You need to know what you want, where it's going and the sequence of the steps involved to get it there.
Being a SAHM I know you can multitask, but this will be mulitasking in another language, construction.
Are there permits and plans involved? Plumbing, framing, insulation, foundation and electrical inspections involved?
Do you have the Subs lined up? Finish products picked out?
It sounds like the process has started. How far along?
Ron

Hi - there are permits involved (I've made very good "friends" with the Building Inspector who has taken me under his wing and going to expedite the permit process - we're in a small town which helps - very little bureaucracy). There is structural work - the engineered drawings will be ready Tuesday. My husband is an engineer as well which really helps with the understanding of the structural work.

We have a window guy, the kitchens are ordered and will be installed, we have a lot of great electricians through my husband's work.

We are asking around for a carpenter. My husband will do the beam and header work himself.

I am feeling very confident about the work-part and hiring of the subs.

What I wonder about is the day-to-day part. Many of the subs we will hire are people that I really enjoy spending time with and trust, so there is that in our favour.

The process has not yet started. It can start any time. Just need to hire the first step which is the structural and drywall work.

Any thoughts on what it's like day-to-day? Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Cheryl

"What I wonder about is the day-to-day part."
I don't understand the question. Scheduling?
Basically you hire them. You get a rough estimate how long it will take to their part of the job and what lead time they need to show up when you need them. As the GC, you have a master schedule of who is going to do what, when. More of a sequence then a schedule, due to the quixotic nature of the job. You just need to be flexible and be available for decisions that will need to be made.
Ron

bad idea.....you don't have the time or experience to do this well. I have been looking at lots of real estate lately and have come across so many projects like you are describing where the homeowner thought they had the "knowledge" to do this. They are usually half done, and the half that is finished is poorly executed. If this was easy, there wouldn't be thousands of GC's all over the country.....Find a good GC and proceed, you will be happier in the end.

Bellamay - why do you question that I don't have the time or the experience? Those are 2 things I have in abundance...

We're engineers, I'm home full time and my husband works for himself, with the ability to take as much time off as needed...

Being an engineer doesn't mean you have the qualifications of a lowly, uneducated, working class GC. That's not to say that you can't do it either. But going into it with the view that it must be easy because your an "engineer" is starting off with a total misconception.
I'm not going to tell you off for coming accross as condescending but I do think that by the time your project is complete you have a new respect for the GC's out there.
If you do end up hiring a GC make sure to get one who's recommended by someone you know and trust. And rememember, in construction you usually get what you pay for- at least at the bottom of the dollar end.

Kinda side with buzzo7. You may be very knowledgeable in engineering and be quite capable of GCing this project. I build decks and my supplier is fairly knowledgeable in his product. However, I wouldn't let him build a deck in a million years. He gives me suggestions sometimes on how to do it one way and I just laugh. He just doesn't know all the little details involved in the building of one, such as fasteners, footings, codes, long term effects of building it one way versus another, etc. You may get into the project and one of the subs has a question about something in which you might not have a clue about, (we can't know everything) and it could be very intimidating, let alone make you feel stupid.
Good luck.

Since you are looking for a carpenter, your time would be better spent finding a GC who will do the carpentry work. If you have never done anything like this before, you could educate yourself about construction and work at being your own GC, but situations will inevitably arise which will have to be addressed. The knowledge and experience of a seasoned GC will enable him/her to eliminate some problems before they happen and resolve the ones that pop up. Ask everyone you know for referrals and check previous work and customers before you SIGN A CONTRACT. If you are there during the process, you can watch and learn and tackle the next project. Good Luck.

If you have a feel for the business end, scheduling, pre-planning,etc., you might consider seeking out a trades person who has experience in many trades and knowledge of the physical building/remodeling process to be your "hammer". Someone that knows the steps that make a project smooth that can take care of the unknowns that often crop up on a project. A hands on "jack of all trades" to take care of the "mechanicals". You will still have to sub out a licensed electrician and possibly plumber if required in your area, but a hands on rough/finish carpenter that can drywall, run flooring, and most improtantly do an initial clean demo knowing the ins and outs could prove invaluable.

A kid building a fort out of a cardboard box is an "engineer"!

Sierra - that was the hope - we won't be doing much of the actual work ourselves - we will be subbing everything out. What we have the skillset to do is to oversee the project, stick to timelines, understand the requirements and ensure everything is being done properly.

My husband and I rebuilt an entire cottage 2 years ago completely on our own and learned a ton as we went along, so we have enough of an understanding of construction, electrical etc. to work with the trades and defer to their expertise.

Buzoo - I don't appreciate your comments and will just completely ignore them. No need to respond. It is not an "us vs. them" mentality. Sorry you feel this way.

I will return to the kitchens forum where I got a ton of helpful advice in this area, without people feeling I was being condescending....

You can learn a lot from the cottage rebuild and put some of the negatives of that project into positives this time around. Remodeling is a different world than new work w/ many surprises from unknowns behind the walls. You have an understanding and even hands on from the cottage, so imo, you have no need fo a g.c that could result in head butting, but just someone to do the physical work solo as well as with you when available. I dont know about your area, but in most places work is slowing down for trades people, so hopefully you can find someone w/ experience in many areas. I would start by asking family, freinds, work mates if they have any reputable referall.

My wifes career has been supporting engineers on the navy base here and as i meet them, i throw the "kid w/ the cardboard box" line at them and they always seem to get a kick out of it. Best of luck!

Planningnut, I think you can totally handle a kitchen remodel on your own if you've rebuilt a cottage. That's a lot of work and having actually done it physically yourself, you're ahead of the game in my opinion. If you have some of the trades already covered by people you know and trust, that's another big one in your favor. I say go for it!