General Contractor Services in Louisville, KY
Most Louisville homeowners hire the wrong specialty trade. They want a back patio, a basement finished, or a deck added — and they call a single-trade contractor who only does one piece of the job. Then dirt work falls to one crew, concrete to another, framing to a third, and three months in nobody owns the schedule. The job stalls, the bill creeps up, and nobody picks up the phone.
Why General Contractor Work Is Different in Kentucky
Most Louisville homeowners hire the wrong specialty trade. They want a back patio, a basement finished, or a deck added — and they call a single-trade contractor who only does one piece of the job. Then dirt work falls to one crew, concrete to another, framing to a third, and three months in nobody owns the schedule. The job stalls, the bill creeps up, and nobody picks up the phone. We're Eric and Jerry Orm, and we run E & J General Contracting in Louisville the way a general contractor is supposed to run: one written quote, one schedule, one crew responsible for the result. We self-perform concrete, excavation, grading, demolition, decks, pergolas, patios, and site prep. We bring in licensed plumbers and electricians only when the scope calls for them. After 20+ years, that's still the difference our customers tell us they hired us for.
Who Hires Us for General Contractor Work
Homeowners adding an addition, a detached garage, or a backyard build that touches dirt, concrete, and framing all in one job. Folks tearing down an old structure and building something new — and who don't want to manage three different contractors. Property owners with a project where the dirt work, the foundation, and the framing all need to talk to each other. Builders and developers also hire us for residential construction services and new construction site prep — full lots cleared, graded, padded, and utility-stubbed before the framers show up. Commercial property owners hire us for site prep, erosion control construction, parking-lot subgrade, dumpster pads, ADA sidewalks, and small office or church building pads. If you've got a project with more than one trade involved, you probably need a general contractor — not three specialists.
What We Do
New Construction Site Prep
Full residential or small commercial site prep — clearing, topsoil strip, cut/fill to engineered subgrade, compaction in lifts, storm and silt fence install, driveway base for construction access, and utility trenching with stubs. Building-pad ready when we leave. Builders call us because we don't hold up the framers. Typical residential building-pad prep runs $6,000-$15,000.
Residential Construction Services
Additions, detached garages, walkout basements, and full outdoor living builds. We self-perform dirt work, concrete, framing, decks, and hardscape. We bring in licensed plumbers, electricians, HVAC, and roofers only when the scope calls for them. One quote, one schedule, one accountable crew.
Commercial Projects
Small commercial site prep, dumpster pads, ADA sidewalks, parking-lot subgrade, building pads for offices, churches, light industrial, and shop buildings. We coordinate with engineers, architects, and inspectors and pull permits through Jefferson County and the surrounding counties.
Deck Construction
Custom decks built on real concrete pier footings dug below the 30-inch Kentucky frost line. Pressure-treated, cedar, or composite (Trex, TimberTech, Azek). Pressure-treated runs $35-$50 per square foot installed; composite runs $55-$85. Permit pulling and inspection coordination always included.
Pergola Construction
Cedar, pressure-treated, and aluminum pergolas — freestanding or attached. Real concrete footings, through-bolted beam connections, and stainless or hot-dip hardware. A standard 12x12 cedar pergola runs $5,500-$9,500 installed. Aluminum louvered pergolas (StruXure-style) run $12,000-$25,000+.
Grading & Site Prep
Rough grading, finish grading, drainage correction, lot leveling, and building-pad work. Most wet-basement and washout calls trace back to bad grading. Code minimum is 6 inches of fall in the first 10 feet from the foundation — we aim for that or better. Small lot regrades run $1,500-$5,000; full lot rough grading on a quarter acre runs $3,000-$8,000.
Erosion Control Construction
Silt fence, straw wattle, rock check dams, construction entrances, and SWPPP compliance for new construction sites. Required by Jefferson County and most surrounding jurisdictions before vertical construction starts. We install per the SWPPP and maintain through the build.
Where We Work
We run general contractor projects across Louisville and the surrounding KY counties. Inside Jefferson County we work the Highlands, St. Matthews, Prospect, Anchorage, Crescent Hill, Middletown, Jeffersontown, Fern Creek, and Lyndon. Most of our additions, detached garages, and full outdoor living builds run through these neighborhoods. Outside Louisville we handle site prep and residential construction services in Shepherdsville and Mount Washington (Bullitt County), Bardstown and Cox's Creek (Nelson County), and Elizabethtown (Hardin County). Builders and developers in the Bullitt I-65 corridor and the Hardin/E-town growth areas hire us regularly for new construction site prep and erosion control.
Related Services
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a general contractor in Louisville actually do?
A general contractor runs the whole job from start to finish — schedules trades, pulls permits, coordinates inspections, and is responsible for the result. We self-perform concrete, excavation, grading, demolition, decks, and outdoor living, then bring in licensed specialty trades only when the scope calls for them. One written quote, one schedule, one accountable crew.
How much do general contractor services cost in Louisville?
Every project is different. Site prep runs $6,000-$15,000 for a residential building pad. Decks run $11,000-$25,000+. Outdoor living builds run $25,000-$80,000+. Additions and detached garages start around $40,000 and scale with size and finish. Every quote is written and itemized.
How long does a typical general contractor project take?
Site prep is 3-7 working days on a clean lot. A custom deck is 5-10 working days. A full outdoor living build runs 2-6 weeks. Additions and detached garages run 8-16 weeks depending on size, finish, and weather. We give realistic timelines in writing — not best-case promises.
Are you licensed and insured for general contracting in Kentucky?
Yes. E & J General Contracting is licensed and insured in Kentucky. We carry general liability and workers' comp, and we'll hand you proof of both before any work starts. Specialty trades we bring in are independently licensed and insured — we verify before they touch the job.
Do you handle permits and inspections?
Yes. We pull permits through Jefferson County (Develop Louisville), Bullitt, Nelson, and Hardin counties, coordinate with MSD on storm and sanitary tie-ins, and schedule inspections. Permit costs are itemized in your quote — no markup, no surprise.
Do you do residential and commercial work?
Both. Most of what we do is residential construction services — additions, garages, decks, outdoor living, foundations. We also handle small commercial projects: site prep, dumpster pads, ADA sidewalks, parking-lot subgrade, and building pads for offices, churches, and light industrial across the Louisville metro.
What areas do you serve?
Louisville and all of Jefferson County, plus Bullitt County (Shepherdsville, Mount Washington), Nelson County (Bardstown, Cox's Creek), and Hardin County (Elizabethtown). Inside Louisville we work the Highlands, St. Matthews, Prospect, Anchorage, Crescent Hill, Middletown, Jeffersontown, Fern Creek, and Lyndon often.
How do I get a free general contractor estimate?
Call Eric at 502-498-3173 or fill out the free estimate form. We walk the project, talk through scope, identify the trades involved, and hand you a written, itemized quote — usually within 48 hours of your call. The estimate is free and you're not committed to anything.