Depending on the type of contract work you seek to complete for your commercial or residential construction or renovation project, choosing a general contractor to get the job done is much easier than you might think. All you need is to have the right set of guidelines and have a clear understanding of what your final outcome of the construction or renovation project should look like.

Naturally, in a city such as New York City and its surrounding regions, general contractor choices are aplenty and the mere process of screening prospects could in itself take up a lot of time.

The first thing to consider when choosing a New York City general contractor is what they are offering in relation to what you want. If a contractor’s services page specifically discusses a particular product or service you are looking for, that contractor is immediately worth considering. It is never wise to go with the very first contractor you come across that offers exactly what you’re looking for however, but this is a great starting point through which to compile a much more comprehensive and relevant shortlist of general contractors under consideration.

Exploring the consideration of a matching service offering deeper, the question of whether to go with a single-focus specialist general contractor or a multi-focus general contractor comes to mind. The answer to that question is relatively straight-forward and it lies in a comparison between single-focus New York general contractors and multi-focus specialist New York general contractors. In both these cases, the operative word is “specialist”. A multi-focus general contractor is one which simply covers many areas of operation, each of which are covered on a specialist level, while a single-focus general contractor exclusively deals with their designated service offering as their specialty.

So, in the case of a single-focus New York City general contractor versus a multi-focus New York City general contractor, the multi-focus specialist always makes for a better choice, for a number of reasons. Firstly, a multi-focus general contractor is a clear indication of a more established player in the market, which subsequently comes with greater spending power and collective bargaining power. This means that a multi-focus general contractor has access to a wider range of raw materials, through their assembled list of suppliers and sub-contractors, accounting for the savings they manage to extract from those relationships being passed on to their clients. Secondly, a specialist contractor with a wider range of specialties is better exposed to a broader view of each of those specialties and, in so doing, the multi-focus specialist contractor understands how each offered service fits in with the bigger picture.

The next thing to consider when choosing a New York City general contractor is of course the pricing structure employed. While most good general contractors don’t go to the trouble of listing flat prices and fees with their lists of service offerings (since they understand that actual costs will inevitably vary), the mark of a great contractor can be measured based on their willingness to engage prospective clients and provide cost estimates even for complex and extensive construction or remodeling projects. A great contractor who has been in the game for a long enough time will always be on top of their numbers and be able to dynamically formulate a basic outline of the budget required to complete a specific required job.

Finally, in choosing the right contractor for your particular project, consider their credentials by way of licensing. It is very important that your construction projects, whether domestic or commercial, are completed in line with the appropriate health and safety standards.