All Forum Posts by: Aaron McGinnis

It won't get better, it will only get worse. Not starting even close to the day you're supposed to is a huge red flag. Move on now and save yourself some trouble.

Don't start a contracting business just because you've had bad luck with subs. Find better subs instead. When you have those subs so busy that they might as well work for you exclusively, hire them full time. Find a few more crews and use them too.

Having specialists on your payroll is a pain in the ***. Having generalists is almost worse because they're not going to be as fast or competent as specialists. 

Unless your plan is to be in construction as a full-time business, having either one of them on a regular payroll is insane. The insurance requirements alone are mind-numbing. Really; call up an insurance company in your area and ask what the worker's comp rate for an interior trim carpenter and a framer are for a starting-out construction company... and what the general liability insurance will cost while you're at it.

Also, you might want to check into what the licensing requirement for contractors is. Hiring workers and doing construction without a license is generally frowned upon by the state.

A really good GC shouldn't have emergencies that require homeowner intervention "Right this instant"... I'd go as far as saying that even a mediocre GC shouldn't have those kind of situations.

If the house is burning down, they will call the fire department. If there's a sudden burst pipe, they're going to deal with that and then discuss the situation with you once the situation is stabilized.

If they're calling you 20 minutes before the tile guy arrives asking what kind of tile you want, fire them because they suck and this is their first rodeo.

Once you've been through a few (hundred) renovations, there's very little that should come as a complete 'emergency' surprise to you... and true 'emergency' situations are rarely anything the homeowner is better equipped to deal with.

I will say that planning to live in a house during a full-on renovation is a pretty poor idea. Living in a renovation is a nightmare for everyone involved. Unless you're doing one room or something, you're going to hate your life. (And if that room is your only kitchen, you're going to hate your life...)

If you are already uncomfortable with your contractor, before work has even started, find a new one. Life is entirely too short and most home renovations are entirely too much money to spend on people you don't like. 

If you are in Atlanta I'd be happy to discuss it with you.

So if I understand correctly, the bank has given you a check for 100% of the cost of the renovation?

But your contract has progress payments of some sort detailed?

If so, you deposit the check to your account and pay the contractor per your contract's payment stipulations.

No - what does your contract say about when and how money is to be dispersed to the contractor?

What does your contract say the draw schedule is?

What does the contract and bank paperwork say?

Vertical transit laser for a really big wall. Otherwise, any straight edge will do.

California has some of the most restrictive building codes in the country. You need someone who knows local codes, jurisdictions, and requirements.