A Casual Survey: Homeowner GC'ing their job

Mad Dog_2 · March 13

I have reluctantly done this a few times over the years. Rarely goes well. Your thoughts & experiences? Mad Dog

ethicalpaul · March 13

What kind of job are you thinking of?

Intplm. · March 13

A home owner GC ??!

GC—— "But I saw them do it that way on you tube."

Contractor—— "I did too. Shall I invoke the "difficult GC / home owner clause in the contract.?" Since this is the fifty forth time you have argued this?

In other words. No F#%^@*G way would I take a job under those circumstances. The headaches and the risks are not worth the hassle.

Unless of course the relation between customer and contractor is rock solid. But that is a … well… then again. I smell a can of worms.

ratio · March 13

I always figured that if I built a house I'd hire contractors by the day, to give them the option of bailing without feeling too bad about it.

hot_rod · March 13

I've worked with many GCs over the years. The best ones are:

Knowledgable of the various trades, patient, well organized, have a sense of humor, accommodating, but also firm and assertive.

Bilingual is a plus, almost a must in my neck of the woods.

PeteA · March 13

I would actually prefer to do my own work under the guidance of the pro.

The pro works with me to plan out the job. I get the necessary permits I need, procure the materials and build it out. Pro comes by and verifies what I’ve done was done to our plan and helps set up inspections.

Job gets closed out as complete.

Homeowner becomes more knowledgeable about trade work and possibly opens up a new revenue stream for the pro without the overheads.

Jamie Hall · March 13

Doesn't this really depend on the scope and complexity of the job? For instance, to actually build a house, let's say, on a vacant lot, there are many trades involved (including some Professional Engineering — or there should be) and the average homeowner would, in my view, be ill advised to be the general contractor. On the other hand, finding a good GC could also be remarkably difficult (to be honest, I can't think oof one in my area for a job of that scope, although there are a couple of firms for commercial work). On the other hand, for building a new deck, same (not all) homeowners would be well qualified. For some other jobs — let's take one I did a couple of years ago, installing a complete minisplit system for an apartment) is the company doing the insallation a GC? There are several trades involved — in this instance, a couple acting as subcontractors to the firm providing and installing the heat pump and commissioning it. Is that firm a GC?

Fizzy question. fuzzy answer…

EBEBRATT-Ed · March 13

No, most of the time Homeowner GC never goes well.

Half way through the job they want to start adding things.

There may be some instances where a homeowner may be a excellent GC but most have no clue of the scope of the work installed or what needs to be done.

Who does clean up

who disposes of rubbish and rubble

They want to buy their own material but when the Amazon Junk or HD junk fails they want you to change it out for free.

If they supply the material they will buy the wrong stuff or it will not be available when you need it.

ILikeEmOlder · March 13

Lots of good comments.

I’m open to working with homeowners who want to semi-GC the project.

I bill my rate for “consulting” and send over the invoice (per some kind of payment schedule agreed from the outset).

I often procure materials & supplies. I often line up subs. I weigh in when they want me to.

More and more, folks want to take the reins. I used to fight it, not so much anymore.

mattmia2 · March 13

and how often does it go badly with a professional gc?

hot_rod · March 13

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1848179#Comment_1848179

I think it comes down to the actual person, or people involved, not based on a title or what license they hold necessarily. The interview should be as much about personality as job experience.

Spell out in writing what is expected from all the parties.

License and liability can be an issue, bank financing often dictates the legal requirements. My current city allows homeowners to do quite a bit of the GC work if you post a bond, and hve an engineered design, stamped by a state licensed PE.

I have GCed all my building projects, ground up and remodels. Being in the trades helps you find the subs that will work this way.

At days end most all the subs helped each others out, when it came their turn to build you reciprocate. At least when we were all starting out in business. And in a small town

delcrossv · March 13

I've GC'd before and things turned out well. I wouldn't have any problem doing it again.

Larry Weingarten · March 13

I am a GC. Still, I've had clients who wanted to keep costs down. If they have the right skills for all the different parts of project management and if I know them pretty well, I'll help them do the job as needed. Some people can't take guidance and only want what they want now, with no ability to look longer term. I won't even refer people for those jobs.

Yours, Larry

Mad Dog_2 · March 13

Paul...kitchens, baths, extensions, dormers...Extended stay jobs...Mad Dog

LRCCBJ · March 13

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1848203#Comment_1848203

250K Steam boiler with a drop header and all new NBP………………..extended stay job.😁

Mad Dog_2 · March 13

Actual professional experience in one trade is a big plus, but I've had DIYrs & Corporate Office types that were brutal. What I have found is that the HO/GC leans on the "subs" too much because they are not knowledgeable enough & frustrate them. Mad Dog

Long Beach Ed · March 13

Never.

No residential work.

Ever.

kcopp · March 14

I would really need to know the customer. A cold call even asking for a remodel of a bathroom is iffy.

I always ask if a carpenter is involved.

Most say they are doing the carpentry …. I generally will back away.

EBEBRATT-Ed · March 14

I had a carpenter buddy that right up front when everything was decided he would say "OK any changes will be a minimum of $500". He said it stopped the changes.

I used to get it when I was wiring. Go over everything first. Your rough it, the sheet rock goes up . All is well until you finish and the paint is on.

Then they start,

"I didn't know the light fixture was going there"

"I need more outlets over there"

even though you went over every inch of it with them b4 starting

They could have looked at the rough

even after the sr was installed wouldn't be a killer.

But after the paint is on??

jesmed1 · March 14

People don't plan to fail, they just fail to plan.

When I was a young engineer in the '90's, "Total Quality Management" was a popular corporate thing, so we got a TQM seminar. One case study in the seminar was a comparison of two new factories, one built in the US and one built in Japan. The US method was to design and break ground as quickly as possible. But the fast design process meant many of the mechanical details (HVAC routing, etc) were left out of the prints. And as a result, construction was slow as many details had to be worked out by the subs on site, and a lot of rework and change orders. By contrast, the Japanese spent much more time up front on the factory design, down to the routing of all mechanicals, etc, so that when they broke ground, there was no conflict between subs, little or no rework/change orders, and despite taking much longer to break ground, the factory ultimately got built faster.

PC7060 · March 14

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1848189#Comment_1848189

this ^^^^ including a good set of approved drawings with structural and finish details plus materials lists.

A Casual Survey: Homeowner GC'ing their job

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