Timeline for Self Contracting?
tammyte
10 years ago
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gabbythecat
10 years agotammyte
10 years agoRelated Discussions
1st Time Self-Contracting -- modified FB Ambrose/Sullivan
Comments (13)Well, I'll be the first to tell you that I am very ignorant of the building process :o). But, fortunately, my husband isn't. Although green, he's been doing research 'off and on' for a couple of years and very much so 'on' in the last six months. We also did a complete home remodel in the house we just sold - while we lived there!! What an education! We did not GC that project, but it was a nice tiny springboard to this (or so we think). DH is an engineer by trade so he actually enjoys the details. I am also trying to educate myself about the hammer and nail portion of building (though seriously uninteresting). I am much more intrigued by the 'inside' lipstick portion of building :o). The subs we have lined up have been much easier to work with than we anticipated (that being everyone's first horror story they give you) -- now I'll confirm or deny that statement here in about a month :o). Our framer has been a wealth of information and even told my DH that he was impressed at how much he knew about the building process. He is certainly a good student. There again, his boss is building right now, set to be in by Labor Day, so he has been funneling the 'good' subs our way and has been very helpful in the 1,2,3s of the process. I appreciate the comments and encouragement, I know that you guys know what you are talking about. Thanks for that link sierraeast - i'll send that to DH pronto!...See MoreDoes anyone have a checklist/timeline?
Comments (5)I'm printing worthy's post because I, too, am a planner. I can see that although worthy gave us the sequence and some timelines, it still has to be adjusted for your own builder's total construction schedule. I can't find a printed schedule. I can find construction timelines in books, but I can't find a printed homeowner's selections timeline. The only thing I've seen is from a book titled Build Your New House in No Time, by Lon S. Safko. A good book, BTW. Buy it and you go to his website and get registered so you can do downloads of all his forms. He says in Ch. 10 that you should ask your builder to give you both a select sheet and a construction schedule. Using them together you can see when to give your builder what info. He has downloads for both documents but I don't see that it tells you the critical info. of when each selection is needed from you. Best I can figure it, each builder has a rough weeks-to-completion timeline. You have to ask him what decisions he needs from you by what date. I'm in the dark, too....See MoreContract / Off-Contract - Bait and Switch
Comments (13)I would be leary of anyone who had dinner and prayed with the family. Many people use religion to take advantage of others. People think, oooh they are Christian so they will treat me right. This is what they are counting on. I would have run away from that PB. I also had a budget for my pool that I needed to stick to. My PB figured out the costs after getting prices on everything. He told me that they mark up screened enclosures, solar heating, etc. I paid for these items separately, but he arranged for his usual subcontractors to come out so I would pay the PB price, not negotiate on my own. As for the actual pool, none of that could be contracted out. The PB needs to know what's going on since the entire build reflects on his company....See MoreBooks on Self-Contracting
Comments (9)Sure, it's possible to self GC, but it will take a lot more time to do, and you really won't save that much money overall. The research that needs to go into this really cannot be accomplished by a novice in 5 months time, even with devoting full time to it. If you were talking 2016, then yes, you might be better prepared. But, I guess part of the fun for many owner builders is jumping off the high dive and not knowing the depth of the water. I self GC'd a major home addition that took forever, and I've got building experience and contacts in the trade. Didn't matter. Still took forever. Nevertheless, the best book that anyone can recomend is What Your Contractor Can't Tell You, by Amy Johnston. This IS a full time job, and you won't know what you don't know until the time for that decision is past, and you made the wrong decision. So, you'll spend some time correcting mistakes. Whether that's more or less mistakes than you'd have with a builder, that depends on the choice of builder. A good builder adds value to the equation. You don't have to spend every waking moment focused on the small details of the build. You can just focus on the bigger picture. If you don't have construction experience, and the ability to do quality control, and some existing relationships with some trades, it becomes that much harder. Construction has really picked up, prices have gone up, and if a sub is available quickly, it probably means you don't want to use him. The good ones are scheduled out about 2-3 months right now. That's going to be your most difficult challenge. Subs do not like working for owner builders because of the lack of construction knowledge and sequencing, and they do not give them their best bids. They reserve those for the contractors who give them repeat business, and who won't have them backtracking or performing another trades's job just so they can get started on theirs. Good luck with that high dive! The water is colder and more dangerous than you know right now. :) Here is a link that might be useful: What Your Contractor Can't Tell You This post was edited by GreenDesigns on Thu, Jan 15, 15 at 10:02...See Moregabbythecat
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