Crews, scaffolding, and barrels of paint aside, renovating multifamily properties involves months of planning, permitting, coordinating, and documentation, to say the least. A general contractor (GC) assumes responsibility for executing these processes while mitigating risk.
What Is a General Contractor?
General contractors are firms, like Imperial Contracting, or individuals responsible for managing construction under a contract with the property owner. They are the “master coordinator” and central point of contact for all involved parties throughout the course of a project.
What Does a General Contractor Do in a Multifamily Renovation?
A general contractor’s job is to take a renovation scope from plan to completion, on time, within budget, and without disrupting any residents. In a multifamily setting, their duties include but are not limited to:
- Pre-construction planning: GCs review architectural drawings, identify potential issues (e.g., contaminated soil), develop a schedule, and coordinate with property management before and during construction.
- Permitting and code compliance: GCs collect the mandatory fire-life safety, building, and ADA-related permits, and schedule inspections with local authorities.
- Subcontractor management: GCs recommend, hire, schedule, and oversee specialized trades, including electricians, plumbers, HVAC technicians, painters, flooring installers, and carpenters, among others.
- Daily site coordination and inspection: Managing trades includes preventing one crew’s work from blocking or damaging another’s, as well as helping maintain a safe, professional job site by implementing strict safety protocols and enforcing the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Budget and cost oversight: GCs monitor all costs against the agreed contracts, manage change orders, and keep owners and investors informed of any discrepancies.
- Lender and investor reporting: GCs provide the progress reports and inspection sign-offs that lenders require before releasing capital on construction loans.
These responsibilities are even more demanding in occupied multifamily homes, where people of all ages live, sleep, and work steps away from active construction. A GC experienced in this environment schedules construction during off-peak hours, communicates upcoming disruptions in advance, and maintains site conditions that protect each resident’s health, safety, and routines.
Why Hire a General Contractor Instead of Managing Trades Yourself?
Some owners presume they can manage a renovation by hiring individual trades on their own. In theory, that seems cost-effective. In practice, it puts an enormous amount of responsibility, liability, and risk onto the owner.
Before saying “I can do it myself” to save on overhead, consider what a GC absorbs on behalf of the property owner:
- Subcontractor accountability: When a trade performs poorly or abandons the project, the GC typically resolves it. Without a GC, those disputes become the owner’s problem.
- Scheduling dependencies: If the plumber doesn’t finish the drainage installation on time, the tile setter also falls behind schedule, which can delay the entire project. Similarly, if a painter begins before the electrical rough-in is inspected, the walls come back down. The GC sequences and enforces these dependencies.
- Liability coverage: Licensed GCs have general liability insurance, workers’ compensation, and bonding that protect the property owner if something goes wrong on site.
- Code enforcement: GCs are responsible for ensuring that all work complies with local building codes. Without a general contractor, the owner assumes absolute, primary liability for ensuring the entire project conforms to local building codes.
For smaller, single-trade projects, such as repainting a vacant unit, an owner might manage on their own. For renovations involving several trades, requiring multiple permits, or spanning occupied units and common areas, a GC ensures rigorous quality standards across every phase of the project.
How Does Imperial Contracting Deliver Successful Multifamily Renovations?
At Imperial Contracting, we have refined our approach across 20+ years of occupied multifamily renovations. Our team specializes in high-volume interior overhauls and exterior CapEx upgrades, and we have perfected scheduling construction around move-ins, move-outs, and lease renewals, ensuring residents are not unnecessarily displaced, and that units are ready to re-lease and common areas are ready for use soon after renovation.
Our portfolio includes:
The Vermont, Los Angeles
Imperial Contracting partnered with Harbor Group Management to complete an extensive amenity and common-area renovation at The Vermont, a 464-unit Class A high-rise in Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood. The scope included a new fitness center, two recording and podcast studios, BBQ areas, and updated pedestrian pathways, among other outdoor common-space improvements.
IMT North Scottsdale
Occupied renovation is one of the most arduous categories of construction work. After all, the property must continue to generate revenue, tenants must exercise their rights, and the construction timeline has to work around both, not the other way around.
In December 2025, Imperial wrapped Phase 2 of the IMT North Scottsdale renovation for IMT Residential. The project included a clubhouse remodel, gym upgrades, repainted corridors and common areas, refreshed meeting rooms, and a new entry façade, with the building open and operational throughout.
Camden Foothills, Scottsdale
For Camden Property Trust, Imperial executed a full exterior renovation at Camden Foothills, a resort-style community of 220 apartment units across 16 buildings in Scottsdale’s DC Ranch corridor. The scope covered the leasing office, clubhouse, fitness center, carports, and site walls, with multiple building types and color schemes managed under a single coordinated schedule.
Review more of Imperial Contracting’s upcoming and fulfilled projects.
A general contractor with experience in large-scale multifamily renovations knows how to coordinate complex projects, maintain code compliance, stay on schedule, and minimize disruption to residents, just as we did at IMT North Scottsdale. That takes years, if not decades, of repetition to get right. If that’s exactly what you’re looking for in a general contractor, talk to us about your multifamily renovation today.
FAQs About General Contractors and Renovating Multifamily Buildings
What is the difference between a general contractor and a property’s maintenance team?
Maintenance teams handle day-to-day repairs and upkeep within a building’s normal operations. GCs take on capital-scope work with a formal contract, licensed trades, permits, and inspection requirements.
When in the process should an owner bring a general contractor on board?
The earlier the better. Hiring a licensed GC during the preconstruction phase, before finalizing drawings, gives the owner access to accurate cost estimates, constructability feedback, and a realistic schedule for lease renewals and unit turnovers.
How do general contractors price multifamily renovation projects?
That depends. Apartment interior renovations typically follow a per-unit price, while amenity and exterior renovations use lump-sum or guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contracts. Request an estimate from Imperial Contracting to know how much your specific project will cost.
