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.

"We are adding an accessible shower to our main floor powder room" This is SUCH a smart idea. Reading further ... I know some contractors like to buy the fixtures so they get the mark up but I've never felt comfortable with that. At best, I would be willing to say, "What are my allowances for toilets, tile, sinks, faucets, etc? Will the price I pay through you match the price I can pay on my own?" If they can't match your pricing then I wouldn't buy it from them. I realize trades may work differently in all parts of the country/world, but I've never had a problem with this model. The last time we did a bathroom redo I bought everything at Expo (Home Depot company, they've since left the area) and had it on site & ready to go before the contractors started work. If the contractor you use has deals that let him buy things at a discount & he wants to pocket the difference then I'm okay with that. As long as his discount isn't off of an inflated price, KWIM? I think most electricians and plumbers prefer to work with guys they have worked with in the past, followed closely by home owners who know what they're doing (which sounds like you), and then way down the line is clueless home owners who want to be GC without knowing what end of a hammer to hold. You have good reasons to tackle all 3 at once (or in quick succession). I have a tough time making a LOT of decisions in a short time, and I think that part would drive me around the bend but that's just me. You'll probably get better deals if you say, "Hey - I need to buy 3 toilets today, what kind of deal can you give me on ..."

Well, they got the lighting fixed and replaced the dishwasher. The GC had said he'd sit down and go over the bills once this stuff was done. He didn't. He just re-sent the bill. So I filed a complaint via online dispute resolution and had it sent by certified mail. Haven't heard a dickey bird back. If I had had any thoughts of letting it go, those completely vanished when I discovered that Yin and Yang the genius electricians had disconnected my freaking heating. Even the guy from the power company (it's an ETS heater) was floored by that one. He fixed it and I added the bill to my tale of woe; now I've discovered that they've likely also disconnected the baseboard heaters in another room. I am going to have to have an electrician come out and go over everything. It was inspected, but apparently not for idiot blunders. Also, thanks to JellyToast for mentioning that $750 (actually $768, not including materials) was OTT for the rough counter. I'm so naive I hadn't even questioned that. I asked the tile contractor how much he'd have charged and he said "$100--and by the way, this isn't a very good job." When I told him how much they'd charged he was in hysterics--said either they're seriously incompetent or they're crooks. In my complaint I offered to pay $2000 over the expected costs, plus $300 for countertop (3 x tile contractor's bid is pretty generous IMO) and asked for cost of electrical repair. I'm prepared to compromise; I'm just not prepared to bend over. I am still in shock over the whole thing; I NEVER would have expected this to happen. It still doesn't square with my perception of these guys. But I've come to terms with the fact that if I have to go to court, that's what I'll have to do. I really don't care at this point.

I met a second contractor yesterday. Not a good fit. He did not listen to me, talked about things that had nothing to do with my project, was argumentative, tried to point out the advantages of laminate counter tops and brought a catalog of very traditional wood cabinets even though I had told him I wanted contemporary euro-style cabinets. Don't contractors bring photos of work they have completed ? This one said he had recently done a remodel in the style I like but he would have to go back to the customer to take a photo of her kitchen. He called her while he was with us to see if he could drop by to take a photo. He was to email it to me but I have not received anything. I find this odd that he would not take a photo of his work when finished. I am meeting a 3rd and last contractor tomorrow. I have the feeling that I will choose # 1.