What do REI's Want in a General Contractor?

[John Vosika]

Good Morning!

I am pretty new to BP, been perusing it for a couple months now and have made some solid contacts and am amazed at the endless information available here.I am an Arizona licensed general contractor with 30+ years in the construction industry.I started my own drywall company in Minnesota when I was a teenager.I moved to AZ in 1984, opened a drywall company here and then in 2004 transitioned to a GC.I have tons of experience in remodels and rehabs which lead me to the REI industry.

I have a couple of questions for the industry as a whole (wholesalers, investors, flippers, etc).I realize “to each their own” but am truly interested and would appreciate honest feedback:

What do you want from a GC?

What do look for when hiring one?

Is there a need for walk through estimating and if so what is the going rate?

How do you like your proposals; extreme itemization?

Do you expect a GC to recognize and/or evaluate potential code issues within the estimate?

Do you find value in the GC pointing out potential code issues? (frequently comes up with older homes)

For you PRO members – what is the best part of upgrading to PRO?

[Jonathan Makovsky]

@John Vosika welcome!!

See below for responses:

What do you want from a GC? 1) GOOD WORK, 2) ON TIME, & 3) ON BUDGET (ON ONE OF THE PODCASTS THEY SAID IF YOU GET 2 OUT 3 THAT IS PRETTY GOOD - BUT 3 OUT OF 3 IS WHAT WE LOOK FOR.)

What do look for when hiring one? SEE ANSWER ABOVE

Is there a need for walk through estimating and if so what is the going rate? DEPENDS. WE DON'T PAY OUR CONTRACTOR ANYTHING BECAUSE HE KNOWS HE WILL LIKELY BE GETTING THE WORK. HOWEVER, IF YOU'RE DEALING WITH SOMEONE WHO IS DRAGGING YOU AROUND TO MANY JOB SITES THAT YOU DON'T THINK IS SERIOUS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHARGE THEM AN AMOUNT THAT WILL BE APPLIED TO THEIR FIRST JOB WITH YOU. (IMO)

How do you like your proposals; extreme itemization? UP TO YOU. DEFINITELY THE MORE ITEMIZED THE BETTER (ESPECIALLY FOR MORE SEASONED INVESTORS) - SINCE THEY MAY NOT NEED EVERYTHING IN YOUR QUOTE. BUT IF YOU'RE WORKING WITH SOMEONE FOR THE FIRST TIME, YOU CAN GIVE THEM A GENERAL S.O.W. AND SEE WHAT THEY SAY. IF THEY ASK FOR IT BROKEN OUT MORE GO FOR IT. [DON'T THINK THERE'S AN EXACT SCIENCE TO IT - JUST DEPENDS ON PERSONALITY.]

Do you expect a GC to recognize and/or evaluate potential code issues within the estimate? I WOULD POINT IT OUT AND ASK THE REI HOW (S)HE WANTS TO DEAL WITH IT. OBVIOUSLY, IF THERE IS SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE NOT COMFORTABLE WITH BECAUSE IT'S A CODE VIOLATION - LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU CANNOT DO XYZ FOR THEM.

Do you find value in the GC pointing out potential code issues? (frequently comes up with older homes). YES, THERE IS DEFINITELY VALUE TO THAT. BUT I THINK JUST ABOUT ANY HOUSE WILL HAVE SOME CODE VIOLATIONS. AS A FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS A POLICE OFFICER ONCE TOLD ME, A NEW CAR OFF THE LOT CAN BE TICKETED FOR MULTIPLE VIOLATIONS WITH IT - SO MY GUESS IS THERE WILL ALWAYS BE CODE VIOLATIONS. I WOULD DECIPHER WHAT VIOLATIONS ARE NECESSARY AND SAFE VS. (E.G.) AN OUTDATED CODE VIOLATION THAT THE TOWN DOESN'T LOOK FOR.     

For you PRO members – what is the best part of upgrading to PRO? BP HAS DONE SO MUCH FOR MY EDUCATION AND NETWORK, THAT FOR NO OTHER REASON I AM A PRO MEMBER TO GIVE BACK TO THE SITE SO THEY CAN KEEP DOING THE AMAZING WORK. (OTHER REASONS TO GO PRO: IT GIVES CREDIBILITY, AND THE ABILITY TO POST TO THE MARKETPLACE AND MEET-UP GROUPS.) 

Good luck and looking forward to seeing you around the forums.