remodeling or updates. Oren was attentive to each and every detail during the work. The type of materials, the paint of the walls, the combination of the cabinets and more and more… were...
SOD Home Group
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Reviewed in October 2020
Highly committed to your satisfaction, professional, and adept at quality remodeling within any budget. You will find the result you are looking for with SOD Home Group just as I did. They remodeled and redesigned my home from start to finish. No shortcomings or mistakes. They did a solid job...
SOD Home Group
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Reviewed in September 2017
Excellent company! We were shopping around for the right contractor for us via many sources which included online, friends, family and even co-workers. SOD builders was the only company that we saw online and was also referred to us by a co-worker who heard about our search for a construction...
SOD Home Group
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