Can I get some tips to function as my own general contractor?
5 years ago
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- 5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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How to be your own general contractor... any advice???
Comments (5)You should probably post on the Remodelling forum. But I think $20K is in the ballpark, a little low though. I'd look for local workers for the demo and re-frame, and stay away from the "Home Builder" or GC section of the phone book. A high percentage of them just hire things out... which is your job in this, don't add their 15% to it. Then look for a staircase manufacturer to build the staircase for you, don't do site built. We used Southern Staircase, but I have no idea where you are. Only $12K for 3 sets of stairs, oak treads and risers, straight, no landings....See MoreAdvice on acting as your own General Contractor?
Comments (11)My gut reaction is that unless you have one whole heck of a lot of experience building homes you're being, to use the expression, penny wise and pound foolish. Doubly so if you're planning on doing a lot of the work yourself. One thing a good GC brings to the table is a relationship with his subs. A good GC wants to keep his subs happy and a good sub wants to keep his GC happy. The former gets a better product and the latter gets another job. I've also seen a lot of well meaning homeowners who thought they could do a lot of the work themselves. In many cases inexperience actually ended up costing them more than if they had just hired a professional from the get go. I recall one guy who had started finishing his basement. He got a lot of the framing done until he ran into something he couldn't figure out. Then started on the electrical until in ran into problems, then started on the plumbing... There were so many mistakes it was mind boggling, from framing that left no place to secure drywall to doorways that were the wrong size (framed to the finished, not rough opening). No electrician who wanted to keep his license would have touched the homeowner's work without ripping out everything and starting from scratch. In the end I walked away....See MoreHomeowner acting as our own General Contractor for a 750sf add?
Comments (10)I am not in the building trades, I am organized and detail oriented by nature and I am not afraid to ask questions. I consider myself to be pretty intelligent, too. I GC'd a project which involved completely reconfiguring 1/2 of the main floor of our home. We moved our kitchen to another spot in our house which involved knocking out an original exterior brick wall, changing headers, plumbing, electric, adding/changing windows etc etc. I did this while working a full-time job outside of the home, but it's a job that offerred me the flexibility to be at home as needed. In our planning for this project, we interviewed at least 5 GCs or subs for each part of the job. Each gave me different tips of things to look out for/plan for. I asked questions about how their piece would fit into the overall project. Once we decided that I would GC, and the project got underway, I pretty much knew what would come next and planned for it. As it turned out, during the 3 month project, we had only 1 week of downtime because the brick wall removal and header concerns involved an unexpected visit from a structural engineer which we didn't expect. I figure we saved 35-40% on our project. To us, that is very significant. Your comments are confusing. One minute you say you have great licensed subs and the next you say you don't trust them. Which is it? You also sound like you don't have faith in your own abilities. If you do your homework, you can also work with your local building department and inspectors to get what they can offer. If you've been involved in your last projects, give yourself more credit than you appear to be doing. GC'ing is very detail oriented but homeowner's can do it....See MoreWhy do I need a general contractor?
Comments (16)I say go for it. There are a lot of nay sayers out there but if you do some research about "owner builders" you will find many people do this all the time with great success. You will have headaches, you will have stress, but its a trade off. There are plenty of good reliable subs out there that are willing to do the work. You will just need to research them. Best thing to do is have a written contract for the work. Will GC's get better pricing. Sure. Then they mark it up and you end up paying more than you may have paid yourself. I did a full gut remodel a couple years ago and found a great set of people I will continue to work with. Are they the cheapest? Probably not (plumber is for sure) but I felt the prices were reasonable and I got good work out of them. Go by word of mouth. Get on Nextdoor (the app) and ask your neighbors for recommendations on contractors. If you have time to do research and understand the basics, you can do a lot. If I can rewire my house by learning off youtube and pass a city inspection, anyone can....See MoreRelated Professionals
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