HUGE general contractor overrun...educate the rest of us
chicagoerin
10 years ago
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Cindy103d
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Advice from those that did NOT use a general contractor.
Comments (24)I agree with all the comments about time and sequencing of trades. That has been our biggest problem. Biggest positive aspect is that the kitchen is truly the way I wanted it - all mistakes are my mistakes. Good design is my good design, etc. The designer/finishing touches have been quite difficult for me but I'm mostly happy. Not sure I saved money. May have cost more money. Biggest issue for me has been confronting workmen when I think they have made a mistake or when they misunderstood my directions. (Try to put all directions in email or at least on paper). I don't think my personality is a good fit for this type of job, no matter how good the workers. We are coming down to the end. Our electrician who I like very much is slowing us down because of side projects he has. If I had it to do it over again, I think I would not be my own GC. I didn't get much help from my husband and all workers, no matter how nice seem to get to a "burnout phase" as they work on your project and they are ready to move on and the quality of their work begins to diminish greatly, no matter how good. That has been our experience, anyway. I think a GOOD GC would have kept workers in line better but then I wouldn't say I'm 100% confident that was true. Good luck. I think it's a crap shoot which ever way you go. May depend on what part of the country. Here in Texas on the Gulf Goast, good quality labor is in high demand so be prepared to wait in line for anyone good....See MoreHow do you find a good general contractor?
Comments (8)Good luck finding a reputable contractor. We've lived in the same house for 26 years and in that time we've done many projects - new roof, new siding, a 1000 sq. addition, finished the basement, remodeled 3 bathrooms, added a screened in porch,installed a mahogany deck, a swimming pool, replaced brick walk with custom cut bluestone, remodeled the kitchen twice and had major landscaping done 3 times. We probably worked with 12 different general contractors and unfortunately only 2 of them would I ever work with again or refer to others. Even though we went through all the recommended steps in selecting our contractor calamities still happened - may of them directly caused by the GC trying to save time, money or appease one of his subs or another customer. You don't need to hear my horror stories I'm sure you've heard many. If you have the knowledge, the time and the fortitude to be your own GC then go for it. Just make sure you have all the insurance you need and an attorney to review all contracts. The last contractor we worked with was highly recommended by many people that I knew personally and whose work I had inspected. But he lost his foreman to an injury one week after my kitchen was demolished and everything went downhill rapidly after that. So even if you do everything right - there's still a good chance that things will go wrong....See MoreGeneral Remodel Question - Layout (Contractor/Architect)
Comments (6)Hello I believe her question was to see if they should get estimates from architects or contractors. Of coarse an architect can provide you an estimate but most of the time it is completely off in left field. I can't tell you how many times we speak with homeowners and they show us their plans. The architect designs a $500k alteration when the homeowners budget is in the $300k range. Contact some reputable contractors. Get as many bids as you feel are necessary but 3-5 should be suffice. Contractors like myself have in house architects and will include the plans as part of the package. You can also contact an architect. More times than not, his plans will cost more than it would if you went with the contractor. You can read more on our blogs if you like: Here is a link that might be useful: Bergen County Contractors...See MoreFlooring issue with General Contractor
Comments (11)Our gc has given us credit when we supplied something he was going to buy or for labor we are not having him do. We also intended to have him do tile floors for us, but will go with Marmoleum instead and get a certified installer for that. He said he will credit us for not doing the floor install, but joked that would be $1 off. I am very interested in how much per square foot that will be and when we figure that out, I will post here. I can't wait to here how much it was for others and where they are located. I am in NY so labor here is not cheap. I am sure we will come to an agreement as he has been fair with us so far. Now, he did mention the bs labor was not in the contract, so whatever he takes off per sq ft for installing tile for the floor, we will add back for the bs. Would the labor charges for a floor be any different than a bs? Hmmmmm......See MoreGreenDesigns
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