As an owner-builder, you will be responsible for all of the following:

	You will either have to pull all of the permits or have each sub pull their own.
	There is a lot of 'grey areas' between the trades, you will have to pay for those.
	There is always mystery damages done on projects, you will have to pay for them.
	You will have to deal with the inspectors 'face to face' for inspections.
	You should be able to fully understand construction terminology.
	All plan revisions that are ordered by the city building inspector will be on you.
	You will have to find good honest subs for all trades and keep them on a schedule.
	You will have to find a deputy inspector for your concrete pour and epoxy hold-downs.
	You will have to negotiate up to 10-20 contracts instead of just one.
	You will have to pay for extras that come up, and there will be a lot of them.
	You will need to find a way to keep the job clean and safe, up to OSHA standards.
	You better have a $1,000,000.00 insurance policy, because most contractors DON'T
	You are legally responsible for all taxes & workers comp insurance for workers you hire.
	You are responsible for yard run-off, $75,000.00 fine by the State of California!
	If you get caught by the CSLB for hiring any unlicensed contractors, you can go to jail and receive a nice fine. They do stop by jobs and check pocket cards!

The nature of the above information is not to scare you, but to inform you that acting as a General Contractor is not just having people do all the work for you. There is a huge amount of liability involved not to mention dealing with all of the different attitudes of all the subs and workers that you hire.

You should also take into consideration that you will need to be able to understand when to order materials and when to have them delivered. You need to understand the inspection process and know what a critical path is for your project. I guarantee you that when the times comes to start getting the subs in, 'THEY WILL ALL TELL YOU' that they should go before the other guy... because they just want to get in, get out and get paid!

Putting the wrong sub before the other will cost you tearing out work and redoing it... I GUARANTEE THIS!

Here are some questions you might have:

-- How do I act as Owner Builder?
-- What is an Owner Builder?
-- What should I do first as an Owner Builder?
-- What kind of subs will I need for my project?
-- Should I sign all of the contracts before I start, or when I need them?
-- What do I do when a Contractor tells me 'that was not included in the price'?
-- What do I do when the inspector writes a correction notice and the subcontractor says that's not part of his job?
-- What do I do if there is an injury on the job?
-- Does an Owner Builder need to have insurance for the job?
-- Who pays for materials that are stolen from the job?

Did you know that 'ONE BAD SUBCONTRACTOR' can shut down your entire job, cost you fines with the city and cost you tons of money.

GOOD NEWS::::: If you can handle all of the above situations, you are ready to become your own Owner Builder and if it is done right, you can save about 20% or more on your project. I strongly suggest that you do some research on the internet first, have an attorney review your contracts, do a full background check on all contractors you are going to hire and fully understand the dynamics of job site problems & possible solutions.

BEST ADVISE::::: Take your project in baby steps. Don't sign all contracts right out of the gate. Sign as you go. Once the contract is signed, you are legally responsible to pay that contractor the FULL AMOUNT, whether you do the work or not. You can be sued if you don't follow through with him.

Good luck with your project, and don't hesitate contacting me for a short free consultation over the phone. Keith (714) 231-9773