the_white_shadow
Well-Known Member
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- Dec 25, 2014
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- 816
whatever you do, dont make the GC your friend. because at the end of it, he will not be one anymore.
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Help Support Hardline Crawlers :
Talk me out of being my own general contractor on a house build. Ready go!
- Thread starter customcj7
- Start date
CHASMAN9 said:Yellowyj, If you don't mind me asking, who do you work for? I live here as well and just curious.
customcj7, like I told you when you started this venture last year, I will help you in any way I can with whatever you need. Just shout.
Sent you a PM.
the_white_shadow said:
That one never works friends or family! I hate when friends or family ask. I go out of my way to find them someone esle. Most the time with family I do the job for free labor and materials. If they bitch I tell them they can pay for it or be quiet
I do not understand this. I've ate supper with nearly all my clients afterwards and twenty years of this and we are all friends.the_white_shadow said:
I've even built the same people two and three different houses.
the_white_shadow
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2014
- Messages
- 816
halcat said:I do not understand this. I've ate supper with nearly all my clients afterwards and twenty years of this and we are all friends.
I've even built the same people two and three different houses.
Obviously you are a good person then. My "friend" turned out to be a piece of **** and a shady businessman. Never know those things about him. He is now dead to me after ****ing me over a couple times and putting me in the middle of **** with his subs.
Lots of good info in here. I'll add what I can. I'm a Residential GC, have been for 16 years. I stay mostly on the remodel side, but do some new work on occasion. Here is my .02.
Is there money to be saved? Yes, for sure.
Is it easy money? No way, you will earn every dime you "save". You need to think of it as paying yourself, sometimes it will feel like less than minimum wage by the time you hold the (insert random tradesman here) hand and put up with broken trucks, dead uncles, semi creative random excuses and just plain not answering the phone.
As a contractor I have connections for every trade, but because I may not use them on a real regular basis, I don't get the same service as someone who may need a mason every month. That means I have to be the squeaky wheel to get things done sometimes.
The other thing to consider as a DIY'er is once you find a quality sub, they are typically the ones with a full schedule and many repeat clients making it hard to get on the list.
If I were in your shoes, knowing what I know, the ONLY way I would consider this is if I was going to be on site and physically working everyday. I am pretty picky about quality of work and lots of subs don't suit my standards. There are too many things that can be missed by a "truck ass" contractor if they aren't on top of the project. It is very rewarding to build your own house, but it is also making a big gamble that you may have a hard time fixing later on down the road........
Is there money to be saved? Yes, for sure.
Is it easy money? No way, you will earn every dime you "save". You need to think of it as paying yourself, sometimes it will feel like less than minimum wage by the time you hold the (insert random tradesman here) hand and put up with broken trucks, dead uncles, semi creative random excuses and just plain not answering the phone.
As a contractor I have connections for every trade, but because I may not use them on a real regular basis, I don't get the same service as someone who may need a mason every month. That means I have to be the squeaky wheel to get things done sometimes.
The other thing to consider as a DIY'er is once you find a quality sub, they are typically the ones with a full schedule and many repeat clients making it hard to get on the list.
If I were in your shoes, knowing what I know, the ONLY way I would consider this is if I was going to be on site and physically working everyday. I am pretty picky about quality of work and lots of subs don't suit my standards. There are too many things that can be missed by a "truck ass" contractor if they aren't on top of the project. It is very rewarding to build your own house, but it is also making a big gamble that you may have a hard time fixing later on down the road........
halcat said:I do not understand this. I've ate supper with nearly all my clients afterwards and twenty years of this and we are all friends.
I've even built the same people two and three different houses.
^^^^^^^^^^^^ I agree 100%. When you have a good name in the business and will take one on the chin every once in a while for a good client, this is the reward you will receive. Repeat business is the name of the game when GC'in for a living. Yes, I have had the one's as well that I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire and that is to be expected in any business though. Take the good with the bad and move on to the next.
CHASMAN9 said:^^^^^^^^^^^^ I agree 100%. When you have a good name in the business and will take one on the chin every once in a while for a good client, this is the reward you will receive. Repeat business is the name of the game when GC'in for a living. Yes, I have had the one's as well that I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire and that is to be expected in any business though. Take the good with the bad and move on to the next.
^^^^ what he said say true to your word and don't over promise. Take one on the chin and keep that head high. Keeping your word and doing right will people. Quality of your work is everything.
BigCountry
Well-Known Member
Subscribed! I'm trying to decide the same thing. Own a home now I contacted myself. Plan to sell it and build another on a lot we just purchased. Had some good subs and a father n law (builder) that got us through it. Long story short we ended up spending 60k over budget due to decisions I/we made along the way. I learned a lot from that but that was 10 years ago.
So here's my dilemma . GC's around here quote cost plus of somewhere around 12-15% . With cost plus pricing how do I know the builder has my best interest in mind? The more I spend the more he makes off the top, right? I would really like to have the luxury of having someone manage the project for me, but I also want to get the most bang for my buck.
So here's my dilemma . GC's around here quote cost plus of somewhere around 12-15% . With cost plus pricing how do I know the builder has my best interest in mind? The more I spend the more he makes off the top, right? I would really like to have the luxury of having someone manage the project for me, but I also want to get the most bang for my buck.
86chevota said:
That's right, the end result is YES you can save money doing it by yourself. Is it worth your time and effort? Only you can answer that question. Lots of good pro's and con's given.
customcj7
Well-Known Member
CHASMAN9 said:customcj7, like I told you when you started this venture last year, I will help you in any way I can with whatever you need. Just shout.
I hear ya bud, and I appreciate it, just keep me in reality like you're doing now and we'll be good. I'll bug the hell out of you yet, just wait.
I have to agree with Yellowyj as well. I think it may be best to wait for some downturn. Everywhere I go, and everyone I talk to is quite busy or has a lot going on. One GC who I did like even told me, "right now I'm so busy, I'm quoting higher than normal just because I can".
EDIT: I also miss my shop like you can't imagine and trying to do work in a garage where I can barely fit the rig in the first place is driving me crazy. I just want to start on the shop as well.
I do not understand why people quote higher when they are busy. Why penalize your costumer when you have plenty of work. Either wrote fair or don't quote at all. If you don't quote when busy, people will still call you. If you continue to quote high, they will eventually quit calling you.
halcat said:
SPOT ON, I never changed my rates whenever I had too much on my plate. The people who do change their rates are the insecure one's who don't usually get the repeat business and later wonder why their phone stops ringing. The best practice is just to explain to the possible client that they wouldn't want me rushing through their build and making mistakes, just to make another buck or two. Honesty is the best policy and usually brings them back when there is an opening.
Re: Re: Talk me out of being my own general contractor on a house build. Ready go!
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If you can't be friends with the person who is building your home then you need to find a new builderthe_white_shadow said:
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One of the worst for me is a husband and wife that can't make up their mind. The wife wants one thing and the husband wants the other and they fight like cats and dogs. I'm mostly do remodels and a lot of them The homeowners are living in them. The husband is always away at work making the big money in the wife's at home changing stuff constantly. Husband comes in from a week or two away from work and sees all the changes and goes ballistic. Don't even see how some of these men are married??? They are so gay they will fight over fixtures ,colors, tile, stain colors, etc. The other is when a family member hires you to work for their son, daughter or another member of the family. They tend to spend other peoples money freely and stuff can get out of hand quick! The joys of the construction business! I could write a book with some of the funniest and saddest stories you've ever heard
86chevota said:
^^^^^^^^^^^^TRUE...
Another true story. Husband owns a Very large construction supply company here in B'ham and wife wants to build there house in an upscale golf course community. She proceeds to build it around the 8-10,000 sq ft size and when it's time to get her inspection for permanent power, she calls the inspection department and they come out and tell her that she has not called in for ANY inspections and she would have to tear it down and start over and obtain permits and inspections correctly. Needless to say her husband was pisssssssssedddd. Just goes to show you that even though you can go to school and read the books, doesn't mean you know how to build. lol
74_Chevota
Big ole' can uh peas!
Yall are crazy or have way more time then me if you plan on GCing your own house build.
I am in commercial construction for a living. Project manage millions of dollars worth or work at a time. Deal with GC's, Owners, and architects daily.
Currently I am building a house and first thing i did was hire a GC. I dont have the time to make every little decision or be at the house every single day. Some weeks i dont make it by at all. He knows all the subs very well and when i dont like something it gets changed and usually without a cost associated.
I do everything cost +. I know exactly what he is being paid and he has no incentive to gouge me or cheapen up my house to save a buck. He set an overall budget and so far he has been almost spot on. I see every invoice and approve them before we pay it.
I did consider doing it myself for a short while, but my dad ended up talking some sense into me. If i can make more an hour at work than i am paying him to manage the job, then it was a good business decision.
I am in commercial construction for a living. Project manage millions of dollars worth or work at a time. Deal with GC's, Owners, and architects daily.
Currently I am building a house and first thing i did was hire a GC. I dont have the time to make every little decision or be at the house every single day. Some weeks i dont make it by at all. He knows all the subs very well and when i dont like something it gets changed and usually without a cost associated.
I do everything cost +. I know exactly what he is being paid and he has no incentive to gouge me or cheapen up my house to save a buck. He set an overall budget and so far he has been almost spot on. I see every invoice and approve them before we pay it.
I did consider doing it myself for a short while, but my dad ended up talking some sense into me. If i can make more an hour at work than i am paying him to manage the job, then it was a good business decision.
ibrokeit
Brock Higdon- Auburn, AL
Comercial Concrete Sub here. We for sure price higher when we are busier. We try to avoid overtime, but if somebody wants us to do the work, we will. And a lot of people do.
You are right . 95% of people do price higher when busy, also my crews work 10 hours daily and drive 2 to 4 hours to and from work. I have not had a day off in years and I am booked for the next two years. Pricing higher will not finish my current work any faster, if I do get the higher priced work all it will do is make me hire more people that I don't know nothing about to screw something up. I will continue to be fair with my bids and continue , hopefully, to stay busy.
