The Pacific Northwest (PNW) features a wide range of residential and commercial architectural styles. As far as residential construction is concerned, the three main architectural types that can be found in most neighborhoods in the PNW are colonial revival, craftsman, and pacific lodge.
Some might argue that tudor revivals and modern houses should be counted in the top three, but for the sake of brevity (and this blog post’s word count), we’ll stick with colonial revival, craftsman, and rustic cabin/pacific lodge. From a commercial standpoint, the PNW is as varied as anywhere else in the states. You can find nearly all forms of architecture throughout the region, which is why it’s one of the most diverse in the entire country (from an architectural standpoint).
Whether you’re looking for more information about construction services offered in the PNW, or want to go beyond the basics for a specific service (e.g. plumbing or electrical work), this blog post is for you. In the following sections, we delve into the main types of construction services offered in the PNW, and how to choose the best one for your project’s specific needs.
Painting
No construction project, no matter how big or small, can truly be complete without an experienced painting company providing the finishing touches (whether it’s in the interior or exterior of the building). While some might gloss over who they pick as a painting company, it’s actually incredibly important to take this as seriously as any other hiring decision. Painters provide an immense level of value to each project they work on – which is why choosing a good painting company shouldn’t be taken lightly.
You should ideally hire a painting company that’s experienced, professional, and has a long list of happy clients. The PNW is known for being very friendly and personal. For example, Absolute Painting is a Portland Oregon painting company that prides itself on its personable, family-based culture and approach to business. That’s exactly the set of qualities that you should be looking for in a painting company.
Electrical Construction Work
“Electrical construction work” is a pretty broad term, because there are so many different types of projects that an electrical company can work on. For example, you could be working on a large-scale commercial high-rise one day, and then be doing residential work the next.
Ultimately, it depends on the specific company (in regards to the specific type of electrical services that they offer).
At the very least, you should be doing some basic vetting of whatever specific companies you’re interested in working with. Who are some of their past clients? What certifications do they hold? Are they in a union? Do they have the basic OSHA certifications? What about advanced certifications? In reality, these are the basic types of questions you should be asking before hiring any construction contracting company (not just electrical contractors).
Carpenters
Choosing the right carpentry company in the PNW can seem like a bit of a challenge at first. Like most other regions in the US, there’s no shortage of carpenters in the PNW. This means that finding one that’s experienced, well-respected, and provides quality service can be more challenging than it seems (especially for those unfamiliar with the trade in general).
There are three main areas to consider when looking for a carpentry company: quotes, experience, and reviews. Before you do anything, you should hop onto Google and do some basic research on the company you’re interested in hiring. What are the reviewers saying on Yelp and Google? Do they have positive reviews? Anything negative?
The other consideration you need to keep in mind and this applies to hiring any type of contractor (not just carpenters), is that you need to be aware of your budget constraints. Don’t go with a company that’s out of your budget (after all, there’s nothing that can stall a project faster than a depleted bank account).
Summary
While the above construction services are some of the major ones in the PNW, there are still quite a few other areas. However, the basics of choosing a construction company remain the same, no matter what particular niche that the company serves. You should be looking into that company’s reviews, their past clients, their quotes/quote process, and also their general experience.
