-My landlord doesn't hires the cheaper labor and I have seen shortcut taken for the other repairs. 

Also offer strong incentives for early completion (incentive like paying six months labor even if your builder completes it in 5 months).   

There are both hard costs and labor involved. 

You can certainly pay yourself for your labor. 

@Joe Homs  There's a meetup? 

I feel like I'm one of those people that's just "buying something" to get started.See the brief numbers below:Original Scope Cost NotesDemolition Labor Cost $4,250.00 QuotedConstruction Labor Cost $15,710.00 QuotedMaterial Cost $12,805.00 Ref - Home DepotPermitting/Fees $2,500.00 Ref - Development Services (estimated)Additional Scope Cost NotesSubterranean Termite Treatment $1,021.88 QuotedDry Wood Termite Fumigation $2,659.81 QuotedCarpenter Bee Treatment $161.29 QuotedReplace Misc.

This is turn key all labor and materials. 

The contract reads: Contractor will furnish all materials, equipment, subcontractors and perform all labor necessary to complete the following work (the“Work”): Restore property to Pre-Loss condition.Contractor shall carry adequate commercial liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance in the amount legally required and will pay all federal and state taxes on the materials and labor included in the Work.

@Joe White What has been suggested that is illegal? 

This is my first post so in case bartering is not kosher, I'll be sure to adjust :)  I'm having a harder time estimating labor rates than material costs, which you can look up one at a time on lowes or home depot websites.Any advice for a first timer trying to build good estimates to check against contractor bids and also know if a property is worth bidding on before hauling a bunch of people through wasting all of our time.Any help is greatly appreciated and Happy New Year to you all.