Subcontractor basics guides

Builder describes a business in everyday use. General contractor describes a project role and, in North Carolina, a regulated undertaking.

A superintendent coordinates site activity across the project. Confirm the site contact, the crew’s own lead, and who authorizes changes before work starts.

A custom home builder coordinates a house around a particular project’s design and selections. For a trade, fit starts with the details and the approval process.

The answer depends on the work, jurisdiction, and contract role. North Carolina’s general-contractor threshold does not replace separate trade-license rules.

A production builder builds homes for sale on land it owns or controls. For a trade, the next questions are the package, capacity, and buying process.

Purchasing connects the builder’s required scope with trade selection and commercial terms. Ask who owns the bid, the award, and any proposed extra work.

Trade partner is a builder’s relationship label for a trade business. Confirm the actual agreement, expectations, and award process behind it.

A subcontractor delivers the agreed trade package, coordinates its interfaces, and completes the assigned checks and return visits.

A general contractor takes responsibility for the construction undertaking defined by its agreement. Check its project role, license, and trade-coordination process separately.

A subcontractor takes responsibility for a defined part of another contractor’s work. Start with the contract chain, then check scope and credentials.

Subcontracting assigns part of a contractor’s work to another business under a separate agreement. Map each scope and its handoff before the crew starts.

Start with who signed an agreement with whom. Then check the actual scope and responsibilities rather than relying on a company title.