Who are subcontractors?

Arguably, the most important term, and people, you need to know when undergoing your renovation.

Earlier, we talked about why it is a myth that main contractors (MCs) are always cheaper than interior designers (IDs).

The reason is simple. 95% of firms, regardless of MCs or IDs, outsource their work to subcontractors. Hence, the price is a function of the margin that they want to take, and not defined by their role.

However, we did not clearly define who subcontractors are.

A full home renovation comprises of various jobs.

Subcontractors are specialists in each of these jobs.

Carpentry is done by the carpenter, tiling is done by the tiler, plumbing is done by a plumber, so on and so forth.

For homeowners, technical knowledge is required to understand each job, the sequence as well as potential pitfalls. This is normally not privy to them. Hence, a MC or an ID is there to bridge the gap and do the coordination (although often unsuccessfully).

Renovation Stakeholders (Source: Deconstruct)

For renovation firms, these jobs are not done in-house, as it increases the overhead costs significantly. When there are insufficient jobs, the losses will start to add up, making it risky.

Hence, when your ID or MC mentions their subcontractors, or "subcons”, they are referring to the individual trade specialists carrying out the job.

On a side note, key reason, or excuse, for shoddy workmanship is mostly due to the quality of the subcontractors used. However, it is also too easy to blame them, as (1) the MC or ID was responsible for choosing them (2) it can be due to poor communication by the MC or ID, but they push the blame away.

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