Insurance Services for General & Trade Contractors

One Job Site, Many Trades, One Policy That Actually Fits

General and trade contractors sit in a different position than most businesses. A general contractor is coordinating a job, but they're also carrying risk for work they didn't personally do. A trade contractor, whether electrical, plumbing, HVAC, drywall, or roofing, is often working inside someone else's project, under someone else's schedule, with liability that follows the work long after the job is finished.

That layered structure is exactly what makes contractor insurance harder to get right than people expect. A policy written for a single trade doesn't always account for what happens when that trade is one piece of a much bigger project. And a policy written broadly for construction doesn't always capture what makes a specific trade unique. Coldbrook Insurance Group has spent years working with general contractors and trade specialists across West Michigan, and we've learned that the right coverage usually sits somewhere between those two extremes.

We don't start with a generic contractor package and hope it fits. We start with a conversation about what you actually do, who you subcontract with, what kind of projects you take on, and where your liability realistically shows up. From there, we build coverage around your operation, not a template.

As an independent agency, we're not tied to one carrier's version of a contractor policy. We shop your risk across our network of carriers, several of which specialize in different trades and project types, to find the combination of coverage and pricing that actually reflects your business. And once the policy is in place, we stay involved. Renewal season shouldn't be the only time you hear from your agent.

Coverage Built for General and Trade Contractors

Broad Core Coverage

• General liability insurance
• Commercial property insurance
• Commercial auto for trucks, vans, and trailers
• Workers' compensation
• Umbrella liability
• Builders risk insurance for projects under construction
• Errors & Omissions
• Crime, Cyber & Management Liability

Contractor Specific Protection

• Inland marine coverage for tools and equipment that travel between job sites
• Contractors equipment coverage, including rented or leased machinery
• Subcontractor default protection and management of additional insured requirements
• Completed operations coverage, protecting against claims that surface after a project is finished and the crew has moved on
• Errors and omissions coverage for design build work or trades where a mistake in specification or installation could create liability beyond simple property damage
• Surety and performance bonds, often required before a contractor can even bid certain jobs

Cost Control

• Competitive rates shopped across multiple carriers rather than a single default option
• Savings tied to documented jobsite safety programs and OSHA compliance
• Loss control and claims support that moves quickly, so a claim doesn't sit open longer than it needs to

Risks That Are Easy to Overlook

General contractors carry risk for work they didn't personally perform. When a sub's insurance lapses, excludes a claim, or simply isn't enough, the general contractor is often the one left exposed. Certificate tracking and additional insured requirements sound like paperwork until the moment they aren't.

Trade contractors face liability that outlasts the job. An electrical or plumbing issue that surfaces a year after installation can still trace back to the contractor who did the work. Completed operations coverage exists for exactly this reason, and it's one of the more commonly underinsured areas we see.

Multiple trades under one roof create licensing complexity. A contracting business that has grown to cover several trades, or that operates across state lines, often needs coverage structured around each license and each scope of work, not a single blanket assumption.

Equipment doesn't stay in one place. Tools and machinery moving between job sites are frequent theft and damage targets, and a standard property policy generally doesn't follow equipment once it leaves your shop the way inland marine coverage does.

Builders risk gets underestimated on smaller projects. Owners sometimes assume a project is "too small" to need standalone builders risk coverage, but a structure that isn't finished yet is exposed to fire, weather, theft, and vandalism in ways a completed building simply isn't.

Why Work With an Independent Agency

Coldbrook is independently owned. Not a franchise, and not part of a national conglomerate that's acquired a string of local agencies. For a general or trade contractor, that means:

• We're not tied to one carrier. We shop your risk across multiple companies to find the right fit for your trade, your crew size, and your project types.
• You get a real point of contact, not a call center, when you have a question about your policy or need to file a claim.
• We're licensed in 48 states, so if you're bidding work or expanding into new markets, we can still cover you without a handoff to another agency.
• We're West Michigan based and understand the pace and demands of the construction and trades market this region runs on.

Claims, Handled the Way They Should Be

If equipment is damaged, a crew member is hurt, or an issue surfaces on a completed job, you call your Coldbrook contact directly. We handle fast intake, loop in the adjuster when it helps, and keep you informed on next steps and timelines, so you can stay focused on the work instead of chasing down claim status.

Get a Quote for Your Contracting Business

Whether you're a single trade specialist or a general contractor managing multiple subs across several active projects, we'll build coverage around how your business actually operates.