We were GC's when we built our house. There was a terrible accident and a framer was injured. My biggest advice would be to make sure that you are fully insured.
Beth

Lots of wine! LOL

Seriously, if you have a good "team"--contractor, cab installer, tiler, plumber, electrician....you shouldn't have a problem acting as your own GC. That said, you WILL have to stay on top of things; coordinate everything and everyone and make on-the-fly decisions when the unexpected comes up (an it will!).

We were very lucky with most people working on our kitchen. Our contractor was a good friend, our plumber we'd known for years, and our cab installer and tiler were meticulous and just all-around stand-up guys; they truly looked out for our best interest, and guided and advised us as/when ncessary (the less said about our electrician, the better). That certainly made it possible for us to act as our own GC's.

Finding this forum, with it's wealth of resources (homeowners and pros, like Bill V.!) proved it's worth time and time again, so make use of it often.

Best of luck to you as you begin your kitchen reno!

We functioned as our own GC in a limited capacity: we procured most of our own materials, scheduled (as much as you can) and hired our own subs. Beyond lack of skill we didn't DIY because it is a high rise condo and we felt licensed and insured subs were required for most aspects.

We hashed it out before so we could be decisive about what my Mom wanted and where so there wouldn't be any delays or changes. She was ready (mostly), elevator was booked, Super's number was programmed into cell, room was empty and spec sheets were downloaded and on hand (generally we have had the actual item to refer to). Hire subs whose work you have seen or someone you know and trust vouches for (always consider the source on any recommendation). You will pay for quality work, don't cut corners on labour. Be critical about what your skills are, you won't save any money hiring someone to undo your work and then redo it. Time is often money and when it's not it is still an important consideration, sometimes it may just be better for the timeline and your mental health to just pay to get some things done.

We didn't go past the drywall (except for the electrical) so it is a small job, we were 4 weeks this past Friday and we are behind (countertops were supposed to have gone in by Friday) so, in considering the source, you may want to take my advice with a grain of salt.

EXPAND your timeline expectations. If you don't, you're going to be very frustrated with the inevitable delays. And, not being able to be there and supervise full time will have a negative effect at some point. Accept that now and be prepared to deal with the domino effect. Flexibility of schedule is great, but often, if a decision can't be made in the next 15 minutes after the problem behind the wall is found, then the subs will pack up their tools and move on to the next job. And, most of all, don't take the inevitable delays and problems personally. That's one of the biggest bonuses a GC can bring to a table than self GCing can't. A GC isn't emotionally invested in the outcome like you are so they can remain more dispassionate when issues arise. So, when the problems happen, take a deep breath (and a sip of that wine!) and make the decision that you would make if this were your neighbor's kitchen. (Not the grouchy neighbor down the street who no one likes! LOL! The grandmother next door who bakes you cookies.)

And, plan the eating out as an adventure. Take the opportunity to try places that you've been wanting to. Make it a "journey around the world" if you have kids, or even if you don't. Go Japanese one week, Afghan another, and have the kids do some research on the designated different countries each week. Take at least one day a week to pamper yourself with whatever treat you choose. A bubble bath and a book. A massage and latte out. A purring cat and a foot massage. If you have at least one treat to look forward to, the stress doesn't seem as bad.

I acted as my own GC for my kitchen, which involved a complete redo of the plumbing & electrical & 2 walls gutted, but all walls stayed in the same locations. Everything else was gutted & replaced. What made it easier for me was that I was having a bath done at the same time, & did not feel at all confident about plumbing stuff, so I just used my GC's plumber - especially since so much of the house plumbing was being redone anyway. The electrician, cabinet makers/installers, & counter fabricators were all my guys, & I DIY'ed everything else.

Also, I fast-tracked the whole thing - got a usable kitchen in less than 3 months. The downside of that was that I was so fried at the end of it that the finishing details did not get done until recently - over a year later!

Plan Plan Plan. Have a timeline all laid out - not so much actual dates, but what's 1st, 2nd, etc. This might seem obvious, but that's where delays happen if you don't have this down pat.

If DH has any areas of weakness in his knowledge/experience, is he the sort of person who will seek out advice? Get help! My mistakes were in the details - I ended up putting the gas shut-off valve in a hard-to-reach space, because I flat out didn't have the knowledge that I even needed it until too late!

However, as hard as it was, it was also incredibly exciting & I really had fun - oh yeah, there's a good piece of advice - do WHATEVER it takes to enjoy the process as much as possible - have a picnic, go out to eat - just take the time to do something nice for yourselves :) & the feeling of satisfaction - ending up with a much much nicer kitchen that you can afford w/o all the DIY - that's priceless :)

It sounds like you have a huge advantage if DH has been "in the business" before - good luck!

Thanks, all, for the input and advice. Actually, except for the kitchen installers, we won't have any subcontractors. DH is also an electrician, and has a lot of experience with plumbing as well. We don't need any outside help.

Our remodel will consist of removing one load-bearing wall, and the ductwork for the furnace and a/c and electric that is in that wall, re-routing that ductwork (which he already has 90% done), moving the electric, switches, outlets, adding the new kitchen lighting, etc. It also involves some minor plumbing (we are moving the sink), and hooking up the D/W, disposer, and the faucet, which he will do himself.

We are very fortunate in that he has the skills and knowledge to carry this off. So, really, unless I am missing something, the only "schedule to keep" is our own, no? And like I said, his goal is to have all the work done, and everything ready for the kitchen installers when they come in 6-8 weeks (or so). And knowing this man like I do, I have every confidence that he will meet that goal!

One thing to remember when you are trying to be a GC on your own one off kitchen job is that it is just that "a one off job" A subcontractor will say are going to say they will be at your place on a certain date (and they will have full intention on doing so) but if they are busy working for a "real" full time GC you may just be pushed back. It is a matter of economics for them. You are only hiring them for this one small job while the real GC is doing it year after year, who is the subcontractor going to try to please the most?

I did it in our previous kitchen... I'm female and at the time I wasn't even 30. I think we saved 10K by doing it this way (our kitchen was 20K instead of 30K). I did not do any work myself, but I was very agressive in getting the best deals from electricians, plumbers, etc.. and then deeper discounts when little infractions happened (e.g. the plumbers taking a clogged toilet call while they were working on my gas line, causing us to miss a permit-related inspection).

For the demo, we contacted someone who rehabs old houses... he took away our old cabinets and appliances for free. This saved us a lot-- we had an estimate from a GC who would have charged us 3K for the demolition alone.

For our countertops, I got something from a company about 50 minutes north of us that generally serves a MUCH less expensive market. They had a promotion and then I had them accept a competitor's promotion on top of that.

If you have time and a high tolerance for inconvenience (and no shame-- my husband would always be so mortified when I'd start asking for discounts), you are a good candidate for this. If you have to take off work to deal with unreliable people, you might be better off hiring a GC. At the time I was home with small children, so I had some flexibility in my schedule.

Good luck!! Sounds like a great project.

I guess I need to clarify. DH is doing ALL the work, except the actual kitchen installation. My thread title was probably misleading, sorry!

I guess he's probably not "officially" acting simply as a GC because he is doing all the carpentry, electric, and plumbing work!!! He's got no one to coordinate anything with except himself.

And as long as he's done by the time the cabinets come in, we're golden!!! ;o)

We have done our own several times (whole houses) and one piece of advice for your situation-- have the kitchen/cabinet installers stop by during the work to go over all the details, just to make sure. Also, make sure you take out permits and get lien waivers from any subs you happen to hire. Otherwise, seems like you have it covered.

Here is a link that might be useful: when to hire out/being own gc

Tiskers,

Sounds like you're doing the same extensive DIY that we did/are still doing!

I have one question --- if hubby is that handy, why aren't you installing the cabinets yourselves? WE saved $2000 doing that. That was the easiest $2K we saved on the whole reno. Mind you, my DH is an engineer (electrical- so he did all the re-wiring and new wiring), and really really good at drawings and figuring things out.

One day (perhaps when it's all done), I will sit down and figure out how much we have saved DIY. WE gutted a 25 X 10.5 space- including removing ceiling (which wasn't pleasant as it was an older house with no vapour barrier)- bits of insulation were 'everywhere'! We tore down a wall (that was fun)- removed aluminum wiring- rerouted plumbing/venting re-wired/installed all new electrical/appliances.

Changed windows- now, that was an area that I subbed out, ie manufacturing and installation of new windows. That delayed us by quite a bit- they were more than 2 months late, as we had to take out old windows to reframe- we did it to be ready for scheduled delivery... and we ended up living with plastic sheeting for windows for months!

Check your timelines. We had to have drywall up and painted for a set period of time (forget exactly), so that it could all dry before cabinets went in. Since we weren't drywalling until windows were in, we got behind right from the start. Luckily our cabinet supplier had room to hold the cabinets for us until we were ready. Flooring was also subbed out, and when we missed our original time, had to wait awhile until he could reschedule. Appliance store also agreed to hold appliances for us for several months. We originally planned a July 30th finish date. With delays, we then hoped to be in before Christmas. Granite was finally installed end of November- had to be re-ordered, and replacement pieces weren't installed until April 08, so of course we couldn't put up backsplash or finish off back of peninsula. Not to belabour the point, but as of Nov 24 08, we are still waiting for the last pieces we subbed out to a carpenter- finishing off our cabinets (original order was screwed up- long story). Hired him in August, and supposedly will get our order this week (not holding my breath). As I've said here before, my mistake in saying we wanted to be finished before Christmas, was in not specifying the year!!!

So, advice? Money to be saved is real. In these times, priceless. Luckily, your DH can do all the work. If you don't have to sub out to anyone for anything, you're ahead of the game. But, if you have to depend on anyone else, be prepared for delays, and make sure your suppliers are OK with them.

An occasional cup of coffee (for the contractors) goes a long way. We always provided lunch at least once for each set of contractors. Usually a pizza, sometimes we'd cook burgers on the grill, or homemade soup on a cold day. You'd be amazed how much these little things are appreciated.

I'm confused, do you mean, Do-It-Yourself remodelling?

Don't just stand there and watch your husband work like a contractor, help him out. It sounds like he has no problem doing those tasks, but an extra pair of hands really help with things like wiring and levelling things.

The other thing is expect to take a bit longer, because we want to take the time do things right, not to complete the job in a rush to get paid. We are not getting paid but the rewards is a long lasting installation.