Home Owners As Co-contractors

GnB Co.

I'm sure from time to time you will meet owners who qualify as good clients but who genuinely cannot afford to have you do all the work, or who want to play a hands-on role in the construction of their own shelter . So for me Working with such "co-contractors", I have established a simple guideline. The project must be organized so that there is a clear boundary between my work and the HO' work. Owners can elect to do work at the front end of the job-typically deconstruction or excavation-but their work must be completed befor the agreed upon start date for my crew and i. If it is not, My crew and i completes it for a fixed price or on time and material basis,as i deem most fair. Similarly, the owners may take on tasks at any point during the finish sequence of their project, or even earlier. But from whatever point they do step in, they must take the project all the way through to completion,
So how do some of you handle situations like this??

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www.GnBConstruction.net

kevjob

For me it is all or nothing, too many variables especially HO think that prep for tile is easy or you have to tie into their work.

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Kevin
Basement Finishing Highlands Ranch Colorado
Littleton Colorado, Basement Remodeling
Kitchen Remodeling Denver

Mike Finley

By saying hire a handyman, you obviously don't need our services.

480sparky

Other than picking out light fixtures, there's nothing I'll let a HO do. My work is MY work, not ours. Besides, they're not licensed and my isnurance doesn't cover them. Even if I let them do something simple like drill holes in the framing, I can do it myself 10 times faster.

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cbtexas

Turn the table on them. If they want to be co-contractor, tell them you will be co-homeowner. Tell them you will just sleep in the front bedroom, pick up after yourself, and promise not to eat too much.

No way, no how would I allow it. To many ways to get trapped.

BrianHay

I have had some great customers work with me on their landscaping, land clearing and retaining wall projects. I am finding a lot of people really like being a part of it.

So far I have really enjoyed every one of them. A few have worked right along side me but most ask me to do with the machine what they can't do by hand and leave it for them to finish themselves.

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Much happier playing in the dirt than I am on the computer.

macatawacab

Trim carpentry rates'

$ 55.00/hr master carpenter plus tool allowance
$ 75.00/hr master carpenter if you watch plus tool allowance
$ 125.00/hr master carpenter if you help. tools stay in the truck, I'll use yours.

jhark123

I'll do it in limited circumstances. For instance, on my current project the HO wanted to do his own HVAC--however He had previously had an HVAC company for 10years. It went fine.

DavidC

I love a HO that wants to do his own demo. We just make sure we're clear that he's done and cleaned up before we show or the clock starts. Same with those who want to paint, except we have to get out of their way. Working side by side is a no no.

Good Luck
Dave

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www.CookContractingLLC.com

silvertree

I had a scary thing happen with a HO doing the demo, I bid the job well with full electric and plumbibg upgrades so aside from some framing corrections I wasn't expecting this:
My contract states clearly HO does demo, removes all debris and vacuums all cavities. They call me up and ask me what is the white fibers filling up the walls? I say stop right now and go to the site. The HO's are standing in this mineral fiber stuff up to their ankles. I say we need to send a sample to an asbestos testing lab, now I'm wondering if I could get blamed for any of this. Turns out one of the past owners worked for a place that made a kind of rock wool insulation and he filled all the stud cavities with this stuff.
Scared the hell out of me, the HO's were covered with the stuff.

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Vote for Pedro
Kitchen, bath, St Paul remodeling
Minneapolis Remodel Blog
203K Loan Consultant Minnesota

jhark123

Just goes to show that in this business it's impossible to get every contingency into your contract, but we've got to keep trying

VMFehr

In the past I've allowed the HO to do work here and there and nearly every time it's either ended up in more work for me or delay. I was doing a basement reno once and the lady asked me if I could re-tile the back splash in the kitchen and told me they would remove the existing tile, the next day when I came in the back splash wall looked like it had been through 9 rounds. I've found in the end no one wants to come home from work and got to work, and that nearly always ends up in rushed messes or an "I'll get to it later" attitude.