Managing/Preparing a rehab budget

[Don Nelson]

Okay - so I've flipped about 50 houses, 90% actually made a profit.  Recently however, I've had three deals in a row fall on their head and taken a near career ending loss (six figures between the three).  I admit, I got lazy and relied too much on head math.  I also admit that I'm disappointed in myself.  

I have more real world experience under my belt than most of the "pro" members on this site (flipping anyway) but have failed to launch over the hump into doing more than surviving.  I have done this as my full time income for the past several years and used to enjoy it when contracts did what they were asked, didn't steal from me, and cared about their work.  Right now, it just seems like the budget is just plain wrong and I have to keep shelling out money until it's done, which is usually twice as long as it should be.

I'm ready for a reset, so I'm asking those investors out there who may have been down this road what to do.  I know good paperwork helps, but at the end of the day, contractors still violate them and I don't want to go to court.  Regarding management, please be specific about what "good management" is (time required, detailed methods/systems).  

How can I go from a guy getting by to running a real business and making profits/forward progress?  Thanks a ton!