Do I need a general contractor to build a house?

[JackieM]

There's a reason GCs and real estate agents exist: you don't know what you don't know, until you're standing in a steaming pile of . I would find the best GC I could, treat him or her well, and make them WANT to work with you. It's a long-term working relationship, but it will be much longer if you try to do it yourself.

Also, don't fool yourself into believing you can still do the manual work you did in your 20s. I'm guessing you're in your 60s now, and everything is heavier now. Do it right, and you won't have regrets.

P.S. My husband and I just had our dream house built. Even with a good GC, there were issues all along the way, and mostly having to do with subs. Find a GC with rock solid sub relationships. They're the difference between success and a money pit.

 

[bigtiller]

How about hiring a GC to frame it in, enclose it and finish the roof. Then with it weather proof you can do finish work.

 

[Lee Robinson]

Four-five years ago I had a 3300 square foot slab poured for our K9 kennels. Man...I learned the hard way that very few people know what they are doing even for such a simple project...had to fire 2 crews before finding someone to do things right. Everyone wants to do shabby work but expect full pay.

Our rebar was in the mud and not tied together when they wanted to pour...and dirt was not leveled smooth at all (crater valley), but I showed up before the concrete was ordered and...no way...slab he framing was not square, slop was not even (for water drainage), footings were dug twice as wide and twice as deep as they were supposed to be because someone showed up with a trackhow for another project and the guys there wanted him to dig the footings. I was there when they asked the guy, and told them, no way...that was going to increase my concrete order by 45 more yards. After I left, they did it anyway...fortunately I only had given them $1000 prior as a deposit...so when they asked to get paid again before correcting all these issues, I told them, sure, but you gotta do the corrections first because it was going to be a lot of work to correct their mistakes. They got mad, so I told them to fix it or leave. They left. We had to tear it all down and start over. Then they showed back up wanting the job. LOL...I told them to leave before I filed trespassing charges.

We did the dirt work ourselves and my neighbor new a crew that finished concrete work (he was a retired concrete worker). When the concrete trucks showed up they asked, "who did your dirt work, it is the best I have seen in 20 years." We had it packed nicely and as smooth as a baseball field because honestly, I didn't know what was good so I just kept working it until I couldn't get it any better.

Very concerning experience for when we build our home...because I do not have the knowledge or experience to build a home, which is something I want to do within the next year or two. I guess I will just follow a few bits of advise I saw above...

1. Don't hire someone you cannot sue.
2. Check with supply stores and find out who buys high quality supplies and pays their bills,
3. Check with some inspectors to find recommendations for general contractors with high standards,
4. Get advise/recommendations from our bank on which GCs are well respected, and
5. talk to some home owners I respect that I know build their homes and find out who they used and if they are pleased with their service.

P.S. I am open to additional tips if you have them. This will be the first time we have had a home built.

 

[oosik]

I had the footings and foundation walls poured by a recommended contractor. Otherwise me, my wife and son completed the entire house. The ONLY other item done by contractors - installation of the living room carpeting.

That was all completed in 1982. The advantage - I know every board - every chunk of plumbing - every run of electrical wire. I've not had to repair/replace anything - but I know how everything was installed/built.

I'll take that back. At 30 years - about ten years ago - I had a new asphalt shingle roof installed. I had this done by contractor. I remember how the OEM shingle roof turned my knees into bloody hamburger.

 

[mgstevens]

So many stories... I built my own home, designed it, did the drawings, used only 2 subs (drywall and spray insulation) and adhered to the old adage: your project/job can have 3 possible qualities: good, cheap and fast - pick two!

I chose good and cheap. My build took 3 years. It worked out fantastic as far as mistakes (there were a couple - all by component suppliers..) and I built for about 1/2 the square-footage-cost of a contractor-built house. There's your good and cheap.

Also, I built almost to "passive house" standards, meaning very little energy/cost to heat and no cost to keep cool due to the high levels of insulation (R60 roof, R40 walls, triple-glazing on all windows, very careful on air-sealing..)

Of course, I took years (about 15 years..) to work alongside a finish carpenter, master painter and architect to learn the skills to pull this off, but if you're handy, and patient, you can pull off a miracle. There are books on every aspect of a house build if you need to learn. I guess it's mostly down to the willingness to learn and the ability to endure and persist when the project is underway. Many days can seem bleak and the finish line a lifetime away, but if the planning is good (very important!) you'll know where you are at all times and can put your head down and keep plugging away.

Being your own GC using subs could be either a dream or a nightmare. One sub will recommend another, so choose quality every time or you'll end up in a dark pit of your own making. And know something about their trade so you can have an idea of a fair price. Otherwise you'll pay more than you should. That is what a GC brings, calm, patience and usually a contact list of good subs. You can do it, but it's non-trivial.

 

[Root Cause]

How about hiring a GC to frame it in, enclose it and finish the roof. Then with it weather proof you can do finish work.

This sounds like a good plan. Enough to get a GC interested without all the cost and it gives me a 2nd chance to make sure all the plumbing and electrical is complete with flood lights/cameras etc before the sheetrock goes up. Thanks

 

[orezok]

I’m a licensed general contractor for 40 years. Early in my career I built over 2000 “shacks” as we called them. I then moved on to commercial/industrial and finished my career with 17 years of building public schools. When I went to build my own house, I hired a local general contractor as I had lost all contact with house subs. Borrowing a phrase from the medical field, “A doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient”.

 

[Rustyiron]

Between subs being busy with enough work to be "choosey", and a lot of materials being months out, not to mention the high price of both of these. I believe that now's not the time to play builder, not for a complete home build. I would price out a few builders for a turnkey price.
It sounds like you are not in a rush or a situation where this has to happen right away ie; job or career move. If this is so, I'd wait for the inevitable crash and intrest rate climb. That's when you will be looked at by both suppliers and contractors with a much better attitude.
Construction, especially home building has a million moving parts. From the obvious weather issues that affect the whole project until your basically under roof, to the hungover helpers and "no shows" that collectively can totally F your perfect (on paper) schedule. Then there's the mis's,
Mis communication
Mis understanding
Mis orders
Mistakes
.... and there are many more .
These "mis's" apply to each and every person that walks on your site and everyone else from permitting, banking, distributing down to the local suppliers, etc.

 

[MasseyFerg231]

Great input from everyone.

It is a small area. I have all confidence that the skilled trade owners and building inspectors all share the same dinner table on Sunday.

I have the capability but lack the contacts. As others have said, I am a one-time customer and that is never a good position to be in.
Still hard to pay someone else mainly for the contacts when I will be doing most of the rest of it.

I may just hire a GC for the basement and be up front about that and tell him that the rest is subject to how the first phase goes. Not sure if anyone would buy into that but it seems logical from my end..

If the GC pulls the permit, you have to deal with taking over the permit.

There's a reason GCs and real estate agents exist: you don't know what you don't know, until you're standing in a steaming pile of . I would find the best GC I could, treat him or her well, and make them WANT to work with you. It's a long-term working relationship, but it will be much longer if you try to do it yourself.

Also, don't fool yourself into believing you can still do the manual work you did in your 20s. I'm guessing you're in your 60s now, and everything is heavier now. Do it right, and you won't have regrets.

P.S. My husband and I just had our dream house built. Even with a good GC, there were issues all along the way, and mostly having to do with subs. Find a GC with rock solid sub relationships. They're the difference between success and a money pit.

Jackie M is correct. if it was easy everyone would do it! you can’t do as much physical work yourself when you are trying organize and direct other trades at the same time. Maybe find a GC to run the job and you could self perform some of the work you are capable of. You get to be there often, monitor progress and use your skill set.

 

[MasseyFerg231]

Between subs being busy with enough work to be "choosey", and a lot of materials being months out, not to mention the high price of both of these. I believe that now's not the time to play builder, not for a complete home build. I would price out a few builders for a turnkey price.
It sounds like you are not in a rush or a situation where this has to happen right away ie; job or career move. If this is so, I'd wait for the inevitable crash and intrest rate climb. That's when you will be looked at by both suppliers and contractors with a much better attitude.
Construction, especially home building has a million moving parts. From the obvious weather issues that affect the whole project until your basically under roof, to the hungover helpers and "no shows" that collectively can totally F your perfect (on paper) schedule. Then there's the mis's,
Mis communication
Mis understanding
Mis orders
Mistakes
.... and there are many more .
These "mis's" apply to each and every person that walks on your site and everyone else from permitting, banking, distributing down to the local suppliers, etc.

We are getting hammered daily on cost increases. An example is that while we may have quotes (and contracts) on an item such as roofing, but the real cost will only be known a maximum of 30 days prior to shipping and delivery is 4-6 months out. We are starting to see it in other materials as well.