When to Contact Each Trade on a Construction Project
Every trade package on a construction project is bought in a window, and that window is never when the work is performed. It is usually well before, which is why so much construction outreach arrives at a decision that was made weeks or months earlier.
The same four steps, whether the buyer is a builder, a designer, an owner or a company you want to acquire.
The gap between bought and built
Painting happens near the end of a build and is bought while drywall is going up. Cabinetry is installed in the last weeks and ordered at framing. Concrete is poured first and committed before the site is cleared. In every case the visible signal on site lags the buying decision, and a contractor who prospects on what they can see is systematically late.
Pick a trade to see when its package is decided
Build progress, left to right. The highlighted band is when that package is decided, not when it is installed.
The five stages, and what percentage of the build each represents
| Stage | Roughly how far through | Packages being decided |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation | 5 to 10 percent | Excavation, concrete, shoring, servicing |
| Foundation | 15 to 20 percent | Framing, windows and doors, underground plumbing |
| Framing | 30 to 40 percent | Roofing, masonry veneer, mechanical, electrical, cabinetry, solar |
| Sub-trades | 55 to 70 percent | Drywall, tile and flooring, painting, landscape |
| Finishing | 80 to 90 percent | Final fixtures, exterior finishing, closeout |
The framing row is the busiest, and it is why framing is the single most valuable stage to watch. A project at framing has five or six packages open at once, which means five or six different trades are all making the same call that week.
Three rules that follow from this
- Filter on stage, not on activity. Site activity tells you the work started. Stage tells you which decisions are still open.
- The earlier your trade, the more you depend on records. Concrete and excavation have no visible warning at all, so the permit record is the only source that arrives in time.
- A late project is not a dead project. It is an introduction to a builder whose next job is already in planning. Ask what else they have permitted.
Why stage data is hard to get and worth having
A permit tells you a project was approved. It does not tell you where the build has got to, and the answer changes every week. Builtie infers stage from the pattern of records on a project, from what is publicly posted about it, and from field checks on the projects that matter. That inference is what turns a permit list into something a trade contractor can act on, and it is the field everything else on this page depends on.
Coverage is North America wide and deepest in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, because permit data quality is set by what each municipality publishes rather than by any platform. Ask for live sample projects in your own city before you commit to anything, ours included.
Builtie plans start at $550 per month per seat for 50 matched projects a month, and $880 for 200. Every plan includes done-for-you LinkedIn and email outreach, and there is a 7-day free trial with 10 projects so you can see your own territory before paying.
Frequently asked questions
When is each trade decided on a construction project?
Excavation and concrete before the site is cleared; framing and windows at foundation; roofing, mechanical, electrical, masonry and cabinetry during framing; drywall, flooring and painting during sub-trades; landscape between sub-trades and finishing. In every case the decision comes well before the work.
Which build stage is the most valuable to watch?
Framing. Five or six packages are decided during it, including roofing, mechanical, electrical, masonry veneer and cabinetry, which makes it the busiest buying window on the job.
How do I know what stage a project is at?
It has to be inferred, because a permit only tells you a project was approved. Builtie infers stage from the pattern of records on a project, what is posted publicly about it, and field checks on the projects that matter.
What if my trade is bought before anything is visible?
Then the permit and planning record is your only source that arrives in time. For concrete and excavation there is no visible signal at all, because the visible signal is a competitor already working.
Is it worth contacting a builder whose project is past my window?
Yes, as an introduction rather than a bid. Builders repeat, so the useful question is what else they have permitted rather than whether this package is still open.