How to be your own General Contractor on a Home Construction Project

Answer: A General Contractor basically coordinates the build; pulling permits, hiring the subcontractors for Foundation, Framing, Roofing, Electrical, Plumbing etc. He frequently also obtains the financing through a construction mortgage and disperses payments to the subs as they complete their phases of the project. At the end of the project the General Contractor sells you the home, or transfers ownership to you, and the construction mortgage is converted over to a conventional homeowner mortgage.

In regards to actually doing the work, you should check with your local municipality building inspector. Plumbing and Electrical can sometimes be a problem as frequently building inspectors require licensed contractors to do this work. From my experience, doing your own framing, insulation, roofing, flooring, interior trim work can all be done by the homeowner.

 

When you submit your plans to the building inspector they should clearly spell out / show what you are planning to build. They should include drawings of cross-sectional views of the construction and what type of material will be used.

 

Assuming you get the permit approved you should be able to construct the home or home addition yourself, or via subcontractors that you hire. You will need to have inspections upon the completion of major tasks:

 

·        Foundation Installed

·        Framing completed (including outside doors/windows/roofing)

·        Rough Electrical

·        Rough Plumbing

·        Insulation

·        Final inspection.

 

You will also need approved septic design plans and inspections for a septic system if your home will not be on municipal sewage. Note: a septic design can take 2-3 months to complete, so plan early.