What Is a General Contractor and Do You Need One?

What a General Contractor Actually Does

A general contractor is the single point of accountability for your remodeling project. They don't necessarily perform every trade themselves — they manage and coordinate every trade. On a typical kitchen remodel, a GC is responsible for: pulling all required permits from the local building department, hiring and scheduling licensed subcontractors (plumber, electrician, tile setter), managing material deliveries and storage, ensuring all work meets Florida Building Code, scheduling inspections at each milestone, and delivering a completed project that passes final inspection.

At Best Price Kitchen Bath & Floors, our GC is Tim Yaxley — CGC1535490, 30 years of South Florida construction experience. Tim is on-site personally on every project, not managing from an office while sending crews you've never met.

The Florida GC License: What CGC Means

In Florida, there are two primary contractor license classifications: Certified General Contractor (CGC) and Certified Building Contractor (CBC). A CGC license is the highest classification — it authorizes the contractor to build, repair, alter, or demolish any type of building, anywhere in Florida. Unlike county or city licenses that only apply locally, a Florida CGC license is state-certified and valid statewide.

Obtaining and maintaining a CGC license requires: passing the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board exam, maintaining general liability insurance (minimum $300,000), carrying workers' compensation insurance, completing continuing education requirements, and maintaining a clean disciplinary record with DBPR (Department of Business and Professional Regulation).

When Do You Need a GC vs a Handyman?

A handyman can legally perform minor repairs in Florida without a contractor's license — painting, caulking, replacing fixtures that don't require moving plumbing lines, simple carpentry. The legal limit for unlicensed work is typically under $1,000 in total project value.

You need a licensed GC for: any project requiring a building permit, any work touching electrical panels or wiring, any plumbing work beyond simple fixture swaps, any structural modifications (removing walls, adding beams), and any project over a certain dollar threshold (varies by county but typically $1,000–$2,500).

A full kitchen remodel — cabinets, countertops, electrical, plumbing, flooring — requires permits in every municipality in Palm Beach County. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either uninformed or asking you to take on significant personal liability.

Why Unpermitted Work Is a Serious Problem in Florida

Homeowners sometimes accept work done without permits to avoid the hassle or reduce apparent costs. In Florida, this creates real problems: your homeowner's insurance policy may deny claims related to unpermitted work, buyers' home inspectors will flag unpermitted improvements during sale, you may be required to tear out and redo unpermitted work to get a certificate of occupancy, and if something goes wrong (fire, water damage, structural failure) due to unpermitted work, you bear full liability.

In a Palm Beach County luxury community — where your home is likely your most valuable asset — the cost of proper permitting is insignificant compared to these risks.