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Mike Goebel
Mike Goebel has been involved in the construction and home improvement industry for more than 40 years and is currently the Senior Vice President of the Home Center Division at Star Lumber & Supply Co. Inc. You may contact Mike by e-mail at mgoebel@starlumber.com or by phone at (316) 942-2221.
Home Improvement
2002-11-01 15:38:00
The general contractor
:  How big of a deal can it be to be one's own general contractor on a remodel?  
ANSWER:  You're like most folks.  You want to do an addition and you think if you hire all the subcontractors yourself, you won't have to pay the contractor's fee. As an owner-builder, many communities let you do this, but you might want to consider what all is involved. The first question to ask yourself is "how many sub contractors will be involved?"  If the answer is only one or two and you're confident that you can find one or two that you know are good and you know enough about the project to supervise their work, you might want to go ahead.  But, if the answer is 4 or 5 or more, you better think hard.  The coordination problems increase exponentially with the number of subs involved.Second, it takes a great deal of time to serve as a general contractor (GC) and the less experience you have, the more time it will take you. Any veteran GC will tell you there are some important points to consider before you undertake such a project:Building Process - You've got to know what needs to be done, and when. It's very easy to have costs go out of control because you miss things that should have been done earlier. Building Trades - A good GC will supervise all of the subs, and will constantly check the quality of every sub's work. Will you recognize work that needs correcting? Building Codes - Will you be able to look at a sub's work and know if it will pass inspection?  A good GC will, and you won't have to pay a re-inspection fee or put up with the resulting delays. Construction Scheduling - The GC is the one who stays on top of the schedule, and makes sure everything gets done when it needs to be done. If a sub misses his scheduled dates, delays can begin cascading on you.  The GC can apply more pressure to get a sub on the job than an individual can.  If he has to, the GC can bring in another sub.Builder's Relationships - Many of the best subs are very selective about which jobs they will accept.  Subs take into account the level of construction knowledge of the person they'll be working with.  If they think there might be problems on the job, the price goes up.  They also consider the opportunity for repeat business when they set their prices. How will you measure up? Capital - Any good GC will have enough cash on hand to keep your project moving even when subs threaten to pull off of your job unless they get paid, often up front for shop-produced items. Contracting Knowledge - What constitutes a valid change order? Will you know how to distinguish a bogus up-charge from a reasonable change in scope? GCs work with contracts and contractors every day, and can usually tell you down to the finest detail exactly what is included in each sub's contract.  Warranty - A good GC will warranty his work and sort things out if two or three subs are blaming each other.  Many times he has people on staff that can take care of small problems easier and cheaper than rescheduling a sub.And finally, don't forget the vendors.  Lumber yards, home centers, lighting stores, plumbing supply houses etc. are used to dealing with pros who know what they're doing.  They might also be used to dealing with home owners who do not know as much so they're careful to ask more questions and provide more guidance.  However when the home owner is acting as a GC there is a tendency for the salesman to assume that the home owner knows as much about the products as a GC would and does not ask all the questions that he would have otherwise.  When misunderstandings lead to mistakes ill feelings and financial losses abound.Being your own GC on a job is like making your own wedding cake.  It might work, but sometimes there are people who can do it better... and for less cost in the end.
 
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