General contractor versus construction manager
Hello, we are in the midst of trying to decide between a GC and a CM for a house reno in Prospect Heights and would love to hear some feedback. We recently purchased a lovely four story home in Prospect Heights that needs considerable renovation (two kitchens, three bathrooms, skim/paint, and restoration of details if…
Hello, we are in the midst of trying to decide between a GC and a CM for a house reno in Prospect Heights and would love to hear some feedback.
We recently purchased a lovely four story home in Prospect Heights that needs considerable renovation (two kitchens, three bathrooms, skim/paint, and restoration of details if we can afford it). This is the second time that we’re going through a reno and have a plumber and electrician that we would like to stick with, and have gotten recommendations from neighbors re who to hire for paint/restoration. We’ve been advised that a CM makes more sense (and would cost less) as we have identified many of the people who would do the work. We both work full time and have young kids and so need someone to oversee the process.
Any thoughts? We are leaning towards the CM but thought that I would ask first as I rarely hear about brownstone renovations in Bklyn that involve a CM. Thanks!
I project manage for government and corporate entities on a contract by contract basis. When it comes to residential, I would not want to be handed someone else’s team.
Architects may have some insight to code, but when it comes to coordinating all of the details and trades, you need an experienced hands on GC.
New York is burdened by Wicks Law, which does not allow for any government contract to be fully administered by a GC, so the GC ends up only being a CM and does not have contracts with the subs. This old law made sense for competitive bidding, but has resulted in typical cost over runs of 30% per project.
http://www.acecny.org/PDF/WicksLawPosition.pdf
If I don’t have a contract with your subs, I simply can’t tell them what to do. I can only suggest.
We are in the final stages of a two family, five story reno in Prospect Heights. I’d be happy to meet with you and discuss your options.
masterbuildernyc@gmail.com
We oversaw our renovation using subs, and while I enjoyed every minute of it, I regret not having met a contractor experienced with old houses until later. I think he might have saved us from numerous mistakes.
My point is you might want to call in a designer or contractor up front.
Our mistakes were things like not realizing the plumbing in one bathroom and the panelling had to be replaced. I also located several appliances badly. Hide them. We also did tge skim coating wrong, but it doesn’t sound like that will be an issue for you.
A construction manager is a good idea. Where do you find one?
I would love to have a list of a few CM’s who work in Brooklyn.
As you know, the norm here is to work with an architect as the project administrator. But if you know exactly what you want and you have experience renovating houses, then you really only need the architect for DOB filing. The actual work can be supervised by the CM. A CM would not be a bad idea even if you hired a GC. It is always advisable to have someone watching our for you whether it is an architect, engineer, or CM.