I’ve acted as GC on my last few renovation projects, one which involved three bathroom gut remodels and a brand new kitchen with all new appliances and cabinets, new hardwood floors, doors, and moving walls. Subs I had: (1) paint/general construction/drywall, (2) plumber, (3) tile, (4) floor guy. I did the bulk of this in about a month and a half, with just little aesthetic touch ups later. I saved both money and time. Time, because I found that GCs will schedule one thing after another, not wanting people to work around each other, but because I was on a really tight timeframe that my son and I wouldn’t have a place to live, I scheduled a lot of folks to work at the same time around each other. They grumbled a bit more, but I was there every day to smooth things over, help, and just be a charming friendly person who brought cookies and snacks :). That said, to echo a lot of what folks said, it’s important to (1) be there on site every day to catch things early that are not aesthetically what you’d like, before it becomes more difficult to fix later, (2) have great people skills to motivate folks and work through issues, (3) have great organizational and project management skills (4) make decisions quickly and easily (being willing to do your own research) (5) be efficient about ordering supplies and materials on your own, which really saves time and money. And maybe most importantly (6) have the energy to deal with this all — it takes a lot of energy. I was exhausted. The reason I undertook it is that some GCs I talked to gave me a 4 month estimate on the work, and I just didn’t have that kind of time. All the sub folks were referred by my broker, so they were really responsive and professional and above par. I’ve continued to use them on other renovation projects, and they’ve always been really responsive and great. I may be lucky, because I’ve heard of nightmare stories as well, but it’s just to say that if you get good referrals, I‘ve found it’s not always the case that you can’t get subs to show up or have leverage compared to a GC. In fact, on a current project I have, all my same subs agreed to take on the work for me, right away, when my GC couldn’t get his subs for weeks out. I respectfully don’t agree with the comment that if you can’t tell about running an electrical line you can’t be a GC. If you trust your subs to be good at what they do, they’ll guide you through everything and help you make the best decisions. That’s what they’re there for. I‘ve done several remodels now, and haven’t had any issues later on (I lived in that particular house for 5 years). Anyway, I know it’s been 6 years since this post, but since I always get value from older comments and advice, I thought I’d still share my own experiences for others with this same question.

Hello all, I've been gathering ideas from here for a couple of months now. Everyone seems to be very helpful and very knowledgeable and all of your designs are awesome. How would you recommend finding all the contractors you need for a bathroom remodel? I don't even know how to approach it besides yelp and google. Nobody I know had any kind of remodeling done recently, therefore I can't get any personal references. We need a plumber to reroute some pipes and a tiler to do the floors and showers. I know a handy man who can do dry wall and paint, and we don't need any electrical work besides replacing old light fixtures. We have a good idea of what we want and we just need someone to do it (so no designer needed). We will also be getting all the permits ourselves. We live in Orange county, CA. If anyone can suggest a good contractor who can help us with the remodel, or if you know of any companies or showrooms that would be good to check out, I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance and have a weekend day everyone

Is that your only bathroom? People do it. Maybe it's more important your co-worker knows what's involved in being a GC than knowing you? I don't know. When I started I knew nothing and had no experience, so I knew no way. Having gone through two bathrooms, if I had the time I might consider it but I'd spend so much time doing research I'd probably never complete it. Are you moving pipes? If not, you might be better off with a skilled, insured expensive handy man who would relish your input. Someone who loves to learn but is so swamped with work, they'd be glad to have you figure out the best grout, water proofing system, exhaust fan requiremens, etc. Those types do it all themselves so you'd only have to find the one right fit instead of asking the GC what type of grout his tile guy uses as that usually ticks them off and sets up red flag for them that you're going to be a PITA. Maybe that would be a better fit if your primary concern is that it's done with best practices? Maybe being your own GC is the best fit if you have enough experience to pull it off and your focus is best practices, exquisite craftsmanship and your budget allows for that?

Congrats on embarking on fun bathroom remodels. :) that said, decide what is most important to you. Looks like storage might be critical. In the rendering, I assume that isn’t to scale because those sinks are rinky dink and the mirrors are out of scale. I would opt for one large mirror, for example. Chops the room up a lot less. Back to what is a priority— this will help determine your budget and help you spend your budget the way that helps you. Is this the only bathroom? If so, keep the tub. Starter homes generally need tubs. Places to save money include tile choices and major changes like adding window or changing footprint. Sometimes a change like more storage, another sink, etc., will make your bathroom feel so much better or more functional for you and if you are moving in a few years, you don’t have to spend a huge chunk of cash you could save for your new house.