Title: Subcontractor basics guides | Cercha

Description: Understand subcontractor roles, business setup and working relationships. Compare responsibilities before agreeing to residential project work.

Canonical: https://cercha.pages.dev/guides/topics/subcontractor-basics/

# Subcontractor basics guides

Guides: Subcontractor basics.

- [Builder vs general contractor: overlapping labels](</guides/builder-vs-general-contractor/>)

  Builder describes a business in everyday use. General contractor describes a project role and, in North Carolina, a regulated undertaking.
- [What a construction superintendent does](</guides/construction-superintendent/>)

  A superintendent coordinates site activity across the project. Confirm the site contact, the crew’s own lead, and who authorizes changes before work starts.
- [What is a custom home builder?](</guides/custom-home-builder/>)

  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.
- [Do you need a license to be a subcontractor?](</guides/do-you-need-a-license-to-be-a-subcontractor/>)

  The answer depends on the work, jurisdiction, and contract role. North Carolina’s general-contractor threshold does not replace separate trade-license rules.
- [What is a production builder?](</guides/production-builder/>)

  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.
- [What a builder's purchasing manager does](</guides/purchasing-manager-home-builder/>)

  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: what builders mean by it](</guides/trade-partner/>)

  Trade partner is a builder’s relationship label for a trade business. Confirm the actual agreement, expectations, and award process behind it.
- [What does a subcontractor do on a new home?](</guides/what-does-a-subcontractor-do/>)

  A subcontractor delivers the agreed trade package, coordinates its interfaces, and completes the assigned checks and return visits.
- [What is a general contractor?](</guides/what-is-a-general-contractor/>)

  A general contractor takes responsibility for the construction undertaking defined by its agreement. Check its project role, license, and trade-coordination process separately.
- [What is a subcontractor in construction?](</guides/what-is-a-subcontractor/>)

  A subcontractor takes responsibility for a defined part of another contractor’s work. Start with the contract chain, then check scope and credentials.
- [What is subcontracting? How it works on a house](</guides/what-is-subcontracting/>)

  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.
- [Subcontractor versus general contractor](</guides/subcontractor-vs-general-contractor/>)

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

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