Why pay a contractor? build your own house
Why pay a contractor? – Build your own house
You’ve heard the stories before…
- The contractor made 100k on the job and I never saw it!
- The work took a year longer than planned…
- The job cost twice the original budget… Where are my subcontractors?
Why not eliminate the contractor and keep all the money? Good idea, but can you handle the truth?
One of the main jobs of the general contractor (GC) or home builder is managing subcontractors. A subcontractor (see partial list below) is defined as someone who hires the GC, such as a plumber, while the general contractor hires the owner. Therefore, the GC’s contract with the landlord is the primary contract and the GC’s contract with the plumber is a “secondary contract.” A typical custom home can easily have over 100 subcontractors, and one of the main jobs of a contractor is to oversee all of these independent businesses.
So what makes a good home builder?
Relations
A good homebuilder has strong relationships with subcontractors and vendors that may have evolved over many years. That relationship implies a level of trust, understanding and expectation. Have you ever hired someone for any type of job? It takes a while to discover the strengths and weaknesses of that person. The same is true for home builders. Managing multiple subcontractors means coordinating the schedule, overseeing proper materials and installation, hiring and paying each subcontractor.
expertise
Sure, a “non-professional” can hire subcontractors and purchase materials, but it will be more difficult for someone to understand all aspects of the construction process in the same way a professional does.
I could probably learn to do brain surgery too! But I’m not sure you want to be my first patient!
According to Dr. K. Anders Ericsson, Eminent Conradi Scholar and Professor of Psychology at Florida State University, widely recognized as one of the world’s leading theoretical and experimental investigators of experience, it takes about 10,000 hours of practice to reach the expert level.
- Expert – 10,000 hours – that means 250 weeks @ 40 hours or 5 years.
- Technician – 5,000 hours to be very successful
- Advanced – 2000 hours you get pretty good
- Layman: has little or no practice in a field
And we’re not just talking about experience in hundreds of different construction trades and techniques, but also the Building Code, local rules and regulations, human relations, management, legal, safety, and political savvy.
workflow
Have you ever heard of a construction job that took longer than it was supposed to? Unfortunately, it seems to be the practice, not the exception. Did you see the movie “The Money Pit” (a must if you haven’t seen it!)? “Two weeks” is the answer to all questions about how long it will take. Obviously some smarmy contractors are at fault here. However, the customer also has a responsibility to assume. The main reason jobs slow down (assuming they are being run by a professional and attentive builder) is lack of proper information. The plans are not well specified. The owner has not made a decision.
When workflow is mismanaged or changes, it can have a devastating effect on a job. The longer a job takes, the more it costs: interest cost, overhead, and rental costs, to name a few. A well-managed job requires a good “helmsman” leading the way. Changes are inevitable in a custom home, but the fewer the better. Good planning goes a long way, but when there is a change, the contractor must direct the appropriate change through design, permitting (if necessary), pricing, scheduling, and execution to get the job back on track.
Subcontractors work differently from general contractors and it is important to understand this relationship. A sub can have 5, 10 or 20 jobs in progress at a time and if a job changes or isn’t ready when the sub is told to be there, it’s a waste of time (time is money) for the sub. Inexperienced contractors fall into the trap of not having the job prepared or the proper specifications or materials available.
Quality
In addition to overseeing the workflow, a good contractor has a solid understanding of all phases of construction and (hopefully) design. The contractor needs to know everything from what constitutes a good foundation installation (things like clearance for rebar) to the particular type and quality of a piece of lumber (quartersawn, groove-cut, hard or rough). soft). What a quality tile installation or retaining wall waterproofing system does. Practices change in different parts of the country and different climates.
The contractor must understand the ever-changing building codes and regulations. He also needs to maintain a safe workplace and make sure all subcontractors follow the same practices.
Certainly, building a house is not brain surgery, but like any other profession, it seems easier than it is. If you want to take on building your own home, there are plenty of good books available to help you get started. Also, investigate other ways to build, such as enlisting the help of a builder as a consultant or hiring an experienced construction supervisor. Whichever path you choose, learn what you can ahead of time. Even if you hire a contractor, you’ll still be heavily involved and making thousands of decisions to get the custom home you want.
Good luck!
Partial list of subcontractors
- Alarm
- Archaeologist
- asbestos abatement
- Backhoe and Bobcat
- Honeycomb removal
- cabinets
- Rug
- Chimney sweep
- Concrete
- concrete lining
- concrete coring
- concrete piles
- Concrete retaining walls
- decor
- Sewer system
- dry wall
- electricians
- Engineers
- Excavation
- carpentry carpentry
- Fencing
- Finish Carpentry
- Masonry Chimney
- fire sprinkler
- garage doors
- Geologist
- qualification
- Handyman – Repair
- hardwood floors
- HVAC – Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning
- Jacuzzis
- Interior design
- isolation
- fiberglass
- spray foam
- kitchen design
- Laboratory tests – Mold tests
- landscaping
- landscape maintenance
- Landscape – Tree Service
- wood supplier
- Low voltage
- computer
- Telephone
- Audiovisual
- Alarm
- house control systems
- Brickwork
- Moving and Storage
- native american monitor
- oil tanks
- frame
- Decorative painting
- pest removal
- Plumbing
- Pools
- radon gas
- railings
- Retaining wall
- Roofing
- roof trusses
- put on screen
- sealants
- seismic reinforcement
- Sewing
- metal sheet
- Death way
- special items
- Sauna
- secret rooms
- Wineries
- sprinklers
- Solar-Electric
- solar thermal
- stone makers
- Stucco
- surveyors
- Trash and Hauling
- roof tile
- Installations
- Supply
- waterproofing
- Supply of doors and windows