Don't Hire Me As Your General Contractor, Please!

“Managing Your Own House Renovation Will Save you 30%-50% On The Entire Project!”

By Van Sturgeon

Real Estate Investor

Geez…

The time has come and you need to spend some bread on a couple of areas in the house. The house needs a new kitchen, new flooring and the master bathroom looks like it was stuck in a time warp from the 1980’s.

Remember the shoulder pads and big hair…

So...you have an idea of what you want and you call a couple of general contractors. After answering a bunch of questions from them, they each provide you with a quote and a laundry list of things that they will do for the price.

Bingo…

That’s what you and most homeowners and real estate investors will do. It works for all of these people, so why shouldn’t it work for you? In getting a good general contractor that will oversee the whole renovation, you will get a completion date, you will get good quality renovation and you will get price certainty. 

You are going to get a written contract that says all of those things, right? You should be happy with that. 

What else could you possibly want? 

Your general contractor is such a nice guy...

Wrong...I am a general contractor who owns multiple companies across North America that specializes in residential and commercial construction and renovation.

Coming from a general contractor, I am telling you that I wouldn’t hire me…

Let me tell you why...and at the same time begin to demystify the role of general contractor, as there seems to be this pervading thought that a general contractor knows everything, and does everything in a house renovation. 

For an overwhelming majority of homeowners and real estate investors, they will and should experience some success in their renovation goals. There is a certain luxury in knowing that you have a professional who will oversee the renovation project, and make sure that everything is completed, as promised.

But...You are paying a heavy price for this luxury, as the completion date written in the contract, the level of quality that you think that you should expect and the price certainty, are all variables that can and will change. In addition, all three of these essential ingredients to a successful renovation will almost never come true. 

I should know...I am a general contractor and when I provide a completion date to a project, all that I am doing is just guessing. I am just guessing at the completion date. 

Simply...the completion date is just not in my control. 

There are so many factors that can delay or change the completion date. Often, the completion date is missed because the owner can’t figure out what they want in their finishes, or keeps changing their minds on the renovation. There are so many factors that can alter a completion date that it is a joke, that you can peg exactly when a project will be completed.

OK...so a general contractor might not give me a definite completion date, but a good general contractor knows what to do and when to do it, and can provide me with a quality renovation...right?

Nah...that’s not entirely true. 

A good general contractor would know certain common building codes and would understand the whole renovation process. But there is an unrealistic expectation from a lot of clients that their general contractor will know everything. 

That is simply not true and all that a good general contractor has done is put together a team of trades that is highly skilled, and a group that they can trust. There are a lot of things as a general contractor, you will pick up along the way as you gather more experience. But at the end of the day, a good general contractor will work together or defer to their trades to make decisions on the problems or issues encountered.

Very good general contractors are very good managers.

That’s what you are buying when you hire a general contractor to complete your house renovation, and there is value in hiring someone to look after that, versus handling a house renovation on your own. 

But here’s my question to you…

What if you were able to learn the sequencing of trades? 

What if you were able to learn what to look for in each contractor before you hire them, and while they are doing their work? 

What if you were able to identify any issues and mistakes that each trade could make on a house renovation, and make you aware of those before they happened, or be able to identify it afterwards? 

What if you had a checklist that you could use to make sure that all contractors are completing their work properly on your project? 

There are a number of resources out there that you can tap into that will help you out significantly in your house renovation. You can manage your house renovation and save 30%-50% on the entire cost of the project.

I will be disappointed in you, though. I would like to handle your house renovation, and make enough money to fly first class to Florida. 

Managing your own house renovation is simply not fair. 

I need your money, please…

For more information on house renovations and real estate investing, visit www.vansturgeon.com to help you in your real estate investment journey.