Hiring specialized trades with a GC on the job

I want to hire a plaster person and a woodworker to do some stripping and refinishing. My general contractor is saying I can’t do that because he’s liable if they injured themselves. Then he said he needed to see their Additional Insured. it makes sense for me to do some of this work now before my walls get finished. I don’t feel it’s right for him to tell me this. I would love some advice on how I might handle?

Guest User | 6 years ago

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hkapstein | 6 years ago

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Solution: GC hires the plaster guy as a subcontractor and marks you up the overhead and profit on top of the bid. Sub is then on his insurance.

However the GC is probably marking you up way more on labor than the overhead and profit stated in the contract, so he might not like this deal as much has having his own guys put drywall compound and sheetrock over your plaster, but he should agree to it if you press him, and if the sub has the right kind of insurance, and don’t assume he does.

Look into a concept called blanket additional insured. It’s pretty common, and if your woodworker has it, then any party required to be an additional insured by the contract in writing becomes additional insured automatically without having to make a certificate. Surprisingly, having a certificate stating you are an additional insured does not necessarily mean you are actually an additional insured and typically doesn’t. This is a simple illustration, and you have to look into how a particular policy works, but this a very common situation. This is not professional advice, contact an i nsurance agent or lawyer to explain how this works.

Finally, consider whether you want to replace your GC with one who can do the job.

Guest User | 6 years ago

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Hi Maggie, I believe it’s a financial reason but he also seemed frustrated by the request. Good idea re: covering the fee! And thank you everyone for your input.

WSNarrows | 6 years ago

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It is fair for the GC to ask for the certificate, because they are responsible for the jobsite. If there are any issues with the artisans or their employees, the GC will be brought into the lawsuit.

Guest User | 6 years ago

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is the woodworker refusing the add the GC on general principle or for financial reasons? some insurance companies charge a fee for addtional insureds so you might offer to cover that fee if that’s the problem.

Guest User | 6 years ago

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Thank you for all these responses and good questions and perspectives. To answer these questions. 1. GC does not want to do plaster and wood stripping so I have no choice but to hire someoneelse. To Cate’s point, a lot of GCs cannot do plaster work and some do not have these contacts. For whatever reason, GC doesn’t want to do it. 2. Yes I can do this work later but, imho, easier to fix the plaster before we paint the walls. 3. Yes my GC has a right to be concerned but I am hiring insured workers, not uninsured. This may be what the point of contention is I’m not exactly aligned on his request 4. Woodworker says he’s insured but he’s not going to add the contractor as additional insured. He also ssays he’s done work on other houses and GC never requested this. So I guess I am stuck.

cate | 6 years ago

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You are right to hire specialists to do plaster, stripping and refinishing. A general GC is not able to handle these specialties correctly. Find a contractor who understands this and is willing to work with specialists for these jobs, while the contractor handles other projects. Or change the scope of work and the timing so the GC comes after and before the other jobs. Do the stripping first and if you have vinyl flooring, keep it until you refinish the floors.

Guest User | 6 years ago

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echoing stevecym – the insurance request is legitimate. if your woodworker can add the GC as additional insured on their policy you should be good to go. the GC may be getting pissy because if you hire the woodworker on your own the GC won’t get the overhead/profit on that contract.

stevecym | 6 years ago

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if all he wants is to see their insurance certs or have him listed as additionally insured, why not provide them? i have never balked when a customer asks to be listed as additionally insured or has asked for a cert.

with him on that job, he has a right to be concerned. anything can happen with his materials or equipment where someone else gets hurt and if insurance companies or lawyers get involved, it can be on him. even someone using someone else’s ladder can become a problem.

Master Plvmber | 6 years ago

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Why doesn’t your GC hire the plasterer/woodworker to do the work in your home?