· Michael Blair
The saving from managing a renovation yourself is the general contractor’s margin, which is real. What you take on in exchange is sequencing, coordination, liability and the consequences of getting the order wrong.
What a general contractor does
Sequences the trades, which is the hard part. Electricians before insulation, insulation before drywall, cabinets before worktop templating — get one wrong and someone comes back at your expense.
They also carry the insurance, hold the relationships that make subs turn up, and absorb the delay when one does not.
What managing it yourself involves
Finding and vetting each trade, scheduling them against each other, being available during working hours, ordering materials to arrive at the right time, and pulling permits as owner.
It works best on a project with few trades and a flexible timeline, and worst on a kitchen or a bathroom where the sequence is tight.
- Few trades and a flexible schedule: self-managing is realistic
- Kitchens, bathrooms and additions: sequence is tight, GC earns their margin
- You must be available during working hours
- Owner-pulled permits make you the responsible party
- Verify insurance for every sub individually
Liability
A general contractor carries liability and workers’ compensation covering their people. Managing directly means verifying each subcontractor’s coverage yourself, and an uninsured worker injured on your property is your exposure.
This is the part most often overlooked and the most expensive to get wrong.
The middle path
Hiring a general contractor for the structural and sequenced portion and handling finishes yourself — painting, fixtures, landscaping — captures much of the saving with far less risk.
It is what most people who have tried both end up doing.