Everwick Lending Group, a small-business funding service in Pontiac, Michigan, explains construction business loans for Oakland County contractors: credit lines for materials and payroll, construction and heavy equipment financing, how equipment terms are set, plumbing and HVAC contractors, and buying an existing contracting business, with County Business Patterns figures.
At a glance
- Construction employers, Oakland County, MI
2,877 establishments, 31,799 employees (CBP 2023)
- Construction businesses without payroll
9,999 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024)
- New housing units permitted, 2025
2,023 (Building Permits Survey)
Residential, Commercial and Specialty Contractors Counted in Oakland County, MI
| Business type | Employers (CBP 2023) | Employees | Annual payroll | Under 5 employees | Without payroll (NES 2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential building construction | 760 | 3,520 | $310.5 million | 79.2% | 2,690 |
| Nonresidential building construction | 245 | 6,414 | $648.4 million | 55.1% | 329 |
| Plumbing, heating and AC contractors | 370 | 4,998 | $419.8 million | 52.4% | 555 |
| Electrical contractors | 274 | 4,405 | $413.2 million | 48.5% | 407 |
| Building finishing contractors | 466 | 3,206 | $204.9 million | 69.3% | 3,132 |
| Roofing contractors | 70 | 1,015 | $84.1 million | 61.4% | 916 |
The construction sector as a whole paid $2,982.6 million to 31,799 employees in 2023, about $93,795 per employee (our arithmetic from Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). Nonemployer construction businesses reported $908.2 million in receipts in 2024, about $90,826 each on average (our arithmetic from Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024).
Contractor Business Loans for Owners Around Pontiac, MI
A contractor's money moves in a set order: buy materials, pay the crew, bill the owner or general contractor, wait for payment, and wait again for retainage at the end. Contractor business loans fill the gap between the first two steps and the last two. A revolving line of credit fits that pattern because the gap repeats on every job.
Illustration only, invented figures: a subcontractor bills $120,000 on a job with 10% retainage, so $12,000 is held back until the project closes. In this invented example the $12,000 is money already earned but not in the account, and a line of credit can carry payroll until it arrives.
Construction Equipment Financing for Owners Around Pontiac, MI
Construction equipment financing covers the machines a crew uses on every job: skid steers, compact track loaders, mini excavators, aerial lifts, trailers and work trucks. The machine secures the loan. Partners read the vendor quote, the contractor's work in hand and its existing equipment payments. The equipment financing page has a construction section with the loan-versus-lease comparison.
Oakland County saw 2,023 new housing units authorized by building permits in 2025, after 2,886 in 2024 (Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey); a contractor can show its own permits pulled and contracts signed as evidence of work ahead.
Heavy Equipment Financing in Pontiac, MI
Heavy equipment financing covers larger machines: full-size excavators, wheel loaders, dozers, dump trucks and cranes. Used machines are financed as well, with the year, hours and service records read closely because they set the resale value that backs the loan. A partner may ask for an inspection or an appraisal on older units.
Illustration only, invented figures: $140,000 for a used excavator at a 9.5% annual rate over 60 months gives a payment of about $2,940. In this invented example the contractor sets that payment against the billable hours the machine adds each month.
Heavy Equipment Financing Terms for Oakland County, MI Businesses
No standard term can be quoted. A partner sets the term from the machine's age and expected life, its resale market, the contractor's cash flow and the size of any down payment. Newer machines with strong resale markets can carry longer terms; older units carry shorter ones. Some agreements match payments to the contractor's billing pattern with reduced months; ask whether that is offered before you compare totals.
- The machine's year, hours and serial number
- Whether the price includes delivery and attachments
- End-of-term terms for a lease
- Any balloon payment
- The total paid over the full term
Plumbing Contractor Business Loans for Owners Around Pontiac, MI
Plumbing, heating and air conditioning contractors had 370 employer establishments in Oakland County in 2023, with 4,998 employees and $419.8 million in payroll (Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). Their purposes: service vans and their shelving, pipe threaders, drain cameras and jetters, equipment bought before a job is billed, and payroll between progress payments. Service work paid on completion and new construction paid in draws can sit in the same business, with two different cash cycles.
Working capital for materials and crews in Oakland County, MI
Materials are bought before they are billed, and crews are paid every week whether the owner has paid or not. Working capital covers one gap with a known end, such as a large materials order for a single job; a line of credit covers the gaps that come back. Supplier credit terms can stretch the cycle too, so compare them with any funding offer.
Buying an existing contracting business near Pontiac, MI
Buying a contractor means buying its licenses, crew, equipment, customer list and open contracts. A term loan can fund the purchase; the partner reads the seller's tax returns, the equipment list with values, the backlog of signed work and the buyer's own trade experience. Licenses held by an individual may not transfer with the business.
Records a partner reads for a Pontiac, MI contractor
- Business bank statements showing deposits from owners and general contractors
- Last two years of business tax returns
- Work-in-progress schedule and backlog of signed contracts
- Receivables aging, including retainage held
- Equipment list with any existing liens
- Proof of the trade license and insurance
Contractor funding beside other Oakland County, MI trades
Landscaping crews share the equipment pattern; see the landscaping equipment financing page. The machine shop loans page covers fabricators who supply builders. The Pontiac, MI business data page has the county figures, and the industry pages list the rest.
By Everwick Lending Group · Updated