Do I need a general contractor to build a house?

[MasseyFerg231]

Also remember that “building to code” means doing the minimum to pass, kind of like getting a “D” in school.

depending on where you are, you should look into the FORTIFIED criteria. Insurance companies may give you a savings depending on state. I have built several of the structure that were certified. Even if you don’t spend the additional money to have the certification, it really beefs up your structure or roof if you are in a wind borne debris zone. I built two homes that were hit by Hurricane Michael in 2018 (Cat5) in Mexico Beach Florida to these standards plus re-roofing my house to the standards. The two new structures no damage other that cracked panels on impacted rated glass. My roof didn’t loose a single shingle to the wind. Only damage was tree limbs through the roof structure.

 

[plowhog]

Hoping others here can give some advice.

I would also evaluate the economics. What would the GC cost if included in the project? Will they deliver that much value in return?

Suppose your expected all-in build cost, to completion, is $500k. Your GC charges 12% plus $20,000. The GC would cost you $80,000 if involved ($60k + $20k.) Will they deliver that value in return?

I acted as GC for my 3,600 ft. garage with concrete slab, framing, office, electrical, plumbing, etc. Sort of equivalent to a small house. Everything turned out fine. But I hired and paid a GC, $$$$, when I built my residence. It was worth it.

What value did the GC deliver?
- peace of mind
- a regular monthly payment stream that I could budget for
- his knowledge of which subs to obtain bids from, and which ones were reliable with quality work
- obtaining the best and lowest bids from subs who have the confidence of working with a GC
- suggestions about house design things the architect missed
- suggestions about upgrades we never considered (such as enlarging the main master bdrm window)
- suggestions about which local companies to shop with for choices like like fixtures, tile, etc.
- an organized work flow, having each sub involved at the right time
- keeping the work site clean
- disciplining the subs a few times when their workers got out of line
- and a lot, lot, more. Including a 2-year post completion warranty.

Midway through my project, the truss company couldn't deliver on time. But we were racing weather to get the shell weather tight. It became a very dicey thing. My contractor called in some favors from another truss company and was able to keep things on schedule. There were a few other issues similar to that.

I used the same subs when I was "GC" for my garage that my "real" GC used to build my residence. I learned they typically won't give their best bid to an owner-builder. They know a GC will typically run a smooth job, but believe an owner builder will require more time and more hand-holding. And an owner-builder job might go totally haywire. So their bid price reflects that. It would be wrong to say they sneer at owner-builders, but there *is* a difference. That difference has $$ attached to it. If that happens in your job, how much cost might be associated with that alone?

Good luck on your project !!!

 

[BayRockMan]

I suspect most states / counties allow you to be your own GC. You may know enough about a lot of trades to do your own work but you have to be up to speed on all the codes that apply. Licensed subs should be up to speed but if you plan to do a lot of work on your own, you need to know the code. I was fortunate to have help with family that were in the trades and knew the code.

 

[badger123]

I did 2 large houses myself. For the first one I used a be your own GC company. They provided drawings, a framed shell, windows, doors and a list of subs. At the time I was young and energetic and wanted to save some $.

I knew some subs that I trusted. A good friend was an HVAC installer/company owner. My neighbor did concrete foundations. I had another friend who was a finish carpenter. I got recommendations from them for other subs.

I supervised, hired subs, paid bills, built a deck, screen room, designed the kitchen and did all the painting, staining & flooring myself. My first 2700 sf house with walkout unfinished basement took 9 months and cost 150k including the land. I sold that house in 2008 for 400k. I basically did the same thing a second time 15 years ago.

What did I learn? Hire good subs! I didn't know "code"! Be there for every inspection, take notes, these days cell phone pics too. Every mistake was because "code" wasn't followed. My finish carpenter saved me 6 or 8 times pointing out mistakes the framers made. They were the only subs I didn't pick myself.... hmmmm.

Good Luck!

 

[bdhsfz6]

I built my own house 42 years ago. I was my own GC, carpenter, electrician & plumber. The only thing I hired out was the foundation. It took several years doing most of the work alone but I found it very satisfying. I'm retired now and still living in the house. I was able to retire early partly due my sweat equity and the fact I had no mortgage to pay off. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't feel a sense of accomplishment.

It's sad to say that all this wouldn't be possible today. Local laws have been passed which require the work be done by licensed contractors even though it is my own house. It's gotten so bad that technically, I need a permit, an electrician and an electrical inspection to replace a light switch!

I highly recommend the DIY process but as others have said, check your local laws & regulations first.

 

[MasseyFerg231]

If you hire a GC, don’t bid shop it all over town. If it’s a smaller area, they all know each other and talk. Interview a couple of builders, ask intelligent questions in regards to quality/billing/costs/schedule and choose one that you feel is honest, and will be the best to work with a move forward. If you start a bidding war the GC’s will cut scope and the person that it hurts the most is you.

 

[cholland]

We built our house starting in 2013. I had a contractor friend help me with the foundation. We subbed out the septic, insulation and drywall. It took us about 1 year to complete. Very satisfying. Definitely would do things differently. The inspections are a little intimidating, but were really not a problem. I even drew up the plans myself. Even with all the newer regs., we are currently planning to build a bigger house. You do save some $$, but when things go wrong, there is no one to blame but yourself. Plan it well and it can be done.

 

[Root Cause]

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..

 

[sunandsand]

We did this in 2007 through 2009 in semi-rural Florida. Problems were no-show subs, slow delivery of some components, county-level over-regulation. We have a *wonderful* building inspector who tells you "how" not "why you can't", and he is very open to non-conventional construction. The house is panelized light gauge steel frame with poly-something or other between the frame members. Slab on grade, faced with split face block, standing seam steel roof. I was the GC (legal here), we took some equity out of other properties to build, then refinanced when done. Very small mortgage left, low payments.

I did most of the electric (and ALL of it in the 50 by 90 adjacent hangar), some of the plumbing, hired two guys to do the hard work, and another sub to do the masonry. (Took the guy two weeks to finish, and he complained endlessly about everything, all of which was totally unrelated to the job. He did good work, if I hire him again, I'll bring and use earplugs.)

As was mentioned, make sure you get lien releases from each, make sure your subs are licensed and insured (some of ours weren't, one assured me "nothing is going to happen", my reply was "you're right - now leave".) and some of the best advice was right here on TBN "Never hire anyone you can't sue." That covers a lot more than homebuilding.

Learned a LOT doing this, we're going to do one more in a year or two, and frankly, I'm kinda looking forward to it.

Best Regards,

Mike/Florida

 

[jacspath]

I hired a GC on a T&M basis [with a set price for the use of his equipment for the finished project]. He had all the subs and crew [also hourly dudes] and skills and I chose him because he had built a house that I was using as my model home. And, he lived in the neighborhood.
AND, I was committed to being onsite every day even if only at the end of the work day to discuss 'stuff' with him. We made several modifications as we went along which was a great help and would have been hell to 're-negotiate' if I had a set contract. And I told him upfront that I would be making extensive videos of the progress of the work. I primarily did this so that I would know every detail of the structure [where the plumbing and wiring and various structural members] behind those drywall boards were. This also helped keep him honest I think.
And, PS, I have used those videos several times to locate wires and pipes when making changes over the 30 years here. Saved me a lot of headaches and worry.
One other PS. I used the set price for the use of his equipment to keep him 'onsite' until the end detail work was done [which is when many contractors find it hard to get back to finish the job]. I paid 1/2 of the set price up front and held the last 1/2 until I signed off on the work and the CO was in hand. He agreed to that part up front, but when it came to the end, he squirmed about it, but I held my spot and am so glad I had some leverage on him for that last push to the CO.