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LICENSED GENERAL CONTRACTING
General Contracting in North
Carolina
To work as a general contractor on projects costing more than $30,000 in North
Carolina, you must get a license from the North Carolina Licensing Board for
General Contractors. Electrical, plumbing, heating and fire sprinkler contractors
must be licensed.
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What is a contractor and what
does licensed mean?
Anyone that will come out to your home and make a contract with you to do your
work is a contractor, but they may not be a licensed contractor. Many home
improvement contractors are out there, many of them of considerable size, members
of the Chamber of Commerce and BBB, and from all appearances upstanding companies,
that claim to be licensed, but are misleading people. They advertise in the
phone book, radio, and web sites that they are "'Fully Licensed".
They even list a license number as proof. What some of these companies are
calling "fully licensed" is the city privilege license. The number
they display is their city privilege license number. Of course, most people
assume they are referring to a state board license.
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How can I tell who is really
licensed?
Go to www.nclbgc.net This is the web site for the North
Carolina Board for General Contractors. Type in the contractors business name
or their license number they give you and an instant search will tell you if
they're really licensed or not. If they are licensed, you can also see who
from their company has passed the licensing exam.
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Why is it important to hire
a licensed contractor? Licensed contractors are professionals
who have passed technical exams and
have proven that they have the financial
means to support their business. If
you experience a substantial problem
with a licensed contractor, the Licensing
Board for that trade will investigate
the complaint; if found valid, they
will take appropriate action against
the contractor.
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LEED
and Green Building
The Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED) Green Building Rating
System™ is the nationally
accepted benchmark for the design,
construction, and operation of
high performance green buildings.
LEED gives building owners and
operators the tools they need
to have an immediate and measurable
impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED
promotes a whole-building approach
to sustainability by recognizing
performance in five key areas
of human and environmental health:
sustainable site development,
water savings, energy efficiency,
materials selection, and indoor
environmental quality.
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ARCHITECTURAL PLANNING
The
importance of AutoCAD
AutoCAD is the accepted industry standard
computer program used to aid interior
designers and other professionals in
creating detailed, layered floor plans,
elevations, sections, and three-dimensional
modeling. Having an architectural
planner and designer versed in this
program is incredibly helpful if not
imperative; they will be able to quickly
and easily converse with and create
drawings and changes for architects,
tradesmen, and installers.
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Building codes and permits
The state of North Carolina in
conjunction with your local municipality
(i.e. Raleigh, Wilmington, Chapel
Hill) have created a set of building
codes and permitting processes
applicable to certain building
types. They regulate everything
from the size and types of signs,
to handicapped accessibility issues,
to electrical codes, to parking
requirements, to fire code issues,
just to name a few. Actually,
there are volumes of regulations,
standards, and that must be followed
and in order to construct your commercial
or residential structure in a timely
and legal manner. Licensed professionals
will be familiar with the current
and ever-changing codes, permits,
and regulations for your jurisdiction(s).
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INTERIOR DESIGN
What is interior design? Discipline that encompasses the planning,
conceptualization, and installation
of interior spaces’ architecture,
finishes, furnishings, and equipment.
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ASID American
Society of Interior Designers
“ASID is a community of people—designers,
industry representatives, educators
and students—committed to interior
design. Through education, knowledge
sharing, advocacy, community building
and outreach, the Society strives to
advance the interior design profession
and, in the process, to demonstrate
and celebrate the power of design to
positively change people’s lives.
Its more than 38,000 members engage
in a variety of professional programs
and activities through a network of
48 chapters throughout the United States
and Canada.”
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CIDA vs. FIDER
FIDER (Foundation of Interior Design
Education Research) was the non-profit
organization that accredited interior
design education programs. They
have been renamed CIDA (Council for
Interior Design Accreditation) and
hold similar goals of maintaining a
certain level of professional
standards for
interior design education. Click
here to learn more about the interior design
education accreditation board.
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Decorator vs. Designer
An interior designer is qualified "to
enhance the function and quality of
interior spaces for the purpose of
improving the quality of life, increasing
productivity, and protecting the health,
safety, and welfare of the public,” as
stated by The American Society of Interior
Designers (ASID). An Interior Design
earns a degree from a FIDER (now CIDA)
accredited college where they were
trained in different aspects of design;
such as commercial or residential design,
universal (ADA) design, kitchen and
bathroom design, space planning, electrical
plans, building codes, etc. An interior
designer will excel in gathering information
and evaluating the needs of a client,
conceptual design, space planning,
contract documentation, development
of construction documents, specification
and selection of materials, electrical
and lighting design, and overseeing
the project process.
Interior decorators do not have an Interior Design degree, but can receive
training or certification by an approved educational program when a member
of the Certified Interior Decorators International. Decorators can not make
architectural changes when space planning, design built-in permanent furniture
or provide electrical/lighting plans. They can make verbal recommendations
to the clients regarding lighting, cabinetry, and minor changes such as changing
a door or window. They will also select materials such as carpet, fabric, wall
coverings, window treatments, and furniture. Part decorator, part architect, the
interior designer today must have a
head for business and budgets as well
as a command of materials and marketing.
He or she must know fire safety codes
as well as how to knock out a wall
without the house tumbling down. Typical
designers are just as likely to be
dealing with a plumber or electrician
as they are to be measuring a space
for paintings, drafting a contract
bid, or making sure the wallpaper hanger
is working in the right room.
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