Should You Be Your Own General Contractor?
In today's market and the fluctuating cost of materials, the most efficient way to build is to move quickly.
Sometimes the best way to move quickly and stay efficient and affordable, is to be your own General Contractor. But if you are building ONE home it can be really hard to motivate subs and access specific material if you don't have the right connections.
Why Sub-Contractors Prefer Builders
Builders have an edge on the market. By offering their subs months of work vs. one project they can establish loyalty and a team that will jump through hoops to move their projects forward. If you don't have these industry connections it will take you much longer to complete your build and the money you save by GC-ing yourself could easily become a wash. Around Oklahoma City we are seeing prices around $180-200 sq ft to hire a good GC. You can always find a "cheaper" bid out there, but if you are not careful you can easily lose control over the end product.
Our General Contracting Experience
Speaking from personal experience, as of 09/2022, we are landing around $160 per sq ft by GC-ing our home ourselves. But, in order to get that price we've had to paint the exterior and interior, tile all the bathrooms, polish and seal the concrete floors, install all the trim work, complete the dirt work, lay the deck, etc. We've had to work strategically around the clock to keep our cost down while managing several last minute design pivots to maintain our budget.
Our Recommendation
If you are risk averse financially we would recommend NOT moving forward with building until access to materials are a little more manageable (to better guarantee pricing), and/or subs are looking for more work and willing to take on smaller jobs. Obviously, with Oklahoma's Market I don't see things slowing down anytime soon. Therefore, if you decide to move forward we recommend you plan to financially handle a 20-30% swing in the total cost of your build. Whether you hire a GC or manage the build yourself, you'll be sitting at a much more comfortable position with the unpredictable market swings.
Can you bring your sq ft number down more than ours with a simpler floor plan and a more builder grade style home? Of course!
If you have a floor plan you like and need some changes to it, we recommend working with a local draftsmen.
If you are looking for a design process that is more detailed, helps you define what you really need vs. want, and how all that fits into your overall vision of home and family then Green Couch Design is the right firm for you.
The good news is that our design process clarifies your project scope so you get a picture of what it's really going to take to get your project off the ground. No more guessing or hoping. We welcome contractors to join the conversation as early as possible to help manage budget and design expectations all around.
With Green Couch Design you get the support of an expert team to help you navigate cost savings and design pivots without compromising your overall vision of home.
Ready to get started? Set up a free, 20-minute discovery call!
About Author Cale Lopp
Cale is a Co-Owner and Principal Architect at Green Couch Design, a boutique architecture firm located in Oklahoma. He writes about architecture, construction, development, leasing, homesteading, place-making, business ownership, and dose of nerdom when it’s appropriate.
