Any homeowners here play general contractor for a major reno or any GCs in here?

[Aharami]

I am planning a major reno to my house. Blowing out the back of the house by 10'. So basement wall and 1st and 2nd floor walls along the back of the house are being removed and moving out 10'. I already have the architectural plans done by a licensed architect/structural engineer.

I plan on having contractors do the excavation, foundation, framing, siding, and roofing. Basically build me a shell. I'm installing my own windows, and doing everything on the inside (with help).

I am debating between hiring a GC or playing GC myself and hiring subcontractors directly. I understand that if I play the GC, it comes with extra headaches. So looking for some advice from folks here who have gone through such an ordeal. How much of a headache is it to deal with subs directly? How time consuming is it? Is it worth the savings?

Or any other thoughts in general?

FYI, I have some experience in DIY. I've finished an entire basement myself (framing, electrical, permiting, etc). And I have taken a master bath down to the studs and completely renovated it myself (move around plumbing fixtures, create vents, water proofing, tiling, install glass shower door...the whole thing)

 

[skull]

I play gc on occasion and sub out to gcs a lot. I would do it but I don't suggest you do, there is a lot that can go wrong that you don't realize til after you pay the subs if you don't do this sort of thing every day. Headaches like billy bob made the foundation concrete mix too wet and it doesn't show its self until months later. 3 months later billy bob is out of business because he made a habit of wetting down the mix and everyone realizes he sucks. Then your left holding the empty concrete bag if you know what I mean then its cheaper to pay the gc his 10.

 

[Humpy]

I, along with my father, brother, grandfather, and some uncles, were all GC's so I don't have much perspective for what it would be like as an inexperienced homeowner. I have seen plenty of jobs spiral out of control with both DIY and hiring someone.

If you are a good communicator, organized, educate yourself, and can remain calm and logical when things go wrong I don't see a problem with running your own job.

The main thing IMO is, based on the job specifics, you have to be able to foresee where the subcontractors are going to fuck up and communicate with them beforehand so it doesn't happen. This includes knowing why, how, and when each sub does their part so it all comes together as one piece in the end.

A lot of supposed "professionals" can't even adequately do this. Good luck!

 

[DrPizza]

Would it hurt to get estimates for the separate jobs, then an estimate from a couple general contractors and see if you're really saving much money?

This is just a wild guess, but I wouldn't think it would save a lot. I suspect that when bidding out the individual parts of the job, many contractors may give you a higher estimate if they're working for a homeowner vs. working under a general contractor. If I've done roofing for Bob in the past, and I know I'm not going to be screwing around because the roof is going to be nice and square, versus not knowing what type of problems I'm going to encounter because someone got the lowest bidder, I'm going to charge you a little more as a cushion against the increased likelihood of problems.

 

[Aharami]

I play gc on occasion and sub out to gcs a lot. I would do it but I don't suggest you do, there is a lot that can go wrong that you don't realize til after you pay the subs if you don't do this sort of thing every day. Headaches like billy bob made the foundation concrete mix too wet and it doesn't show its self until months later. 3 months later billy bob is out of business because he made a habit of wetting down the mix and everyone realizes he sucks. Then your left holding the empty concrete bag if you know what I mean then its cheaper to pay the gc his 10.

Hoping that wouldn't happen if I play GC because I'm only contacting subs who've been in the industry a long time and who are highly rated/reviewed. The subs I have reached out to for foundation were recommended by different builders who don't do additions.

But you make a good point nevertheless.

To counter your point though, I can be left holding a bag if the GC goes out of business also.

 

[Aharami]

I, along with my father, brother, grandfather, and some uncles, were all GC's so I don't have much perspective for what it would be like as an inexperienced homeowner. I have seen plenty of jobs spiral out of control with both DIY and hiring someone.

If you are a good communicator, organized, educate yourself, and can remain calm and logical when things go wrong I don't see a problem with running your own job.

The main thing IMO is, based on the job specifics, you have to be able to foresee where the subcontractors are going to fuck up and communicate with them beforehand so it doesn't happen. This includes knowing why, how, and when each sub does their part so it all comes together as one piece in the end.

A lot of supposed "professionals" can't even adequately do this. Good luck!

Thanks for chiming in. What are some key factors to look for when hiring a contractor? I've interviewed numerous GCs so far and the ones I thought I liked the most, end up being non-responsive afterwards via email, or don't get back to me on time with quotes/estimates.

Since I'm doing part of the work myself (plumbing/electrical/finishes/etc), would it be unwise to pull all the permits myself? Should I let the GC pull the permit for whatever they are working on and I'll pull the permit I plan on doing myself?

 

[Aharami]

Would it hurt to get estimates for the separate jobs, then an estimate from a couple general contractors and see if you're really saving much money?

This is just a wild guess, but I wouldn't think it would save a lot. I suspect that when bidding out the individual parts of the job, many contractors may give you a higher estimate if they're working for a homeowner vs. working under a general contractor. If I've done roofing for Bob in the past, and I know I'm not going to be screwing around because the roof is going to be nice and square, versus not knowing what type of problems I'm going to encounter because someone got the lowest bidder, I'm going to charge you a little more as a cushion against the increased likelihood of problems.

That's what I'm doing right now. I reached out to a few GCs when I had the conceptual drawings in to get a budgeting estimate for the project. Now that I have the final plans in my hand, I sent that to all the GCs I was in communication with previously and asked for quotes.

I am also reaching out to subs directly for each piece to get an idea for price difference.

Bolded is a the best case for hiring a GC. A sub would less likely to screw around with a GC who will keep giving him work as opposed to a one job homeowner. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Humpy]

Thanks for chiming in. What are some key factors to look for when hiring a contractor? I've interviewed numerous GCs so far and the ones I thought I liked the most, end up being non-responsive afterwards via email, or don't get back to me on time with quotes/estimates.

To me, other than being able to confirm the quality of the work, the best results were usually when personalities matched in a way that allowed open and frequent communication. The standoffish guys who would typically reply with "that's how I've always done it and never had a problem" when asked a specific question didn't last long.

I got out of the business in 2010 mostly because I was far more interested in the details of why/how things were done to get the best results rather than the time/money that most contractors and customers would focus on. Now that I work in a different field it is nearly impossible for me to hire anyone and my house is falling down around me.

Since I'm doing part of the work myself (plumbing/electrical/finishes/etc), would it be unwise to pull all the permits myself? Should I let the GC pull the permit for whatever they are working on and I'll pull the permit I plan on doing myself?

This will depend on what the licensed guys are comfortable with. A lot of GC's will rightfully question if your helping out will be far more of a burden than it's worth. As a GC, and I trusted you could do what you say, I would still handle all of the permitting. I wouldn't want inspections occurring that I didn't have full control over.

If I got along with a customer I usually had no problem with them doing stuff on their own. I would essentially treat them like any other sub.