Anyone ever been their own General Contractor?

[McLovin]

On a relatively large home improvement job?

I’ve supervised (or done myself) all the work on my house and various other properties for the past 30 years.

But now I’m planning a fairly large (1000 sq foot) addition and renovation. I’be never done that before. I’m thinking of not hiring a GC and doing that role myself.

I’d of course hire an architect. Most of the ones I’ve spoken with seem to have a lot of contacts for subs. Then I’d go from there.

Anyone ever done that? Id love to hear how it went.

[MBAtarga]

I was GC on my detached workshop build, and as the homeowner, was able to do electrical myself.

I got permits, requested inspections, subbed out foundation, truss installation and roofing. Did all other work myself (framing, electrical, exterior siding and trim, and finally painting.)
I did work with Ga Power to get a separate meter and 200A service off a local pole. No plumbing/water involved though.
Dealing with inspections (well - the main inspector) was a pain.

[BK911]

For the most part, it is mostly about scheduling and budget.
Develop a task list as broken down as you can.
Then think about what tasks are dependent on other tasks getting completed first.
From there you can develop the critical path.
Microsoft Project is a REALLY good software for this.

[Zeke]

It has been said that you need a strong architect or a strong contractor, not both.

As long as your contracts with the subs are tight, you should be good. When the inspector fails something, have it in writing that the sub will correct in a timely matter.

Plan on going over budget and taking 50% longer. If you have idle days you are not doing it right.

[Evans, Marv]

I built my house as owner-builder/genreral contractor. I started from ground zero, other than experience working with contracts from my job and construction work as a young guy. You are right to start with your architect for subs, but do some extra work to find subs on your own. The advice above is very good. Something I did that worked out well was keep daily work and phone journals. The work journal kept track of progress, who did what, comments on schedules, & any info I felt I wanted to keep for later reference, etc. The phone journal tracked everything connected with the construction and communications with the county, inspectors, contractors (who said what and when), deliveries, etc. Get the minimum of three estimates on everything and get sub recommendations for other work from the contractors you contract with. It's all about newtworking. Also, get physical addresses, phone numbers, contact information on your contractors and subs before and when you contract with them. Another comment. Don't think contractors and subs will be your friends. It's business. They want to get the work done, get paid, get out of there, and not have to be called later to come back and fix anything. It's a journey & satisfying, and I saved a huge amount of money doing it myself. Your project isn't overly large. Good luck.

[wdfifteen]

In 2008/2009 I was both the General and Electrical contractor for our 8500 square foot office building renovation. The building had been a machine shop. Do I have stories!!

I had great inspectors, and I had used the hvac and plumbing subs for home and our old office for years so basically I had a lot of outside support.

I remember one instance when we were putting up the ceiling tiles and an electrical inspector came by. He looked at the inspection records and noticed I hadn't had an insulation inspection. I didn't even know I needed one! We had about 1/3 of the tiles up and were working against a hard deadline. It would have been disastrous if I had to take all the tile down and wait for an inspector. The electrical guy called the inspector who would have looked at the insulation, talked to him for a while, and signed off on the insulation.

In another instance we were putting up exhaust fans in the men's and women's restrooms. The drawings had a fan with twice the CFM for the men's room than for the women's room. I thought it must be a mistake and put the same small fan in both. Mistake. The fan requirement is based on the devices in each room. Since the men's room had a urinal as well as toilet, it needed twice as much air flow. That one still makes no sense to me.

[McLovin]

Originally Posted by Zeke

It has been said that you need a strong architect or a strong contractor, not both.

That’s very interesting, I’ve never heard that, but after meeting with a few architects my sense was they are very helpful and could somewhat serve as a semi GC.

I have the time to be able to devote 40+ hours a week to this, so it seems doable.

Based on the smaller remodeling projects I’ve done in the past, it seems like if I had a good roster of subs, I’d be 90% of the way there. I do have some subs I’ve used on my past projects (flooring, roofing, cabinets, etc) but I have no contacts for the heavies, like foundation and framing.

Very interesting info so far, thanks, you guys never disappoint!

[Zeke]

Another way to get leads on subs is to visit any ongoing work. I always tell people when they ask for a referral to patrol the neighborhood, indeed, the city, looking. Also contact neighbors and friends that had recent work done.

Any contractor is only as good as his current employees. They do come and go. Low turnover usually means the contractor is a decent person to work for and work is steady.

An ex partner of mine was greedy and would not hire (pay) good enough wages. It showed in his work and his turnover. As soon as he had a bit of slack they'd leave for greener grass. It wasn't worth waiting to go back to work when they were making low wages.

The moral of the story is that his work level rose and fell with each cycle of employees.

One thing I can say good about him was that he was on the job every day as an owner/operator. I want the contractor to be available at all times. Especially here where the job language default is Spanish. Way too many Spanish speaking folks acknowledge what you've said and didn't understand any of it. That's the rule more than the exception.

[juanbenae]

as mentioned finding good subs is not always easy. maybe your architect will work with you on reviewing the contracts for ya after you chose a sub. would cost ya a little but could be well worth it. a couple things I'd ask for is a hard schedule with durations not necessarily dates prior to entering into a contract. it's also good to find subs that have worked together before.

do your research with the state contractors board, ask for references, check yelp and other online rating services. a buddy of mine entered into a contract with a pool contractor and his experience was the same as the other on yelp in that it was bad. reviews of poor performance were prevalent and almost exactly the issues he had after looking into him. much like zeke mentions he had no architectural plans having drawn up the project on a napkin pretty much and that in combination of a bad contractor doomed him. had to hire a second guy who was not much better.

[908/930]

Yes, designed and was owner builder GC, could not find crews so hired two helpers and 50 truckloads of concrete (ICF build) and many years later almost done. One thing as GC the buck stops with you, you need to understand how it should be done not rely on trades. Hopefully your building inspectors are able and willing to help you understand the latest building codes.

The largest waste of time for me was trying to find and book trades, I gave up and did interior framing, electrical, plumbing, ducting and drywall myself, the two helpers were gone at this point, fortunately I was able to do so. Depending on your area, most of the trades are already working for GC's or builders and likely busy if they are any good, you will be a low priority or will be paying overtime rates.

Don't forget the construction insurance.

[rwest]

Might not hurt to set up a meeting with the local inspector to get their input on things that can get you in “trouble”. Be on your best behavior with inspectors and really all the trades too. Be nice without letting anyone take advantage of you.

[Alan A]

Took a month off in 07 to rehab our house - was a repo and turned into a gut reno.
Knew an electrician and a painter. Electrician knew a plumber. Bid out the drywall and the floors, I did a lot of the finish work..

Found having a wad of cash in hand and being up front - I’ll pay for materials and I’ll pay cash on completion, but if it’s not done properly by X you get nothing - worked in every case.

But that was pre covid when you could actually get people to work.

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by rwest

Might not hurt to set up a meeting with the local inspector to get their input on things that can get you in “trouble”. Be on your best behavior with inspectors and really all the trades too. Be nice without letting anyone take advantage of you.

being a retired public works inspector for public agencies over a 21-year career this is highly unlikely to get off the ground. granted a public works inspector is not a building inspector with differing roles, objectives and types of work but they are not there to hold a resident's hand. it is also forbidden to give references or recommendations from a public position. favoritism can create a situation where there could be conceived kickbacks. im not saying it's not a bad idea to go into the Building Dept. and talk with somebody at the counter, but they will likely play things close to the vest. when turning in or picking up the reviewed 1st submission of the plans is a great time to meet with the agency staff. see if you can attend any meetings your architect is having with the city plan checker or structural staff.

The field inspectors are busy running from inspection to inspection and really don't have a lot of time for resident show & tell. as you mentioned you will be using an architect so since you are already paying him see what guidance he will provide, from the builder/designer side as opposed to public agency side. they will know better than most anyone.

lastly, get a construction law book and bone up some on contracts and such. many chapters will be about public contracts, but there will be some good private contract content. look for sample construction contracts. generally the contractor is writing the contract you will sign and his contract is not to protect your interest more often than ever.

good luck with this endeavor.

[look 171]

You need good subs or specific trades folks and do not believe them when they say they can do it all or perform other trades (some do, but it must get pass me first). The problem with home owner acting as GC is the subs you hired may not work hard for you. They know it is a one time deal just to finish the house you are building. If another GC calls for them in the middle of your project, they may pack up or leave a person or two and go off to the other job because they know they will be called upon for repeated work. I have seen this hundreds of times. Be mindful of that. I like to think most are good and responsible people but that's reality a home owner acting GC will encounter.

Make sure to have the following on the contract:
Terms of payment.
Deposit, pay on completion for a certain task and do not pay
unless it passes (rough) inspection then pay after final inspection AND
COMPLETION OF THE PUNCH LIST BETWEEN OWNER AND SUB.

Guarantee Maximum Price:
The actual Cost of the Work shall constitute the Guaranteed Maximum Price of $XXX.XX
In the event the Contractor shall produce the work in excess of the Guaranteed Maximum Price, the Contractor shall pay 100% of the excess out of his own funds.

Contract must state the date stamped on the approved drawing drawn by XXX and approved by xxx, city. This way if subs do not stick to plans, they don't get pay.

Again, DO NOT PAY WHEN THEY ASK FOR MONEY. STICK TO THEIR SCHEDULE OF PAYMENT.

Good luck.

[look 171]

Some of you guys must live in very nice cities where building inspector recommend contractors and subs. That's unheard of around here.

[908/930]

Inspector recommending subs also not allowed here, but I was able to talk with an inspector prior to submitting plans, and will say all of the inspectors were excellent.

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by look 171

You need good subs or specific trades folks and do not believe them when they say they can do it all or perform other trades (some do, but it must get pass me first). The problem with home owner acting as GC is the subs you hired may not work hard for you. They know it is a one time deal just to finish the house you are building. If another GC calls for them in the middle of your project, they may pack up or leave a person or two and go off to the other job because they know they will be called upon for repeated work. I have seen this hundreds of times. Be mindful of that. I like to think most are good and responsible people but that's reality a home owner acting GC will encounter.

Make sure to have the following on the contract:
Terms of payment.
Deposit, pay on completion for a certain task and do not pay
unless it passes (rough) inspection then pay after final inspection AND
COMPLETION OF THE PUNCH LIST BETWEEN OWNER AND SUB.

Guarantee Maximum Price:
The actual Cost of the Work shall constitute the Guaranteed Maximum Price of $XXX.XX
In the event the Contractor shall produce the work in excess of the Guaranteed Maximum Price, the Contractor shall pay 100% of the excess out of his own funds.

Contract must state the date stamped on the approved drawing drawn by XXX and approved by xxx, city. This way if subs do not stick to plans, they don't get pay.

Again, DO NOT PAY WHEN THEY ASK FOR MONEY. STICK TO THEIR SCHEDULE OF PAYMENT.

Good luck.

lots of good stuff here.

thing is getting much of this into a private contract for a remodel tying into an existing structure no plumber or electrician can provide a hard "not to exceed" number in most cases. x2 if the main unit is on a slab. concrete and framing can kinda be counted on w/o a ton of changes if you get out front of things.. consider getting a termite inspection to limit extras in framing if stuff is found during construction when they are screaming "extra. extra, read all about it". depending on how old the existing structure is there could be a bunch of surprises that need to be brought up to code, that's were a really, really good architect can pay off by having detail that will limit change orders.

there is a contract term called "liquidated damages" that you can test your hired help to stand behind their schedule. it's a monetary amount if said contractor delays the project with a daily penalty cause if the electrician is running behind the HVAC who's already bought all your equipment will want to be paid even though he can't start the work.

you won't get a price or called back from many contractors with look171's terms. there are suckers to be had why mess with you and those one-sided terms.

also figure in some printing costs for the plans if you are going to solicit multiple bids from various contractor.


you good with spread sheets? you will need them to keep stuff in order.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by juanbenae

lots of good stuff here.

thing is getting much of this into a private contract for a remodel tying into an existing structure no plumber or electrician can provide a hard "not to exceed" number in most cases. x2 if the main unit is on a slab. concrete and framing can kinda be counted on w/o a ton of changes if you get out front of things.. consider getting a termite inspection to limit extras in framing if stuff is found during construction when they are screaming "extra. extra, read all about it". depending on how old the existing structure is there could be a bunch of surprises that need to be brought up to code, that's were a really, really good architect can pay off by having detail that will limit change orders.

there is a contract term called "liquidated damages" that you can test your hired help to stand behind their schedule. it's a monetary amount if said contractor delays the project with a daily penalty cause if the electrician is running behind the HVAC who's already bought all your equipment will want to be paid even though he can't start the work.

you won't get a price or called back from many contractors with look171's terms. there are suckers to be had why mess with you and those one-sided terms.

also figure in some printing costs for the plans if you are going to solicit multiple bids from various contractor.


you good with spread sheets? you will need them to keep stuff in order.

I am in a different situation since I am the GC but that expectation should be across the board on hard numbers. I come across a few inexperience trades guy starting out. They were deathly afraid to under or over bid due to their lack of experience, not the job performance parts. I take it easy and groom them so they can be better business people. Both of us will benefits from it in the long run. My HVAC installer loves me for this. I helped him get started with his contracts and business end of things. Explain accounting to him. Now, he never fails me and comes in the middle of the night if I need his service.

There are lots of unforeseen issues here. For example, plumbing. A good plumber should suggest re-pipe of the existing structure but will the existing baths be remodeled? If not, where do the home owner stop? That's where their expertise and suggestions are needed. When we go in for the whole house remodel, no stone is left un-turned, same with all other mechanicals for the home. A good GC with enough experience can forssee all of the gotchas but so will a good sub. OP, you need to have a good seat down talk with your subs.

no plumber, electrician, GC or anyone will give any one hard numbers on the first meeting or two. Invite them to have a look at the plans, take a walk around the home and ask for suggestions and a rough price. Verbal is the keys. No trades guys like to do paper especially for a bid that they are most likely get the job. Don't push for that unless they offer. This way, you get to feel each other out and see if you are compatible to do business. CAll then back if the numbers are good and move on from there. The more they come out to see the job, the more they will feel comfortable with an accurate number knowing that the home owner are interested. Its more then black and white and it involves a lot of people skills. Its not a one sided contract, if more work are needed once walls are torn open (trades guys know what to expect), addendum will be drawn up, signed and more work begins.

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by look 171

Some of you guys must live in very nice cities where building inspector recommend contractors and subs. That's unheard of around here.

Ditto here. And a lot of times the inspector will not tell you how to fix something, only that it does not meet code. He may or may not give you the code reference number for you to look at.

[juanbenae]

Originally Posted by look 171

I am in a different situation since I am the GC but that expectation should be across the board on hard numbers.

right.

you have a much greater insight than the OP.... in a good set of plans or not, how to deal with and select your subs. you are not teaching that in a couple posts here. im scatter shooting on a bunch of things that could be considered.


i use my contractor buddy's subs, unless it's a painter. they all suck now days. pool contractors too.