In fact, when I started rehabbing, I had absolutely no construction experience, so this was my first major lesson.Of course, there will be materials that we have to get from other suppliers; in some cases, we can do something similar and in some cases we have to go to the stores to pick things out by hand.

Do you really want to teach your kids the principle to invest based upon the hope of "future earning potential" or the reality that W-2 income DOES NOT keep pace with inflation or commodities pricing, is the hardest earned, highest taxed income available to a person and beholds you to 1 supplier of income?

You should be more concerned about releases from subs and material suppliers.

You can tell a lot about a contractor by visiting a site.One more thought on asking the supplier for references is that you will more likely to get a guy who is paying his bills.

Given that their roofing prices are pretty competitive with the cheapest suppliers in the area, the $200-400 in rebates make this the lowest priced materials solution I've found.

It also posses another problem which is when you need to return product or material that is defective or damaged you are working with suppliers who have insanely high volumes and little relationship with the purchaser.

The more work we require out of suppliers, the less likely they are to discount.

Develop a solid and diverse network of contractors and suppliers and learn to project manage your renovations, or hire somebody who can do that for you rather than hiring one “General” Contractor.

Watch out for switches on the "currrent invoices" write two party checks to suppliers if needed, get your lien waivers, and ask for proof they have paid the invoice.   

I recommend always purchasing the materials yourself, or paying for them separately / if the sub has materials included be sure to cut joint checks to suppliers + subs, prevent liens from suppliers if the subs don’t pay them.