Building your own home is an exciting prospect and, for many, the easiest way to get onto the housing ladder. That’s why it is an increasingly popular option for many first-time homeowners and those who want their dream home.
Of course, it takes a lot of planning to build a house, starting with an architect helping you design it, going through planning permission, and finally the build? But, even if you’re &a competent DIYer, should you be building your home yourself, or is it better to get a general contractor?
The Role Of A General Contractor
The general contractor is someone who can supervise your build for you. This is different from a dedicated house-builder.
A housebuilder uses their own team of people to build the house, they have in-house professionals to handle plumbing, electrics, and all other elements of the build.
In contrast, the general contractor is someone that reports directly to you and supervises all the other contractors on the project. You’re free to hire a general contractor that you know already, or find a high-quality one through a reputable labor hire agency.
The general contractor reports to you, they can choose the subcontractors or you can choose them and get the general contractor to supervise them. Either approach can work as long as it’s agreed on between you and the general contractor first.
But, the key fact is that you don’t need to deal with all the individual contractors, the general contractor is effectively your project management and will handle everything for you. They’ll report back to you when scheduled to do so and you can tell them if you’re not happy with the progress of a particular contractor’s work.
Should You Hire A General Contractor?
If you have a lot of free time and like to adopt a hands-on approach then the general contractor may not be the best option for you. Once you have a general contractor you won’t need to interact with all the other contractors, you may find this frustrating if things are not being done as you would like them to be.
However, if, like most people, you have limited free time, the general contractor is a great idea. Because they are handling all the day-to-day details of the build you can focus on living your normal life, without the stress of building a new home.
All you have to do is trust your general contractor and speak to them regularly. It is recommended you connect every day to review progress and any issues. But, this is the only stress you’ll need to experience as the house is built.
Much depends on how much you want to build the house as opposed to having a new build designed to your specifications. A general contractor won’t work if you insist on being on-site for every decision. But, if you’re content to let them get on with it, it’s definitely the best way to go.