Subcontractor

A subcontractor (often called a “sub” or “subbie”) is a specialist tradesperson or company hired to carry out a specific part of your renovation. Unlike a general contractor who manages the whole project, a subcontractor focuses on one trade — such as plumbing, electrical work, plastering, or tiling.

How subcontractors work

In most renovations, your general contractor hires and manages the subcontractors on your behalf. The general contractor is responsible for:

• Selecting qualified subcontractors for each trade
• Scheduling them to arrive in the right order
• Checking the quality of their work
• Paying them (you pay the general contractor, who pays the subs)

This means you typically don’t have a direct contractual relationship with the subcontractors — your contract is with the general contractor, who is accountable for the work of everyone on site.

Common subcontractor trades

• Electricians — wiring, lighting, sockets, consumer units
• Plumbers — pipework, radiators, boilers, bathroom installations
• Plasterers — wall and ceiling finishes
• Tilers — floor and wall tiling in kitchens and bathrooms
• Joiners/carpenters — doors, skirting boards, fitted furniture
• Decorators/painters — painting and wallpapering
• Roofers — roof repairs or replacement
• Structural engineers — steel calculations and inspections

Hiring subcontractors directly

Some homeowners choose to manage subcontractors directly instead of hiring a general contractor. This can save money on the contractor’s markup, but it means you take on the project management role yourself — coordinating schedules, resolving conflicts, and ensuring each trade completes their scope of work before the next one starts.

This approach works best for smaller projects or if you have construction experience. For larger renovations involving multiple trades, a general contractor’s coordination skills usually justify their fee.