If you want a tie-breaker,  you can hire a structural engineer for around $400 - they will give you a clear statement as to what is needed.Also, be sure to consider the age of the house and where you are lifting e.g. near a bath, kitchen or other potential drain line) - if it is an older house and has cast iron pipes, you will probably have some plumbing work when you are done lifting. 

This can help later when you start hiring it out.

Also if you are looking for perm financing I spent 5 years working at BOFI which is headquartered in la Jolla so can probably introduce you to some of the better reps there as well.  

Flips sound like I would really enjoy doing them more, but I have extremely limited knowledge in fixing/repairing homes and don't have much extra time to spend doing it, so I think the "fun" part of having a flip I wouldn't be able to participate in and would just have to hire out.

I hired that out to a sub.

If so, I don't think it would be worth the aggravation to hire an attorney to evict this tenant.

Another mitigant could be that you have hired a general contract with experience and have a full budget ready to present along with as is and as repaired comps based on your plan.If none of this work you could try and joint venture with another rehabber and leverage off of his experience the first deal or two while you are building your track record.  

In other words, how much do you expect to pay when you hire a GC for a full rehab project?

Should I hire a lawyer to help me with the process?

In other words, how much do you expect to pay when you hire a GC for the full rehab project?