Should you use a local mason or a contractor to build?

By Verna Mwinganisa

There was a peaceful strike at the construction site - the workers had not been paid for quite a while. A lady with a bunch of sugarcane had been waylaid and there was quite a bit of rest and relaxation going on at the site as the workers waited for their money.

A short distance away, the contractor was frantically on the phone trying to source enough funds to give the workers incentive to continue working.

Construction is much more than laying brick to mortar. There are certain roles within a construction project that are critical – and overlooking these roles will ultimately lead to loss of time, money and/ or quality of construction. In deciding to work with a local mason or a contractor, be sure you have the roles of tradesman (local mason among many other trades) and manager (contractor) clarified.

It is more likely that if you engage a local mason, you will have to take on the managerial tasks. This is fine considering that some clients actually enjoy managing their projects and it does save some money that can stretch the budget a bit further.

A tradesman is a skilled manual worker in a particular trade. Tradesmen have both practical and theoretical  knowledge and normally carry out the actual work on site. They are totally absorbed in what they do and cannot multi-task. Various trades in construction include mason, carpenter, electrician, plumber, plasterer, steel fixer, tiler, house painter and decorator, roofer to mention but a few.

Master tradesmen are rare and demand top rates for their service. At this point, you do begin to realise that your local mason (bricklayer, limited concrete works) cannot complete construction of your entire house. There will be need to identify and engage other tradesmen at various stages of construction.

Unfortunately, skilled manual workers are not easily identified and chances of getting the wrong people claiming that they know what to do is a common occurrence. The result is poor workmanship and more often than not, the work has to be redone. There is nothing as depressing as seeing very expensive materials or sanitary ware spoilt by poor workmanship!

A general contractor, on the other hand, is responsible for providing all of the material, labour, equipment and services necessary for the construction of the project. The general contractor engages tradesmen to perform all or portions of the construction work. The contractor secures the property, manages personnel on site - including tradesmen, porters and support staff - monitors schedules and cash flows and maintains accurate records among other duties.

A good contractor will, among other tasks, identify good tradesmen and ensure that quality materials are bought and quality work is done. If you are not able to carry out these roles – either due to a heavy work schedule or general lack of interest in the nitty gritty – you may need a contractor.

As can be seen, the role of a contractor and mason are totally different and totally necessary. It is important to note that some local masons go ahead and take on managerial tasks on behalf of the client. They then become contractors and with improved project management skills, these can be very good contractors since they have both the practical and theoretical knowledge.

The writer is an architect at evolution edge