Curious, how many Subs does a typical GC engage on a gut reno?

Doing homework in anticipation of buying a 3-4 family brownstone in need of a gut (tear down to the joists with new MEP). Happen to be in the finance side of the business (for large construction projects), and i’m interested in looking under the hood of a typical GC that operates in the townhouse operation.

How many subs will a GC hire?

What are the major/critical subs (should i weigh in interview on any of them)?

Do some GCs have crews that do more than one function (i.e. framing, electrical, carpentry), is that a good sign?

Guest User | 6 years and 10 months ago

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AnArchitect | 6 years and 10 months ago

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Everything is up for negotiation, everyone does it differently. We’re currently building 3 townhouses in BK and have a different arrangement with each client. It’s had to say without getting to know the project, understanding all the entitlement hurdles, having a sense of total budget for construction, and knowing the vision for the project. We can discuss offline if you’re interested: ac@agenciegroup.com

Guest User | 6 years and 10 months ago

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Funny you mentioned CM, that was actually part two of my question (that I left out to stay on one topic). Are there CMs at this level? If so how much can they charge as a % of the subcontracts

AnArchitect | 6 years and 10 months ago

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The principal category subs: plumbing, electrical, hvac, and OT carry the weight of the project and if you’re going to get close to some subs, these are the key players. OT can encapsulate masonry, steel, and general carpentry…but the OT sub, usually also the GC, can also sub out the masonry and steel depending on the complexity of scope. If you follow the old CSI construction categories, you might assume you’ll have 12-16 subs in the field during the work. Every operator at the townhouse scale is going to operate differently, peculiar to their own strengths and set of relationships. Given your background in the industry you might be a good candidate for working with a CM instead of a GC, or working with a design-build firm.

mozeeatupu | 6 years and 10 months ago

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There’s no one answer but good questions to ask your GC.
Two critical subs are plumbing and electrical

resident2 | 6 years and 10 months ago

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This sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen!