Timeline for "contractor" vs. "construction company"
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
12 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 10, 2019 at 1:20 | answer | added | BoldBen | timeline score: -1 | |
| Jul 9, 2019 at 21:15 | answer | added | steven_s | timeline score: 1 | |
| Mar 30, 2016 at 16:26 | vote | accept | Mathias Conradt | ||
| Mar 30, 2016 at 13:28 | comment | added | Lambie | I think that a very useful distinction is to say that a construction company builds things. That said, any company can be a contractor. Contracting is a function, not a type of company. "We hire trades people for construction projects. We are contractors [function] in this segment". So, in a directory you would list Construction company. Of course, most construction companies are contractors since they do not keep workers permanently on their payrolls.....Mathias: in the directory, not on. :) | |
| Mar 30, 2016 at 11:37 | comment | added | Colin Fine | @MathiasConradt: Yes, Iwould qualify it. | |
| Mar 30, 2016 at 11:23 | answer | added | user167084 | timeline score: 1 | |
| Mar 30, 2016 at 10:59 | comment | added | Mathias Conradt | @ColinFine Ok. So assuming I would want to make an entry in a company directory where all kind of companies are listed, let's say LinkedIn, I should use "construction companies" or "building companies" rather than "contractors" since on such directory, there is no specific context / industry context given. | |
| Mar 30, 2016 at 10:58 | comment | added | John Clifford | I think it originally meant independent construction workers and was later expanded to mean people in any service, but I could be wrong. That, and Google Translate isn't exactly the most reliable service on the planet. | |
| Mar 30, 2016 at 10:56 | comment | added | Mathias Conradt | @JohnClifford Yes, that would also be my understanding from a logical perspective, since the word is derived from "contract" in general. Therefore wondering why Google translates it to "Construction company" in German without having given any context about construction/building business. | |
| Mar 30, 2016 at 10:55 | comment | added | Colin Fine | For the same reason that "operation" (and, now, "procedure") often means "medical procedure". It depends hugely on context, but if there is no relevant context then "medical" is assumed for "operation", and "building" for "contractor". (Actually, I think the latter is much less so in BrE than AmE. We are also more likely to say "building" than "construction"). | |
| Mar 30, 2016 at 10:54 | comment | added | John Clifford | A construction company specifically works in creating buildings/architecture, whereas a contractor is any individual working independently but hired by a company to do some work. For example, I'm a contractor working for a local games studio but I'm not a construction company. | |
| Mar 30, 2016 at 10:49 | history | asked | Mathias Conradt | CC BY-SA 3.0 |