This Is Why You're Here
Why General Contractors Come to Us Instead of Their Bank
You're managing a $1.2M commercial build. Subs need $180K in deposits before breaking ground. The owner's first draw is 45 days out. Your bank wants you to put up your house.
Retainage is holding $95K across 4 active projects. That money is earned but locked for 60-90 days. Meanwhile, you have $60K in bills due this month.
You landed a public works project — $800K over 8 months. Bonding is covered but mobilization costs $120K. The agency pays on 60-day billing cycles.
Your electrician sub walked off a $500K tenant improvement job over a payment dispute. The replacement sub wants a $35K deposit to start Monday. The owner is threatening $2K/day in liquidated damages starting next week.
You want to acquire a retiring competitor's business — $400K including his equipment, contracts, and crew. Your bank approved $200K but you need the full amount to lock it down before another buyer steps in.
Had $95K in retainage locked up across 4 projects and $60K in bills due. Got a line of credit in 2 days that bridged the gap. Game changer.
Frank A., General Contractor, Austin, TX
General Contractor Financing
Get Your General Contractor Business Funded in 60 Seconds
Slide the calculator to see your estimated approval range. Then answer 3 quick questions to lock it in. No documents needed. Soft-pull pre-qual.
See What You Could Qualify For
Slide to your average monthly bank deposits.
Estimated Approval Range
Based on 100-150% of monthly revenue
Soft-pull pre-qual · No obligation · Estimate only
Built for Your Business
Why General Contractor Businesses Choose Basecamp
Retainage Is Revenue, Not a Loss
You've got $95K in retainage across 4 projects. Your bank sees a P&L loss. Our lenders see guaranteed receivables backed by signed contracts. We fund through retainage because we actually understand construction accounting.
Sub Deposits Before the First Draw
A $1.2M commercial build needs $180K in sub deposits before breaking ground. The owner's first draw is 45 days out. Your bank wants your house as collateral. We fund mobilization against your contracted revenue.
Bonding Capacity That Grows With You
Stuck at $500K bonding per project? A $200K working capital line improves your balance sheet liquidity. Your bonding company bumps you to $1M. Revenue doubles the next year. That's a $200K investment that unlocks $1.2M in growth.
Multi-Project Cash Flow Covered
Running 4 jobs means 4 sets of upfront costs, 4 draw schedules, and 4 retainage holdbacks — all hitting your account at different times. A revolving line smooths the chaos so you bid the next job instead of managing gaps.
Bobby's Take
Bobby's Playbook for General Contractor
Most general contractors walk into a bank and get evaluated against a 5-year operating-history checklist — not the active project backlog with $200K-$2M individual contracts they actually have right now. Lenders who specialize in general contractors look at the work in front of you, not the work behind you. They underwrite your sub-contractor pre-pays, owner-draw schedule, and bonding capacity. Here's how to position your transaction so the right specialists see it first.
Three things determine whether a general contractor transaction closes: project pipeline depth, owner and developer creditworthiness, and your bonding capacity. Not your personal FICO. Not your time in business. Specialist GC lenders care about whether your monthly draw revenue supports a $4,000-$8,000/month payment — and whether your bonding capacity proves you can take on the projects in your pipeline without your sub-contractor floats becoming the bottleneck.
The biggest mistake general contractors make: applying with sub-contractor receivables and progress billings reported in a way that obscures the project-level cash cycle. The lender can't see whether the operation is profitable per-project or running on float. The fix: produce a project-level summary showing committed projects with budgeted margin. Specialist GC lenders price documented projects as predictable. Generalist lenders see lumpy receivables and assume volatility.
crew billable time lost when a $1M project delays mobilization
Where this gets interesting at scale: a general contractor mobilizing on a $1M+ project doesn't need ONE loan. They need a working capital line for sub-contractor pre-pays and material deposits + invoice factoring on the owner's draw billings + a SBA 7(a) for permanent expansion + sometimes purchase order financing for bulk material pre-buys + bonding-line support for performance bonds. Five products, multiple lenders, one application — that's how mid-market GCs take on $5M-plus projects without their own reserves funding the owner's draw cycle.
The general contractors who scale fastest aren't the ones who waited for the owner to release the first draw before mobilizing. They're the ones who had financing in place to mobilize on the contract date and bill the first draw on time. Every week a $1M project is delayed in mobilization is $40,000-$80,000 in lost crew billable time. Run the numbers in 60 seconds — see what 70+ specialist lenders will offer your general contracting business this week.
Bottom line:
General contractors lose mobilization weeks to owners' draw cycles. The fix is project-level summaries that show committed margin — that's how a specialist prices documented projects as predictable.
Bobby Friel
Founder, Basecamp Funding
What You're Up Against
The Real Challenges General Contractors Face
Pricing Transparency
What General Contractor Funding Actually Costs
Rates and terms depend on credit, revenue, time in business, and lender. Every business is unique — see what 70+ lenders will offer you in 60 seconds. Soft-pull pre-qual.
These are industry averages. Your actual rate depends on your revenue, credit profile, and time in business — it could be lower. Run your specific numbers in 30 seconds.
Calculate Your Real Cost →Tax Strategy
Section 179 Breakdown for General Contractors
Finance the equipment. Keep your cash. Take the deduction. Your skid steer costs $39,000 after taxes and you never touched your reserves.
Bobby Friel
Founder, Basecamp Funding
How It Works
From Application to Funded in 5 Steps
No paperwork avalanche. No bank lobby. No guessing.
60-Second Intake
Tell us about your trade, current jobs, and bid pipeline. No bonding docs yet.
Soft Credit Screen
We screen options with zero impact to your FICO or bonding capacity.
Construction-Specialty Lenders Compete
70+ lenders who underwrite GCs, electricians, plumbers, and concrete contractors review your file in parallel.
One Specialist, Multiple Term Sheets
Your funding specialist walks through structures, draw schedules, and how each affects your bonding line.
Choose Your Offer, Sign, Get Funded
E-signature. Funds land in time to cover materials and crew before the first draw.
General Contractor Capital Uses
What General Contractor Businesses Use Funding For
Payroll & Operations
Bridge cash flow gaps. Keep crews paid when receivables run 30-60-90 days.
Job Mobilization
Fund upfront costs — materials, permits, equipment rental — before first draw.
Scale & Win Bigger Jobs
Take on larger contracts. Expand territories. Hire key staff.
AI & Technology
Drones, AI estimating, GPS fleet tracking, project management tools.
Equipment & Vehicles
Excavators, dump trucks, skid steers. Finance or lease — all established businesses.
Marketing & Branding
Truck wraps, websites, Google Ads. Build the brand that wins contracts.
Full Transparency
What Kills Your Qualification (And What Doesn't)
Most lenders won't tell you this upfront. We will.
✅ These Won't Stop You
These Can Be Deal-Breakers
Need commercial insurance for your general contractor business?
Your lender will require proof of general liability and workers' comp before funding equipment over $50K. Our sister company InsuranceService365.com binds contractor policies same-day across 29 states — so insurance never holds up your funding.
Don't Wait Until You Need Funding to Get Funded
GC payments are net-30/45/60 by industry default. The contractors who win on price are the ones with capital to mobilize before the first draw. The contractors who win on schedule funded BEFORE the job started — not after the supplier called about a past-due invoice. Pre-qualify when the bid pipeline is steady.
Ready?
See What Your General Contractor Business Qualifies For
Slide the calculator, answer 3 questions, and a specialist pulls your options within the hour.
See What You Could Qualify For
Slide to your average monthly bank deposits.
Estimated Approval Range
Based on 100-150% of monthly revenue
Soft-pull pre-qual · No obligation · Estimate only
Other Contractors Specialties We Fund
Click any specialty for tailored financing options.
Recommended Products
Recommended Funding for General Contractor Businesses
Working Capital
Bridge payroll and materials between draw payments. Fund in 24 hours.
Learn More →Equipment Financing
Finance excavators, trucks, and tools — the equipment is the collateral.
Learn More →Business Line of Credit
Draw for materials when you need them, repay when the GC pays.
Learn More →Invoice Factoring
Convert 30-90 day receivables into same-day cash.
Learn More →FAQs
General Contractor Business Loan FAQs
General Contractor Loans — $10K to $20M+
Look — you've got $95K in retainage locked across 4 jobs, $180K in sub deposits due before ground-breaking, and your bank is telling you your P&L shows a loss. Of course it does — retainage isn't recognized as revenue until release. But try explaining construction accounting to a banker who's never seen a draw schedule. I talk to GCs every week who are stuck in this exact trap.
We fund general contractors — residential, commercial, design-build, construction management — in as little as 24 hours. One application. 70+ lenders. Soft-pull pre-qual. I've funded $180K sub deposit packages, $120K retainage bridge lines, $200K bonding capacity improvements, and $2M project mobilization facilities. If you're turning down a $800K public works project because you can't mobilize $120K, that's not a cash problem — it's a banking problem. And we fix it fast.
Stop Letting Slow GC Draws Park Your Crew. Get Your General Contractor Business Funded Today.
60 seconds. Soft-pull pre-qual. No obligation.
See What You Qualify For →Soft-pull pre-qual · Free to check · Nationwide