A general contractor manages your entire construction project: design coordination, permits, scheduling, hiring and supervising trades, inspections, and quality control — with one contract and one point of accountability. Here’s exactly what that covers, what it costs, and how to verify you’re hiring a legitimate one in California.
Core Services a General Contractor Provides
- Project planning & budgeting — turning your goals into a realistic scope, timeline and itemized budget before anything is built.
- Design coordination — working with architects and engineers, or providing it all in-house if they’re a design-build firm like ours.
- Permits & inspections — preparing submittals, pulling building permits on your behalf, scheduling every city inspection, and resolving corrections.
- Hiring and supervising trades — electricians, plumbers, HVAC, framers, finishers — vetted, scheduled and quality-checked so you never manage a subcontractor yourself.
- Material procurement — ordering to spec, managing lead times, and catching defects before installation.
- Site management & safety — daily supervision, code compliance, protecting the parts of your home not under construction.
- Warranty & closeout — final walkthrough, punch list, and standing behind the work after completion.
Projects a General Contractor Handles
For a residential design-build contractor like RnD Builders, that means: kitchen remodeling, bathroom remodeling, home additions, ADUs and garage conversions, custom homes, exterior remodeling, and outdoor living projects including pools and patios.
How General Contractors Charge in 2026
Most residential GCs price one of two ways: a fixed bid (one number for a defined scope — what we use) or cost-plus (actual costs plus a 10–20% management fee). Fixed bids protect you from drift; cost-plus suits projects where the scope genuinely can’t be defined upfront. Either way, expect contractor overhead and profit to represent roughly 15–25% of project cost — that’s what buys the coordination, accountability and warranty.
How to Verify a California Contractor
- License: look up the contractor on the CSLB website (cslb.ca.gov). For whole-home projects you want a B — General Building license. Verify it’s active and bond/workers’ comp are current.
- Insurance: ask for certificates of general liability and workers’ compensation naming you as certificate holder.
- Local work: ask for completed projects in your city — real addresses, real photos, real references. Browse our recent work across LA and Ventura County.
- Contract: California requires a written contract for jobs over $500, with a defined payment schedule. Down payments are capped at $1,000 or 10%, whichever is less.
General Contractor FAQs
What’s the difference between a general contractor and a design-build firm?
A traditional GC builds plans someone else drew. A design-build firm handles architecture, engineering and construction under one contract — fewer handoffs, fewer change orders, one accountable team. See how our process works.
Do I need a general contractor for a small remodel?
For single-trade jobs (just paint, just flooring), no. The moment a project involves multiple trades, permits or structural work — kitchens, baths, additions, ADUs — a GC saves more in avoided mistakes and schedule slippage than they cost.
Does the contractor or the homeowner pull permits?
The contractor should — and be wary of any contractor who asks you to pull an owner-builder permit for their work. It shifts liability onto you and is a classic red flag.
Work With a Licensed Design-Build Team
RnD Builders Inc is a California-licensed (B) general contractor and design-build firm with 300+ completed projects across Los Angeles and Ventura County. Request a free estimate or call (805) 367-1965.
From planning to permits, our home remodeling services make projects like this simple — including for homeowners in Oxnard and Simi Valley. Free estimate: (805) 367-1965.
