So I'm planning a 30x40 garage, prices to have it built or crazy high so I think I'm going to try to tackle this beast myself. Anyone recently build a shop in or near Virginia?? I'm near Harrisonburg. Just curious about prices and subs for.concrete. I.will post a better thread later with my ideas and all that once I'm off work. Any help.would be.much appreciated.
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Virginia garage
- Thread starter Djumpr17
- Start date
kj_mustang
Well-known member
In the 'burg area myself. Check out my build thread. I have a good sub reference for your concrete work.
BadMannerz
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2016
- Messages
- 66
So I'm planning a 30x40 garage, prices to have it built or crazy high so I think I'm going to try to tackle this beast myself. Anyone recently build a shop in or near Virginia?? I'm near Harrisonburg. Just curious about prices and subs for.concrete. I.will post a better thread later with my ideas and all that once I'm off work. Any help.would be.much appreciated.
I'm down in Chesterfield. I had a 40x50x13 pole barn build started last spring. Still working on it, insulation process currently. Definitely learned a lot! Good and bad...... I will share any info I have !!!!! Feel free to message me if you want to give me a call.
bdodson89
Member
I'm in the same position you are. Looking at a 40x30 garage apartment. My first quote was $160k. Considering the option of being my own GC and subbing everything out but I have almost zero construction experience so I foresee many problems. Keep me updated on what you decide.
glentre
Well-known member
bdodson89
I have a good amount of construction experience and thought about being my own general contractor on my 30 x 38 three car plus future apartment that is now being built but changed my mind after some careful thinking. Reasons for not doing it are:
1. Getting good subs and keeping them on the job. Subs are in business full time and hook up with GC's who give them steady work or are known to them in the way they work and pay. You are an unknown and one shot customer who they will likely quote a high price to to cover their butts for problems that likely will arise because you are not an experienced GC who can head off problems affecting the subs before they cost the subs and you money. If they are on your job and their long term, good paying GC needs them, guess where they will be tomorrow morning.
Since you will have little power over the subs and you are in Smithfield, guess again where they will be during deer season, turkey season, rockfish season the first warm spring days or those too hot days in the summer. Not on your site because after this job, they know they will likely never see you again. They would never do that to their favorite well paying GC's.
2. To cover their tails, the subs will likely try to stay ahead of you on the money so if things go south, they can bail out of the project without losing anything. These tricks include having you pay an advance for "materials and labor" and insisting on frequent progress payments for work not yet completed. They will also often not show up for a few days or a week or so after they have been paid.
3. Will you have time to properly check each sub's reputation in the area, verify they have adequate insurance, are properly licensed, have no illegals working for them (you), have no legal actions against them from past customers etc?
4. Will you have the patience and experience to deal with the local zoning, building, health, electrical, and plumbing departments that GC's deal with every day and be able to take the bs they throw at you because you are not experienced and they, therefore, will be extra difficult to you to cover their butts?
5. Are you OK with the project dragging out for a year or so because, understandably, you want to save money by doing some of the work yourself?
6. Will you have a detailed set of plans and written specifications to make sure the project gets built the way you want it? Very precise documentation results in few problems. None or poorly written plans and specs will usually provoke misunderstandings and arguments that you will not win.
7. How will you know you are getting quality materials and workmanship from subs doing a one shot job? Good GC's have local reputations they need to be very careful to preserve while subs working for a customer they will never see again generally do not.
Think this through and you will probably come up with more reasons not to be your own GC. I am not a GC but grew up working in a family plumbing business and owned my own commercial architectural woodworking business for 20 years working for GC's. I also worked as a manufacturing manager for a major national corporation, often dealing with sub contractors and ended my career designing and supervising the renovation and construction of automobile dealerships. I have been on both sides.
If you had ample construction experience, a good degree of patience and perseverance and if time was not a constraint, then I would encourage you to go for it. Being your own GC could be a very interesting and rewarding experience u Dee the right circumstances.
Glen
I have a good amount of construction experience and thought about being my own general contractor on my 30 x 38 three car plus future apartment that is now being built but changed my mind after some careful thinking. Reasons for not doing it are:
1. Getting good subs and keeping them on the job. Subs are in business full time and hook up with GC's who give them steady work or are known to them in the way they work and pay. You are an unknown and one shot customer who they will likely quote a high price to to cover their butts for problems that likely will arise because you are not an experienced GC who can head off problems affecting the subs before they cost the subs and you money. If they are on your job and their long term, good paying GC needs them, guess where they will be tomorrow morning.
Since you will have little power over the subs and you are in Smithfield, guess again where they will be during deer season, turkey season, rockfish season the first warm spring days or those too hot days in the summer. Not on your site because after this job, they know they will likely never see you again. They would never do that to their favorite well paying GC's.
2. To cover their tails, the subs will likely try to stay ahead of you on the money so if things go south, they can bail out of the project without losing anything. These tricks include having you pay an advance for "materials and labor" and insisting on frequent progress payments for work not yet completed. They will also often not show up for a few days or a week or so after they have been paid.
3. Will you have time to properly check each sub's reputation in the area, verify they have adequate insurance, are properly licensed, have no illegals working for them (you), have no legal actions against them from past customers etc?
4. Will you have the patience and experience to deal with the local zoning, building, health, electrical, and plumbing departments that GC's deal with every day and be able to take the bs they throw at you because you are not experienced and they, therefore, will be extra difficult to you to cover their butts?
5. Are you OK with the project dragging out for a year or so because, understandably, you want to save money by doing some of the work yourself?
6. Will you have a detailed set of plans and written specifications to make sure the project gets built the way you want it? Very precise documentation results in few problems. None or poorly written plans and specs will usually provoke misunderstandings and arguments that you will not win.
7. How will you know you are getting quality materials and workmanship from subs doing a one shot job? Good GC's have local reputations they need to be very careful to preserve while subs working for a customer they will never see again generally do not.
Think this through and you will probably come up with more reasons not to be your own GC. I am not a GC but grew up working in a family plumbing business and owned my own commercial architectural woodworking business for 20 years working for GC's. I also worked as a manufacturing manager for a major national corporation, often dealing with sub contractors and ended my career designing and supervising the renovation and construction of automobile dealerships. I have been on both sides.
If you had ample construction experience, a good degree of patience and perseverance and if time was not a constraint, then I would encourage you to go for it. Being your own GC could be a very interesting and rewarding experience u Dee the right circumstances.
Glen
glentre
Well-known member
Sorry. Last sentence should read ..... Under the right circumstances.
bdodson89
Member
glentre I agree. Probably way more than I want to take on with having no experience but I'm just trying to consider all possible options.