Contractor financing covers the costs construction firms carry before they are paid: materials, payroll, equipment and the gap created by draws and retainage. Aspenwater Credit, a small-business funding broker in Dover, Delaware, matches Kent County contractors to working capital, lines of credit or equipment financing and introduces requests to lending partners, which decide and set terms.
| Kent County, DE construction employers | 385 in 2023 (Census CBP) |
|---|---|
| Under five employees | 265 of them (68.8%) |
| Specialty trade contractors | 265 employer establishments |
| No-employee construction firms | 1,431 in 2024 (Census NES) |
| Residential units permitted | 1,105 (2023), 1,201 (2024), 1,261 (2025) |
| Who decides | A lending partner; Aspenwater Credit arranges only |
Kent County, DE construction in numbers
Kent County had 385 construction employer establishments in 2023. They employed 2,481 people and paid $169.1 million in annual payroll, and 68.8 percent had fewer than five employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023). Specialty trade contractors, the electricians, plumbers, roofers, framers and finishers, made up 265 of the 385 and paid $110.4 million of that payroll; firms that construct buildings accounted for another 100.
Behind those employers sits a much larger group of owner-operators: 1,431 construction businesses in the county had no paid employees in 2024, including 954 specialty trade contractors (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024). Those totals come from separate Census programs and years, so they stay separate here.
Demand has been steady on the residential side. New housing units authorized by building permits in Kent County went from 1,105 in 2023 to 1,201 in 2024 and 1,261 in 2025, and 1,030 of the 2025 units were single-unit homes (U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey).
Why contractors run short even when busy
Most construction cash problems are timing problems. A contractor buys materials and meets payroll as the work happens, but is paid by draw, on completion or after inspection. Retainage can hold back part of every payment until the end of the project. A firm with a full schedule can be shorter of cash than one with no work at all, because every new job adds costs before it adds income.
Sizing a job's cash gap by hand
Before asking anyone for money, put the job on one page. No calculator on this site does this; a sheet of paper does:
- List each week of the job and the payroll and materials due that week.
- Mark the weeks when each draw is expected, net of any retainage held back.
- Run a cumulative total: costs out minus draws in, week by week.
- The deepest point of that running total is the gap you actually need to cover.
Requests built this way are smaller and easier to review than a round number, and they show a partner exactly when the money comes back.
Construction company working capital
Working capital financing suits a gap tied to one job or one season: payroll and materials for a large project whose first draw is weeks away. It comes as a lump sum and is repaid in fixed installments, so it works well when you can point to the payment that will retire it.
Partners reviewing a contractor's request usually ask for the contract or schedule of values, the draw schedule, recent bank statements and a list of jobs in progress. A clean job list, showing contract amount, billed to date and expected payment dates, does more for a request than any explanation.
A contractor or construction line of credit
If gaps come with every job rather than once a year, a business line of credit may fit better. You draw for materials or payroll as each job starts and pay it down as draws come in, paying interest only on what is out. Ask about the draw period, renewal, and any fees on the unused limit.
A line is not a substitute for pricing. If the line never comes back down, jobs are probably priced below cost or change orders are not being billed.
How to finance construction equipment
Equipment financing covers excavators, skid steers, compact track loaders, trailers, lifts and tools, new or used. The machine secures the agreement, and the term should match its working life. Used equipment gets a closer look at hours, age and resale value.
How long to finance a machine, and what a balloon or residual does to the real cost, is explained in heavy equipment financing terms for Kent County contractors. Aspenwater Credit does not arrange trucking or fleet financing.
Financing for government contractors
Public-sector jobs bring their own timing. Payment often follows inspection and approval of each pay application, schedules are fixed by the contract, and retainage is common. That can make the gap longer and more predictable at the same time, which suits working capital or a line sized to the payment calendar. Partners will want the contract and the payment terms.
What partners look for in a construction file
- A current job list with contract values, billing to date and expected payments
- Recent business bank statements
- Accounts receivable and payable aging, if you keep them
- Existing equipment loans, lines and advances
- Proof that state and any local registrations are current
Kent County business figures are on the local business profile, and other sectors on the industry overview.
By Aspenwater Credit · Updated