Self contracting app/software for home building
G Landry
5 years ago
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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 MoreTimeline for Self Contracting?
Comments (21)We are also owner builders, but hire subs for most jobs except GC work. We were able to set up contractor accounts at a few places. The mostly frequently used supplier was the lumberyard. A friend who is a contractor and orders for a house builder looked over our pricing from the lumberyard and confirmed that the prices were in fact the same as builder prices. Not all places were as accommodating with the contractor prices, but we did get lower prices from the roofing supplier and brickyard so far. We also got a decent discount at the plumbing supply, but not as low as a regular builder would get. We only booked subs a handful at a time as our build has stretched out so long that the quotes we got in advance would have had to be redone closer to build time. However, it depends on how much time you have to devote to the project as you may be able to move along with your build at a much faster rate. Good luck. Carol...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 MoreSelf build project questions
Comments (31)Shop around for banks. Our own bank wouldn't do an owner/GC loan, but we found a great little local bank who was very eager to help. We had equity in our former home but didn't want to move until the new one was done, they were able to do a short-term bridge loan that was paid back after we closed on the old house, so there are creative ways to finance if you have the right lender. But they are going to be hard to find with a short credit history. I did the GC work myself, and I can second the comment above about having a flexible job. Normally, my job isn't that flexible, but circumstances worked out that year, and we happen to be building just a few blocks from my work. I spent many lunch hours and several other quick breaks running to the build site to take care of different issues or meet with subs. It would never have worked if we were farther away. Because you are a "one-off" job for the subs, be prepared to get bumped by bigger jobs, although sometimes a small job fits nicely while they are waiting to start a bigger one. It can wreak havoc with your timeline though if one sub is delayed by a bigger fish. Work with your suppliers--we found great framing, roofing, and brick mason subs by getting names from the lumberyard, roofing supply company, and brickyard. Use written contracts for all the subs and have them sign lien releases when you pay them....See MoreJeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
5 years agoG Landry thanked Jeffrey R. Grenz, General ContractorUser
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5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoJeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
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