Should I Serve as My Own General Contractor to Save Money on My Home Remodel in Orange County?

It is generally believed by many homeowners that you can serve as your own general contractor on a home remodel and you will save boatloads of money. They argue that there are many quality subcontractors in Orange County that they can call on to complete the various aspects of a remodel, and that they can schedule them to come in just as easily as a general contractor could. How hard can it be, right?

Legally, you can be your own general contractor. You don’t need a license to do so. You can do any portion of the work yourself and hire quality subcontractors to do the rest. It is our experience, however, that no matter how good and qualified a subcontractor is, they need experienced guidance in order for the overall project to come together successfully. Unless a homeowner has many years of building experience themselves, they would not be able to provide this type of guidance.

When subcontractors don’t have expert guidance, they will simply come in and do what is asked of them. They won’t have the big picture in mind and will often misinterpret what is required of them, and they may be forced to make a decision on their own when a question arises about a construction technique that a homeowner cannot answer. Or, they will fail to take into consideration the work that needs to be done after them, causing problems for the next subcontractor.

A general contractor knows how to get the best work out of subcontractors—holding them accountable when they make a mistake or try to cut corners. Most subcontractors are only concerned about their little piece of the project. They want to get in, do their work, and get paid. You need a general contractor who cares about the overall project. Yes, as a homeowner, you also care about the overall success of the project, but you might not know how to bring it to a successful completion, where all the elements of the remodel work together seamlessly.

Most homeowners who have undergone a remodel will tell you that a good general contractor is worth every penny they are paid. A general contractor will save you countless headaches, and the project will likely be completed sooner and more successfully than if you tried to manage it on your own. We know it can be tempting to save some money, but foregoing the expertise of a general contractor can often turn out to be an expensive mistake.