I need a contractor, but what kind do I need? I have an addition to my house that isn’t done quite right and I would like to have it demolished and a new, larger one built. I need a contractor that can take care of the plans, permits and a majority of the work from the new foundation to the roof. I would like to do some of the work that I am capable of doing to keep the costs down.
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After you put down on paper exactly what you want, including a very detailed outline of what you mean by. " I would like to do some of the work that I am capable of doing to keep the costs down"
A full service General Contractor is what you want. Ask around, check his/her references, interveiw 2 or 3 former customers, (don't take long..."would you hire this firm again", will work.) And go look at completed work.
Then consider hiring him/her, AND I promise you, IF you do those things, you should end up not Despising the firm and the subs.
What an Idea!
Thanks for the feedback Mark. The information is appreciated.
I think that what you are describing is that you will be the designer and general contractor.
The fact that you feel the need to ask this question tells me that you feel unqualified to fulfill this position.
If you feel unqualified, you probably are.
A good general contractor will not waste time or take the chance of sullying his reputation with a mixed breed job like this. BTW, how did the current addition get to be so not quite right?
your best bet, if you can't afford to find a real reputable general and have him takle care of it, is to find a young, hard working, new guy with energy and ambition who wants to start generaling. Maybe a Framer with a bigger future. Make an arrangement that lets him gaimn experience on yours while getting his feet wet. Expect a few boo boos and work with him.
We all had to start on our first big job someplace.
Hey Piff, I think you're right about finding a guy ready to move to the next level, but I don't agree with your interpretation that cX wants to be the designer and GC. I read it that he wants the addition replaced, and wants to do a little of the work himself. Sounds like a HO looking for advice from professionals. Depending on what type of contractor he hires, and as long as he doesn't hawk the contractor, it might work. And as long as he works out the details up front, he could probably do some things off the critical path, like painting or landscaping, etc.
cX - where are you? Might be that someone on the forum is in your area and would consider assisting.
You are right. My first read was that cX wanted to do the plans. I was reading between the lines and was wrong on that one.
Before I got too big, most of my work was with DIY homeowners who got themselves into trouble by being in over their heads. I had the patience and communications ability to help them through it. That is where my suggestion for a new young guy came from.
Now that I'm a real contractor, an arrangement like that would eat me alive. Excellence is its own reward!
It would eat me alive also. No diy is going to paint my drywall when I know that it will be a walmart roller, 1/4 or 1/8 inch nap, and dry rolled to he@@. Nope !!!! Not me !!!They are not doing anything on my job but sweep. Maybe the rest of you have more tolerence. So when piffen said that a framer ready to move up might just work.
Message to the poster;
Contractors , even painters are professionals in the eyes of appraisers. The job that they do are necesary to give your house a good value. " Bring me the money when Im done with my investment. "
Tim Mooney
To Cxrossover, head on down to a Lumber Yard, go on into contractor sales, ask to speak with someone who does outside sales, lumber takeoffs, or special orders. Ask that person to give you some recomendations. Note when I say lumber yard, by no means, do I mean Home Depot, or whoever else is similiar. Good Luck, Jim J
44
Is this suggestion on where I can find the "new - young" general contractor as mentioned in the previous posts. Or a general contractor. Either way this sounds like another good suggestion.
Thanks
A couple of years ago I was looking for a brick mason for patio work at my mom's house. I went to the local rock yard (where I had purchased a lot of moss rock, decomposed granite and shredded cedar for my yard) and asked for a recommendation. The guy they referred me to missed the first appointment and showed up at the second one drunk as a skunk. Were the guys at the rock yard trying to tell me something? LOL!!
Nevertheless, I'll give the idea another try. There's a lumber yard around the corner - I'll go in there today and ask for recommendations for contractor for the kitchen project I'm trying to get done. I'm in Sacramento - right next to FairOaks where cXrossover lives. Maybe I can get some names for him too.
"A completed home is a listed home."
Right,
A real common attitude is that, "Anyone can paint"
People with that attitude get the kind of job that "Anyone" can do.
Professional Painters are worthy of respect and honor.
Now look up the archaic meaning of the word 'honor'
Excellence is its own reward!
Ya got that right. I tried painting and I tell you this my wifes cousins are pro painter and they do great work. They can make a out house look like a palace. I on the other hand....just the opposite.. Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
Here's an example;
One I built a few years ago was over budget because the hubby and wife were each building two different houses inside the same shell so changes....
Anyway they ended up painting the interior themselves. I was there to see the appraiser turn up his nose at the finished job (Good for me so I could make it clear that this wasn't my workmanship.) Gobs of roller edge all across a smooth ceiling, drips on trim, voids on wall paint, etc.
They found the exterior to be too much for them and I found a good painter with a bid of ten grand for quality work. They went shopping and got it done for five.
It ended up with spots that had no proimer, all of it was one coat only, spackle and caulk at eye level only, - they got what they paid for. My guys job is usually good for ten years. They need to redo this one already but they'll probably postpone it until there is some rot or other repairs and then wonder why I didn't build it better.
oh well...
Excellence is its own reward!
Piffin,
I'm about to start a similar project for a neighbor where they want to do some of the work. The main concerns that I have that the starter of this thread may want to decide on is timing.
He wants to do demo, hang drywall, paint. That means anticipating delays for those aspects of the job similar to starting with a new untrained sub.
We have had experience in the past where we helped the homeowner to do parts of the work themselves, albiet with some training and time delays.
I don't think it's necessarily impossible to act as the general for a job such as this but I wonder if you or anyone else has advice about scheduling a job such as this. We love just taking the job with our subs and run with it; that runs into problems with some peoples budget. We know that we won't discount our labor rates and want to find ways of doing jobs for those with tight budgets.
If I get into such a job, should I give certain time allowances for the work to be done with a signed contract stating that if the work isn't completed by a certain day, our people will do the work? This seems a can of worms from many standpoints.
1. they screw it up and the job costs are more than the original estimate.
2. They half complete it and expect the cost to be half.
etc. etc.,
Do you just add a management fee and supervise the workers / freinds that the client comes up with to make sure it gets done. . .
It doesn't seem like there's a clear answer to this. If anyone has done one well let me know. In my example, we ended up giving the client many hours training for little money. I won't do that again.
Mike Butler
Berkeley Craftsmen Builders
Berkeley CA
I share your fear of homeowner work, particularly where it will impede the schedule. However, it is very dependent on the individual owner and it is possible to get a pretty good feel for the competence of the homeowner by looking at their past work and having a solid estimate for the time involved for their end of the project. It is really no different than hiring a new sub.
Let's face it. Most of what we do is not that complicated. And often what is complicated, we have to learn as we go. A careful hardworking homeowner can do most of the jobs involved in housebuilding, though it will take him a lot of time and effort.
We finished a house this spring where the owners acted as GC's and painters. We helped them coordinate the trades (for a supervisory fee) but they negotiated all the contracts and specs and had to live with their choices. They also did a super job of staining and painting, better than our regular painters and we did not have to wait a single minute for them to catch up to our schedule.
The husband did have a significant lull in his freelance work as an engineer which allowed him to spend extra time on the house and both he and his wife plan on a summer break from all house work before tackling a basement office. From a contractor's viewpoint this arrangement with these clients was a complete success because of their integrity and willingness to learn. I wouldn't do it with anybody.
HO jobs can be very rewarding... or they can be hell on earth. I've had both. And deserved the bad ones because I went against my gut on them. You usually (always?) know in advance if you will just listen.
Cxrossover, what the lumber salesmen knows, is, who is organized, lead time on special orders, their attitude, knowledge of material, pays theirs bills, and who they would want to work on their own home . So Cxrossover, go ask, " who would you recommend to work on your own home", give them a general ideal of the complexity of the project. Best of luck, Jim J.
Ooooh... okay, I get it. This is a very good suggestion. Thanks to all .
cXrossover
You are right! The manager of the lumberyard recommended two contractors, and also told me which one he would try first if it was his house (mostly because he thought my type of job was a better fit for him). I called and left a message, and the contractor returned my call THE SAME DAY! This is nothing short of a miracle, I tell ya. He came out this morning to take a look and it went very well. Now the true test: will he "get back to me" next week as we agreed? I tend to think he will, as he seems like that kind of person.
cXrossover - if you would like the names, email me and I'll pass them along, and also the name of the lumber yard.
"A completed home is a listed home."
Hey Lisa whats with the "a completed home is a listed home"? Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
We're on home #4, fixer #4, and we've never finished one before we needed to list it. In house #2 I never even got to use the new garbage disposal in the new kitchen. Painted my way out the front door and left it all up to the listing agent!
"A completed home is a listed home."
I'm going through a similar situation. Mine includes enclosing an area between the garage and house plus a new roof. It's not a large area but there are some structural changes. I don't think this will add a tremendous amount of value of the house so I need to watch what I spend. Hence, the DIY in me.
I started out needing drawings for the permits. Architects wanted $5,000 to $10,000. I finally found a draftsman who did them for $500. And yes I did get my permits. I also have not had any contractor question them. They aren't detailed but in a remodel there are a lot of hidden things that an architect would not see anyway.
I guess you could say I am the GC. I deal with City Hall and the inspectors, planning and scheduling. I will do most of the dirty work such as taking out the fireplace and having the material hauled away, dig the foundation and remove siding etc. I also plan to do the plumbing and electrical (home owners are allowed to do any of the work) plus finish work. I've hired my son and a friend to help too.
I don't trust myself 100% on making structural changes which is mainly where the contractor comes in. I asked around and got referrals and met with a lot of people. I finally found someone who would work for time and material. I also got a bid from a roofer to do the sheathing and shingling for the whole house.
The biggest problem doing it this way is patience and motivation. It's taken me nine months to finally get started. Lots of communication with hopes and disappointments. It's also demanding on your time and your back. I keep a Costco size bottle of Ibuprofen on hand...
Steve
Thats funny Lisa. Just like me except my wife's the real estate agent and I'm the builder. My house (the one on my website) is listed but I still need to do the granite kitchen counters and carpet three bedrooms.oh well, and I still haven't figured out where I'll be moving to. Good chance it may be your neck of the woods asomewhere in northern California.
BE well
Namaste'
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Lisa /Andy
Do you guys do that as sort od a side biz or does it just sort of work out that way. Im asking cuz Im retireing in about 6years 3 months and 13 days and 3 hours but whose counting...anyway im fixing my house up now, Im on a 5 year plan to fix up and sell take $$$ and up grade and do it again. The next time though Im wanting to be in the Seattle area, actually kitsap county. Just curious... Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
"fix up and sell take $$$ and up grade and do it again"
That pretty well describes us too. When we bought our first house we had little money, so we bought a tiny, run down house on a nice, quiet street. It was not in liveable condition so we HAD to fix it and budget meant we did it ourselves. A couple of years later it had improved so much in value that we sold it and bought a bigger place with a bigger lot, also run down but in a nice neighborhood. We put the tools and skills from the first house to work on the second one, gaining more tools and skills along the way, and did the same with the second one. By the third time I guess we realized that we are good at this and we enjoy it, so what the heck - let's do it again.
And now we are in the position of being able to do what we enjoy and are good at, and to hire other people to do the rest. The house we're in now is more like a 20 year project, so we'll likely stay here until we're ready for the nursing home. Unless we get tired of yard work when we're empty nesters (we have a landscaped acre) and decide to start over on a sweet little neglected bungalow in midtown, that is..... At this point I don't think I will ever live in a house that's doesn't have several projects of one kind or another going on. It just wouldn't seem natural.
"A completed home is a listed home."
Ron,
For me, being a renovations builder mostly and my a real estate agent wife what
would make more sense? Thing is in my neck of the woods here on "The Gold Coast" of Long Island anything thats worth much costs oodles. Lucky for us we both can feed each other. found this house that was totally dated and run into the ground on the best street ia a best hood. Sold mine for 4 and got this one for 4..
Whewwwww. Far and few between now. Theres one about four houses up from me that my wife's agency calls a "rip down/redo". Its gonna be sold in the mid $9's. I'm pretty sure I'll get $1.150 mil. Cost me about 3 to do.Mostly all EXTREME sweat equitity! I figured when I started it I'd be about 51 when I finiwhed and might start petering out so I gave it a way long haul. Its done pretty much and now I think where ever we go we may just have enough dough so as that I won't have to work as hard as I did on this monster. Moving out to Lisa's neck ot the planet kinda has me thinkin' to do what I consider a dream house I'll peobably have to kick the same serious ass one more time. Spose its just in me....BEtcha ifI knew I was gonna die next week, I'd start on my coffin and a way cool Musoleum.....lol
BE well
Namaste'
AndyIt's not who's right, it's who's left ~ http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
Now Tim, even though I'm a do it yourself home owner I would probably surprise you with the work I do. Although I don't build homes for a living I've had professionals tell me my drywall and paint are just as good as they would do. I'm sure I took a lot longer to do it than they would but a couple of days is acceptable to me. I also helped a friend frame up his garage and it's still standing after all these years. I've never dealt with the permit department at the county and I've never poured a foundation and at this point in my life I don't really want to learn those skills and deal with my day to day job. Believe me I understand how you feel about your work and product.
I'll excuse you this time for saying I'm right, but don't do it again :)
I'm in Fair Oaks, CA (near Sacramento). I am a home owner. What is "hawk"?
I don't want to be the designer or general contractor. The current addition was already built before we bought the house and I am pretty sure the foundation is not up to code. Along with other half baked details it seemed to me that we are better off tearing it down and starting over. Building an addition that has the same foundation and subfloor as the rest of the house is a step in the right direction. I would like to match the roofline and the current design of the house for the new addition. The new - young general contractor is definitely a consideration. Thank you piffin.
a hawk-
Picture a large brown bird of prey circling over a mouse as said mouse goes about his business. Now picture yourself as said mouse.
Thgat is how a builder can feel with an owner watching his every move. Even a good man can get bumfoozled and make stupid mistakes in a situation like that.
I believe it was used in the verb tense, to hawk a job - be constantly circling and inspecting with the intention of findiong a mistake.
Excellence is its own reward!
cX - further to the definition of 'hawk' - That piffin boy sure is dumber than dirt. Why, just look at his explanation of 'hawk'. Boy can't even spell correctly. In his last sentence he says "findiong a mistake". How can we trust him to frame the house properly with mistakes like that? Looks like we'll have to get in there and show him the correct way to do his own profession. Probably need to increase the numer of surprise homeowner inspections, and look a little closer at how he cuts the boards, just to be sure he really is measuring to the nearest 1/64" like the books say. I'll probably have to get my ex-wife's brother-in-law to drop by after shootin' pool one Saturday and see what he has to say (ya know, he was a laborer on a construction site one summer in college, and he's real sharp).
Sorry piff, couldn't resist :)
took me all of two or three lines to figure out you were spoofin'
Humour is its own reward!
I was hopin' you'd see the humor before your blood pressure topped out. Looking back at some of the HO stories (despising tradesmen comes to mind), I can just imagine the increasing cresendo as the HO-engineer 'discovers' one fault after another. Can you imagine what he tells his engineer buddies at the office? Do you suppose they sympathize or scorn him?
That'd be great if there anything like the engineers I know, They would have to attend a meeting then reach a consenus and by the time they found one of them to make a decision the job would be over...
Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
Edited 5/13/2002 11:01:54 PM ET by Ron Teti
Now that had me laughing.. Hey can I come along to, I watched Hometime a couple of timess i listened to what dean jones or johnston or what ever and got a couple of his videos boy that robin is a hottie....
Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
Edited 5/13/2002 11:01:06 PM ET by Ron Teti
Around here ( midwest) we call them " neck burners" , seems you've come across a few too. One carpenter I know , will just sit down until they leave. Have'nt tried that yet myself.
Brudoggie
OK, final report on getting a referral at the lumberyard. Today I came to an agreement with one of the GC's they recommended. He's drawing up a contract and I'm getting my deposit check ready. Hurrah!! I've been looking for months for this guy.
He's happy to let me do most of the demolition, tile the counters/backsplashes, paint, pull the permits. load the dumpster, etc., so that we can pay him all he's worth to do the framing, plumbing, electrical, cabinets, drywall, etc. He's also happy to work on a time and materials basis - which is great for an unpredictable job like this one. He's given me a worst case estimate and I can live with it, so it can only get better.
Thanks for suggesting the lumberyard for a recommendation. They'll be getting a plate of brownies in the next day or two. cXrossover: I'll share his name if you like - just email me - but we get him first. :-)
"A completed home is a listed home."
Lisa L
It sounds pretty good. Let's see what where this path takes you. Keep us posted. I'm very interested.
Or: [email protected]
Lisa"A completed home is a listed home."
Okay. Can someone tell me how I can e-mail Lisa L?
just click on her name in any message box. It will take you to her profile. There is a Send E-mail box there. Click it and compose your message.