Contractor Recommendation or be your own GC?

WOW I was in the same situation, also a designer, also nearly a gut reno (involed an addition as well as new stucco and roof) and i say hands down, HIRE A GC!!! I had 2 great subs but who never worked together before but ended up hating each other and it was a nightmare. In the end we used jbj renovations mainly because he knows the job, speaks english (italian amer) has decades of experience working for his dad, recently started up so his prices are still not a rip off…he does high end work, highly recommend, really honest and a nice guy to boot!!! james 917-217-6142 jbjrenovations@gmail.com, i hope this helps!!!

japmom55

in Brownstoner Renovation 10 years and 5 months ago

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murlsquirrel | 10 years and 6 months ago

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A little backround: I am an interior designer who works for a design build firm so I am often involved in much more than just surface materials and furniture. I do see my own clients as well and have used the same contractor many times for projects. My husband I recently acquired a 2 family row house in Gowanus that is in rough shape and are currently bidding for contractors. By rough shape – it needs new roof, plumbing and electrical. Walls and floors are fairly wonky and will need new sub floors throughout. With my experience in the field in my favor I am doing all purchasing for the projects and between my husband, myself and my father in law we have a ton of renovation experience behind us. I just got a quote back from my typical contractor and his prices have most certainly gone up. I trust him to do a good job but I can’t pay what he’s asking. I already plan to have us take on some demo and paint, install kitchen and cabinetry and finishing but this is only going to put a small dent in the cost. With all that said…I am awaiting bids from other contractors BUT would like to open up the forum to ask for reasonably priced and reliable contractors can recommend OR what people’s thoughts are on being your own GC. I am already going to sub out the roof and back deck. I now want to sub out electrical cause his price is so high (also taking recos for that too) Please tell me your thoughts, share experiences or leads on a contractor! Thanks in advance.

Arkady | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Electrical from past posts: Ceriello, Blaze, Super Charged

murlsquirrel | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Thanks Arkady! Also, FYI we hired an architect to draw up plans and pull permits so that’s taken care of.

rh | 10 years and 6 months ago

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If you’re a designer with your own experience plus experience from family members and you have an architect, you should totally GC it yourself! As a creative person in the field, you may not be happy having someone else run the show. My 2 cents.

PK | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Hire a GC. As a 30+ year (now retired) GC – it took me years to put together a great remuda of subs. And a GC represents a significant % of all of his main subcontractor’s incomes. So, for whom are they going to do more – the GC who works to make their job run smoothly, or an individual they’ll never see again? In addition, a GC has already made the mistakes – there’s bound to be some oops, like having to tear out this because you forgot to test or run that first.

slopefarm | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Before you take rh’s advice, I would think about sequencing. A good GC knows how to sequence and coordinate the work of the various trades, as well timing the sourcing of various materials and sequencing your own decisions. If you think you can do this, great. If not, you risk having angry plumbers on your hands who set aside time for you, only to have to wait for carpentry, or something like that.

Rick | 10 years and 6 months ago

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So true slopefarm. I see this all the time. Correct order saves time, money and headaches.

rh | 10 years and 6 months ago

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“between my husband, myself and my father in law we have a ton of renovation experience behind us”. I’m assuming that a ton of experience means they know how to sequence. I stand by my opinion! 🙂

murlsquirrel | 10 years and 6 months ago

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Hi all! Thanks for the advice. Totally agree with the sequencing thing as well as trade contracts. No doubt about that. I think I may have found a happy medium where a contact in the industry is going to help me out by being a pseudo contractor organizing some of the trades and I will take on some of the rest. That being said, I’d still like to bid with a contractor to see what I get in terms of pricing. I saw Beer contracting recommended on here, anybody back that up? Any others? Still figuring this out clearly!