Updated 2 months ago on .
What I Learned in My First Two Years as an Accidental General Contractor
Two Years, Eight Figures, and a Very Steep Learning Curve
Most people think being a general contractor is about tools, trucks, and telling people where to put walls.
After my first two years actually running a GC company in Indianapolis—and managing eight figures’ worth of construction at Off Leash Construction—I can tell you it’s much more about:
• Managing risk
• Communicating clearly (and constantly)
• Saying “no” when it would be easier and more profitable to say “yes”
• Protecting investors from their properties, their budgets, and sometimes themselves
I didn’t grow up dreaming of being a general contractor. I’m a real estate investor who got so fed up with bad contractors that I accidentally became one.
The twist is that I didn’t do it alone.
The turning point was partnering with Paul Aguiar—the guy who really knew construction. I brought the investing and systems background; Paul brought deep construction knowledge and field experience. My own projects started going dramatically better.
Other investors noticed.
They saw the difference in how my jobs were run and started asking the same question:
“If your projects look like this now… can you just manage ours too?”
That’s the real origin story of Off Leash Construction.
This article is my candid download of what I’ve learned so far:
• What I wish investors understood about construction
• How bad contractors really burn you
• How we’ve tried to build Off Leash differently
• And how you can protect your time, money, and sanity—whether you ever hire us or not
If you’re buying or rehabbing in and around Indianapolis—or you’re a contractor trying to run a serious business—I hope this saves you a few scars.
Why I “Accidentally” Became a General Contractor
I started out like many BiggerPockets readers: on the investing side.
For years, I bought and managed properties around Indianapolis. I was obsessed with the numbers—cash flow, ARV, rent comps. But no matter how good the spreadsheet looked, the same problem kept killing deals:
Contractors.
• Missed deadlines
• Sloppy work that looked fine in photos but fell apart in real life
• Ghosting halfway through a project
• Constant change orders for items that obviously should’ve been included
The key inflection point: meeting Paul Aguiar, now my partner at Off Leash.
I had the investor mindset. Paul truly knew construction:
• How trades fit together
• What works long-term vs. what only looks good
• How to walk a property and see invisible problems
I essentially hired him as my project manager. Instantly:
• Schedules tightened
• Quality improved
• Problems were caught early
Others noticed. They started asking us to run their projects, too.
We didn’t plan to start a GC business—it emerged from investor demand.
Within two years, we crossed eight figures in construction volume.
What follows are 10 lessons from doing this work at scale.
Lesson 1: Photos Can Lie – Quality Isn’t Always Visible
Photos hide the things that determine whether your rehab holds up:
• Subfloor prep
• Drywall taping and mud work
• Waterproofing behind tile
• Electrical and plumbing quality
• Framing correctness
• Mechanical upgrades
Two houses might look identical in photos. Yet one is safe, durable, and market-ready… and the other is a ticking time bomb.
The real question isn’t “Does it look good?”
It’s “Who actually did the work, and do they stand behind it?”
Lesson 2: How Bad Contractors Burn Investors (and How We Try to Be Different)
Patterns we see from clients burned by previous contractors:
• Big deposits, then silence
• Underbidding, then endless change orders
• Vague scopes that hide missing items
Cheap bids often become very expensive.
How we try to be different:
• Build highly detailed scopes upfront
• Reduce surprises, instead of burying them
• Price honestly—even if that means losing jobs to cheaper bids
Compare scopes, not just price.
A low number with missing assumptions is not a deal. It’s a trap.
Lesson 3: Systems and Communication Are Non-Negotiable
Before implementing systems, communication was messy.
Buildertrend changed everything. It allows us to:
• Post daily logs
• Share ongoing photos
• Keep schedules visible
• Track change orders
• Centralize communication
For long-distance investors, this eliminates guesswork and builds trust.
A GC without real systems is a liability.
Lesson 4: Tire Kickers and Unrealistic Budgets
Early on, we wasted huge amounts of time on deals that:
• Would never close
• Had unrealistic budgets
• Didn’t pencil even with perfect execution
Now we use a structured funnel:
-
Request photos, rough scope, and comps
-
Provide high-level ballpark ranges
-
Build detailed scopes only once ranges are confirmed and the deal is real
Good contractors qualify clients just as much as clients qualify contractors.
Lesson 5: What We Self-Perform vs. What We Subcontract
Self-performing everything sounds great, but it’s inefficient and hard to scale.
We’ve found the balance:
In-house:
• Maintenance
• Small projects and punch work
Subcontracted:
• Electrical
• Plumbing
• HVAC
• Roofing
• Major framing/drywall
Subs work faster and cleaner when properly managed.
Our job is to coordinate and hold them to standards—not to do everything ourselves.
Lesson 6: Contingencies, Change Orders, and Hidden Conditions
Older homes hide expensive surprises:
• Knob-and-tube wiring
• Galvanized pipes
• Broken sewer lines
• Rotten framing
• Structural sagging
Even inspectors don’t catch everything.
We aim to minimize change orders, but some are unavoidable. Investors must budget contingency—10–20% on large rehabs.
Lesson 7: HGTV, Champagne Taste, and Beer Budgets
TV lied to everyone.
Everything is more expensive than the “$100k whole-house” myth.
Investors must align:
• Finish level
• Neighborhood
• Exit strategy
C-class rentals do not need custom marble.
High-end flips need high-end finishes only if comps justify them.
A GC should push back when finishes don’t match the budget or strategy.
Lesson 8: Taking Over a Failed Job Is Brutal
“Can you fix what the last guy did?”
Yes… but it’s almost always painful.
We often find:
• Unsafe electrical
• Wrong plumbing
• No waterproofing
• Structurally unsound framing
Clients usually pay twice:
• Once to the bad contractor
• Once to the GC who has to fix everything
Hire right the first time. It’s cheaper.
Lesson 9: Line-Item Fights, Contractor Margins, and Multiple Contractors
Contractor margins exist for a reason:
• Staff
• Insurance
• Overhead
• Warranty work
Pushing every line item to the bone often encourages corner-cutting.
Multiple contractors on the same job with no hierarchy?
A disaster.
No single party is responsible, coordination breaks down, and warranty issues become unresolvable.
A real GC must control the project or decline it.
Lesson 10: Turning Down Work When Safety Is at Stake
We routinely refuse “lipstick only” jobs on unsafe properties.
Examples:
• Major electrical hazards
• Structural sagging
• Mold and moisture issues
Covering it up is dangerous and unethical.
We’d rather lose a job than help someone sell a ticking time bomb.
Closing: What I’m Proud Of After Two Years
I’m still learning, but I’m proud of what Off Leash Construction has become:
• Honest, transparent scoping
• A field team led by Paul that values systems over chaos
• A culture that won’t compromise on safety
• A process that treats investors as long-term partners
If you’re an investor, I hope this helps you evaluate contractors more clearly.
If you’re a contractor, I hope it challenges you to operate like a real business.
There is massive opportunity for investors and service providers who take this seriously.