All Forum Posts by: Account Closed

@Scott Raley Is it legal for you to be acting as the general contractor for non owner-occupied houses (i.e. practicing general contracting without a license)?   Everywhere is different but in NC you would not be able to pull permits, even if you own the house, unless you sign an affidavit attesting that you intend to live in the house at least 12 months after the completion of the work.   You might want to look into it.

@Candace Berry I'm curious where this house is; I'm doing one 2 blocks from NCCU!    :)

@Simon Stahl  As long as the blocks and mortar are in good shape, it is no problem to renovate, or add on to, a block house. There are additional costs though, so factor that into your budget. If the numbers still work: great!

@Justin Eaton I think you're confused on what constitutes the practice of General Contracting. It is not necessarily performing any actual physical work (though one certainly can and even should) rather it is the supervising and managing of the project and its sub-contractors.  So if you are "acting" as the GC,  you are performing the "work" of a GC (without a license) and that may be illegal in your state if it is a house you do not intend to live in.  You should research this to see what the law is.  Contact your local building dept and/or your state licensing board for general contractors.  If a license is indeed required, you might want to pursue licensure yourself. 

To answer the spirit of your original question, I think time is money and you get the maximum efficiency by letting people operate within their specialties.  A good contractor can save you money (keyword:good).  :)

@Juan Najar   "Repair estimate" for what?   There is no better way to lose money than to try and estimate renovations by the sq ft. There is no shortcut.  Figure out what needs to be done and then get actual estimates.  

 In NC, at least, that is not true.  A homeowner can not legally pull permits, nor act as his own GC, on property he owns, unless he attests to the fact, via sworn affidavit, that he will occupy the home for at least 12 months after the work is completed. 

 If the activity in question, i.e. practicing General Contracting without a license,  is illegal in Justin's State (NJ) then his original question is nugatory.  

@Colton Cook  I don't think 'courtesy' and 'quality work' can be successfully gained through a company rule book (SOP).  The owner of the company sets the tone for how business is to be conducted...by leadership, example and by only hiring people who share his values.  

@Justin Eaton  Is it legal to practice general contracting without a license in your state?  Where I live, it is not...but not every state is the same.  In NC you can not pull a permit for a house you own unless you sign an affidavit that you intend to live in the house for at least 12 months upon completion of the work...which pretty much forces you to hire a GC to perform renovation work, if you wish to comply with the law. 

I think such rules are good in that they help protect the end buyers from purchasing a house with shoddy or sub-standard work ( I'm not implying that your work is such; I'm merely addressing the rule). 

Many times, investors only think of costs but what of the end buyer?  What if there is a problem down the road from something you've done, what recourse do they have?  When I complete a job, I'm able to stand behind my work regardless of who the owner is.  As a non-contractor, how are you able to do that?  

There's also the issue of insurance ,e.g. Worker's Comp.: What if someone gets hurt on your job?  As you can see, there are many considerations to your question. 

@Marian Smith  "A job worth doing is a job worth doing right."  Tear it out and start anew.  No sloth!