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This is Where Your "Home building Contractors Near Me" Search Ends!

Blog How to Find a Reliable General Contractor in Chicago

The fact that you are googling "Home building contractors near me" says that you are ready for new construction or looking for home improvement. No matter what scale of a construction project you're planning, hiring a project manager, a remodeling company, a builder, a subcontractor that does the electrical work, or plumbing — all rolled into one general contractor — makes total sense. Here at Fortress Home we have been doing exactly that for more than 20 years.

As a trustworthy and experienced general contractor of the Chicago, iL area, we are ready to share our experience and provide you with a verbal or written estimate, a free consultation, or worthy professional advice.

We work strictly according to the regulations of the state's licensing board, call us with any questions at 773-770-8607. But probably, after reading this guide, you will have no questions left and just have to choose one of the best general contractors in your area.


What makes a good general contractor?

General contractors are called "general" for a reason. This business is one of the bases of our society — and, honestly, it's been like this for centuries. The ability to unite — and perfectly manage — more than 20 different subcontractors in one is very valuable and requires a lot of knowledge, skill, and experience.

Just imagine the vastness of areas, combined with this profession — mason, roofer, ironworker, carpenter, plumber, roofer, decorator, a specialist in heating and air-conditioning (HVAC), and many, many more.

The search "Home building contractors near me" is smart. You need to trust this important job to local general contractors, who are familiar with all peculiarities of building in your area, be connected to the right people, know the best suppliers, and literally be able to tell the quality of the soil or materials with their eyes closed.

The main purpose of building contractors — is to complete a project from A to Z, get all the permits, perform preliminary steps, invite trustworthy subcontractors, control all stages of the process on the highest level and handle the keys from the house, truly exceeding expectations.

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For more than 20 years, Fortress Home has evolved and transformed to meet the needs of quality general contractor services for Chicago clients. We provide a full range of construction services from scratch to project completion. Thanks to this approach, our customers get a comprehensive result from one reliable partner without spreading over hundreds of narrow-profile companies.

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What does a residential general contractor do?

Home building contractors provide a full spectrum of services, connected to building or remodeling residential property:

  • Building a new house from scratch
  • Masonry works
  • Home improvement
  • Basement remodeling
  • Bathroom remodeling
  • New kitchen construction / old kitchen remodel
  • Living room and bedrooms remodeling
  • Additions to the house — from design to building
  • Roof reconstruction
  • Outdoor spaces building or remodeling

     

This list can be endless. For each of these jobs, the professional general contractor will provide a solid budget, hire the subcontractors if needed, buy all the materials, keep up with the schedule and make sure the project is finished in time.


How to find good general contractors nearby?

Being a home building contractor ourselves, we always advise our clients to perform a few simple steps in the search of the right company:

  1. Explore the online space: look only for residential building contractors that have long experience on the market and work in your location
  2. General building contractor's site has to be quality and transparent: you must be able to easily find information on all of the licenses, services, team, story, and, what is more important — the portfolio. First of all, it has to be big. One or two works are definitely not enough. Second of all, the range and scale of clients will give you tips on your potential contractor's status and reputation (why do other people hire this company?). And last, but not least, you will understand the style and the general approach of this contractor to business
  3. Once you've found the site that you like, call the general building contractor and ask him a few questions:
    • "Are you a licensed provider?"
    • "Exactly what services do you offer?"
    • "What would be the approximate budget of your work (describe what you need)?"
    • "In what time can I expect the work to be completed?"
    • "What are the payment agreements — hourly rate or costs per project?
    • "Should I expect any extra or hidden costs?"
    • "What type and terms of the contract if we're going to sign?"
    • "What is the payment schedule — the amount of the deposit, the terms of closing the deal (never agree to work with anyone, who asks for a 100% deposit!)
    • "What materials and subcontractors do you work with?" If the person you were talking to had enough patience to answer all of your questions and has given you professional advice — this is a very good sign. Residential general contractors that provide great customer service are most likely to do excellent work too.Try this advice in action: give us a call at 773-770-8607 and have a chat with one of our team members.
  4. Ask a few questions to your neighbors: what general contractors they've used and how well has the project been managed and completed? Are they happy with the end result and why? Was the process smooth in general? Were the professionals nice to work with? Have there been any hidden costs?

Exploring the people's opinions in your ZIP code area is super important: talking to people you will find out that there are solid leaders both in the builder and remodeling market.

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Fortress Home assumes all risks, obligations, and responsibility for the quality of project implementation. After all, as a general contractor, we provide all stages of construction: from the search for subcontractors to the purchase of high-quality materials. This guarantees our clients accurate delivery of work on time and per the highest residential construction standards in Chicago.

Information for investors
We're an independent and fully licensed contractor based in Chicago, IL.
We think like developers and act like a general contractor.
Fortress Home is a full-service general contractor specializing in commercial and residential construction.
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Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to hire a contractor to build a house?

Professionals will usually charge you a "cost-plus" — a percentage of a total project budget that has to be listed in the contract. Usual rates for the Chicago area, iL, are 10%-15%. But if you are aiming for something big, like a significant redevelopment or large construction project, the rate can rise to 25%. Usually, general contractors don't do hourly rates.

What is the difference between a home builder and a general contractor?

A home builder, or a developer, is usually a building company that specializes in particular residential projects and has in-house specialists for their completion.

A general contractor, generally speaking, is a project manager of a very high level. It can have in-house professionals, but the idea of its service is to manage construction projects by hiring a team of subcontractors.


Is it cheaper to be your own contractor when building a house?

Yes, it definitely is. Our own research shows that people can save up to 35% of costs by being their own contractors.

But our experience also shows that these people are usually the representatives of the building industry themselves, and their profound knowledge and business connections help them to save significant cash on their own projects.

On the other hand, even remodeling a bathroom can turn into real havoc if you decide to do it yourself, without much experience. So choose your options wisely.

You can always give us a call at 773-770-8607 and our Fortress Home specialists will help you with advice.

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FORTRESS HOME

Fortress Home understands how important it is for the customer to implement the future home project at the highest level. And our clients understand that achieving such a level is possible only by choosing a reputable and competent general contractor. If you are one of those customers, you can always rely on us when looking for a reliable construction partner for your new home or renovation.

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