One of the first questions homeowners ask when planning a bathroom remodel is whether they need a general contractor. The answer depends on what the project actually involves — and understanding the difference between a GC-required project and a direct-hire-trades project can save you money and simplify the process considerably.
We are not a general contractor, and we are upfront about that. Here is the honest breakdown of when a GC is the right call and when it is not.
What a General Contractor Does
A licensed general contractor in Florida is authorized to pull permits, coordinate multiple licensed trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, structural), and take on overall project liability. They typically add a markup on trade labor and materials — usually 15–25% — in exchange for managing the coordination, schedule, and risk.
A GC is worth that markup when the project genuinely requires their license or coordination capabilities. When the project is simpler, a GC adds cost without adding corresponding value.
When You Need a General Contractor
The following situations generally require a licensed GC:
- Structural changes: Moving or removing load-bearing walls, changing floor plans, altering the roofline or ceiling structure
- Significant plumbing relocation: Moving a toilet, shower, or tub to a new location requires saw-cutting the slab in most Central Florida homes and pulling a plumbing permit — a GC or master plumber needs to be the permit holder
- Electrical panel upgrades or service changes: Adding circuits for heated floors, new lighting, exhaust fans, or a panel upgrade requires a licensed electrician and an electrical permit; a GC can manage this coordination
- Full additions or room conversions: Expanding a bathroom footprint into adjacent space involves structural, permitting, and inspection work that benefits from a GC
- Very large, multi-trade projects: If your remodel involves six different trades and a 12-week timeline, the coordination overhead justifies a GC
When Direct-Hire Trades Work Better
Most standard bathroom remodels in the Sanford, Lake Mary, and Heathrow area do not require a GC. Here is the typical scenario where direct-hire trades are the right approach:
- The bathroom footprint stays the same — walls, door, and window locations do not change
- Plumbing fixtures are replaced in the same locations (faucets, showerhead, toilet — not relocated)
- Electrical updates are limited to fixture swaps and may not require a permit
- The scope is tile, vanity, fixtures, and finishes — all of which can be managed directly by the homeowner
In this scenario, you hire a licensed plumber to cap and reconnect the plumbing, a tile contractor (us) for the shower and floor tile, a licensed electrician for any electrical updates, and a glass company for the enclosure if needed. The homeowner coordinates the sequence. Total project cost is lower because there is no GC markup on trade labor.
Florida Licensing Context
Florida requires specific licenses for plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and structural work. Tile installation is a specialty trade that does not require a general contractor license to perform. A tile contractor working directly for a homeowner is operating legally in Florida.
When a permit is required for plumbing or electrical work, the licensed trade pulling the permit takes on the inspection responsibility for their scope. This can happen without a GC — the homeowner can be the owner-builder permit holder in Florida for work on their own home, or the individual licensed trades can pull their own permits.
If you are unsure whether your project requires permits, the Seminole County or Orange County building department can answer that question for your specific scope. This is worth doing before you start, not after.
How KV Tileworks Fits In
We are a tile installation specialist. That is what we do, and it is what we do well. Our scope covers:
- Tile demo and substrate preparation
- Waterproofing system installation (GoBoard or Schluter KERDI)
- All tile installation — shower walls and floor, bathroom floor, backsplash, feature walls
- Setting materials, grout, and sealing
- Trim and transition details
What we do not do: licensed plumbing, licensed electrical, glass fabrication and installation, or cabinetry. For a standard bathroom remodel, those trades need to be coordinated by the homeowner or a GC.
We are used to working alongside homeowner-coordinated projects. We can give you realistic guidance on the sequence — when the plumber needs to be done before we start, when to schedule the glass company after us — and we communicate clearly with the other trades on site.
For more complex projects that genuinely need a GC, we work well in GC-led environments. We have relationships with several small GCs in the Sanford and Lake Mary area who handle the coordination while we handle the tile.
A Note on "Design-Build" Firms
Some firms market themselves as design-build remodelers who handle everything from concept through completion. That model has real advantages for complex projects — single point of accountability, integrated design and construction. The tradeoff is typically higher cost and less direct visibility into what you are paying each trade.
If you hire a design-build firm, ask whether tile installation is performed by their own employees or subcontracted, and ask who the subcontractor is. The tile work in a design-build project is only as good as the tile installer — not the firm's marketing.
The Direct Answer
For a standard bathroom remodel in Central Florida — retile a shower, new floor, new vanity, replace fixtures in the same locations — you probably do not need a GC. You need good trades hired directly.
If your project involves structural changes, significant plumbing relocation, or the complexity of coordinating more than four trades over an extended timeline, a GC may well be worth the markup.
If you are in Sanford, Lake Mary, Heathrow, or Winter Park and want to talk through your project, reach out for a free estimate. We will tell you honestly what falls within our scope and what you will need to coordinate separately.