Here are some reason why from someone whose been there:

1. Warranty. I wanted the option of being able to call someone if anything went wrong during or after construction. It put my mind at ease to know that the General Contractor (GC) would be there whatever the issue, whenever it might occur and do whatever it takes to remedy the situation.

2. Language barrier. Like any profession, the building industry has its own vocabulary, communication method and process. Unless you are knowledgeable of the field, understand the construction process and what the specific project involves, and know who to and how to and when to communicate with the various subcontractors, vendors, distributors and city officials, you will be in over your head.

3. Major time-commitment. There are a lot of behind-the-scenes organization, paperwork and phone calls that need to be made before and during a project. If you are unfamiliar with the construction industry, managing the project will become your full-time job as there will be a steep learning curve. If you are already employed, it will be very difficult to do both jobs well. Passing on the duties of GC simplified my life and allowed me to concentrate on my roles as architect and homeowner.

4. Headaches. In theory, scheduling and project coordination sound like relatively easy tasks, but not so. There are many trades that need to be involved in a moderately-sized project, and they all need to be scheduled, timed, organized, synchronized and managed. Inspectors and subcontractors go on vacation or may be unavailable at a desired time. Frustrations occur when materials get back-ordered, discontinued, shipped incorrectly, arrive damaged or incomplete, have special handling requirements or need to be picked-up. Other duties that I did not want to take on were checking pricing, verifying invoices and managing the payments. These were better left to the GC.

5. Established relationship with subcontractors. It takes a GC several years to develop and maintain a circle of trusted tradesmen. He will know several professionals in each trade and will be able to best match the subcontractor to the job and client. When hiring a GC, the homeowner benefits from the GC’s knowledge of the industry, years of experience and local contacts. But when a homeowner hires a sub himself, there are risks for both parties. For the homeowner, there are potentially higher project costs, longer construction time, sporadic work by subs and having an unknown and untested person work in the home. As the project is just a one-time event, the homeowner is not as important as a GC to a sub because there is no promise of repeat business or multiple jobs. Subs will often charge a little more when dealing directly with a homeowner because of the time needed to educate and manage the homeowner. For the tradesman, there are the risks of not being paid by the homeowner on the agreed upon price or even on time, working for someone who may not have a good understanding of the construction process, and not have a defined scope, schedule, budget or materials list.

6. Insurance. General contractors and their subs are licensed, bonded and insured. As such, they, the homeowner and the project are protected if injury, theft, vandalism or late or nonpayment should occur. These issues are not so straightforward when a homeowner acts as their own GC, and a homeowner’s policy alone does not provide full coverage during construction. Of course you should always verify that a GC is LBI before hiring him.

7. Permit process. Although usually done by the architect, the GC can navigate the plans through permitting on your behalf. He is knowledgeable about the local codes and regulations and can ease homeowners through the process. He also coordinates with the city for all inspections. Although this was not an issue for us, it can be difficult to muddle through for the average DIYer. With the current economic cutbacks, city departments everywhere are operating with a lean staff and wait times are considerable, further adding to the frustration.

8. The go-between. When things are not done right, need to be reworked or just go awry, the GC can soften the blow to the subcontractors or to the homeowner. The GC will be able to look the larger picture and do what’s best for all parties in a professional manner that is more impartial and reasonable.

Remember the GC is your advocate during the construction process. He will act on your behalf to ensure that the project goes smoothly. And that was something in which we were willing to invest.

by Caryn Urata
www.abodepdx.com