“Anybody can do this,” says Todd Guzlas of La Grange Highlands as he reflects on the time that he and his wife, Chris, spent as general contractors of their own house in 2002. “All it takes is common sense.”
That, he adds, plus a lot of researching (a year, in their case) the right subcontractors (or subs) and building materials, then every night and weekend on the job site after the project began.
Well, maybe not anybody can do this. But many people do skip the conventional route — buying from a production builder or hiring a custom builder — and build their own houses. Some, like the Guzlases, hire subcontractors to do most of the labor. Others cut their costs by doing some of the work themselves.
Guzlas, a heavy equipment operator by day, credits a course at Moraine Valley Community College for giving him the confidence to build his own house for the first time.
Before he took the course, he says, he was “a little handy — good enough to hang a kitchen cabinet.”
Through the course, he learned how to collect bids, hire subcontractors, secure a construction loan, read blueprints, pass inspections and meet building codes. He learned a little about each trade, from masonry to finish carpentry, and the materials it uses.
The hardest part of being his own general contractor, says Guzlas, was something he learned on the job — timing the pay-out process.
“The construction loan only allowed four payments, so I could pay some subs right away and some had to wait for the next pay-out, depending on the schedule,” he says.
Bottom line, the Guzlases spent about $340,000, not including the lot, on their 3,700-square-foot-house. Guzlas figures they would have spent $700,000 if they had hired a general contractor.
Their new house not only includes extras such as Corian shower surrounds and rounded drywall corners. It also includes their hearts and souls, says Guzlas.
For Ray Wolson, a retired chemist, the hardest part about being his own general contractor was finding reputable subcontractors.
“We spent a lot of time driving around, talking to subs, then talking to other subs they recommended,” says Wolson, who is just completing a house in Yorkville with his wife, Barbara, an administrative assistant. “We looked for guys with pride in their work.”
Then, choosing the house components was more time-consuming than they had anticipated, says Wolson. “When you buy a house from a builder, your choices are limited,” he says. “When you build your own, the selections are unlimited. We relied on the subs to help us narrow down our choices.”
The Wolsons hired subs to do most of the labor. They were their own clean-up crew, keeping the Dumpsters filled. They plan to install the bathroom tile and do their own painting.
Although saving money was a deciding factor in their decision to go it on their own, says Wolson, the No. 1 benefit is quality-control. “We are getting the house we want,” he says.
“Building your own house is like childbirth,” says Bob O’Brien, a Chicago-based contractor who teaches the course at Moraine Valley. “It takes about nine months, is sometimes painful, but, in the end, worth it.”
In the 20 years O’Brien has taught the course, he’s coached house builders from all walks of life — nurses, doctors, salespeople, firefighters, accountants, homemakers, truck drivers, to name a few.
“This is not a guy thing,” adds O’Brien. “In fact, more often, it is the women who are the driving force behind the decision to do this.”
The common thread, says O’Brien, is the desire to save money and maintain control.
“You have to look at it as a part-time job that will take up to 20 hours a week until the house is finished,” he says. “But you can save at least $30,000 on a $300,000 house, which is pretty good pay for a part-time job.”
Not all that time is spent doing hard labor, notes O’Brien. It includes negotiating with subcontractors and shopping for everything from faucets to faceplates.
Through his course at Moraine Valley, O’Brien covers each aspect of house building, adding helpful hints along the way. Among them:
– Beware of closeout products, which may cost you more to install.
– Read how-to books but remember that not all apply to building in cold climates.
– When you compare subs’ bids, make sure you are comparing apples with apples (same products, same procedures).
– Don’t expect city and county building inspectors to take time to advise you; they may have 20 other stops to make today.
– Be prepared for required inspections, or you may be charged re-inspection fees.
One of the objectives in O’Brien’s course syllabus is determining whether to build or “forget the whole thing and stay where you are.” Or, to hire someone else to be your general contractor.
“If you can’t make quick decisions, this isn’t for you. You’ll slow down the process,” says Wolson. “And, it helps to be patient and to be able to be able to visualize what’s on paper.”
For married couples, building a house can stress the limits of their partnerships.
“If you’ve got a rocky marriage that you want to end, build a house together,” says O’Brien.
The Guzlases’ partnership worked, says Todd Guzlas, because they defined their responsibilities. Chris, an accountant, handled the billing, while he handled the scheduling. She picked out the floors and paints; he made other product choices.
It’s all about time, says R. Dodge Woodson, a general contractor who wrote several books on the topic, including “Build Your Dream House for Less” (Betterway Books, $18.99).
“Take time to check out subs before your hire them,” says Woodson. “See their jobs in progress instead of just calling their references, which could be their relatives.
“Ask their suppliers, such as the local lumberyards, about them. Read contracts carefully, comparing them line-by-line. Then be on the job site every day — in daylight if possible so you can see problems.”
Woodson also suggests homeowners recognize the nature of the people they will be managing.
“Some subs are modern-day mountain men, the independent types,” he says. “Don’t be offended by their colorful language.”
“Understand that this house is your pride and joy,” says Guzlas to others considering “generaling” their own houses. “But to the subs, it’s just a job.”
His favorite motivators: doughnuts and lunch, which he brought often.
“For many of them, there’s no such thing as a lunch hour,” says Guzlas. “So they really appreciated that.”
Asked if he’d do it again, Guzlas says he’d do a few things differently, like putting an electrical outlet by the stairway for holiday lights and one in the hallway closet for his rechargeable vacuum.
“But, overall, it’s perfect,” he says. “And, we are so proud.”
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Resources point you in `general’ direction
Before you become your own general contractor, do your homework, say those who have been there and done that. Here are some of the resources they recommend:
– The following Chicago-area schools offer courses in general contracting or basic construction, in addition to specific jobs normally covered by subcontractors: Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Kankakee Community College in Kankakee, The Latin School of Chicago, Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, College of Lake County in Grayslake, Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Prairie State College in Chicago Heights and South Suburban College in South Holland.
– The publisher of Fine Homebuilding magazine, Taunton Press, offers DVDs and books for $19.95 each that include step-by-step instructions for jobs including “Building Kitchen Cabinets” and “Framing Roofs.” It also offers a series of “Code Check” books for $16.95 that detail building code requirements. Visit www.taunton.com or call 800-888-8286.
– For advice from those in the trenches, visit online discussion forums such as the one hosted by www.thisoldhouse.com. A recent visitor, for example, asked how to install chair rail on a curved wall. Suggestions included using flexible, rubber molding instead of wood.
– If you don’t know a gable from a girder, buy the “Means Illustrated Construction Dictionary” (R.S. Means Company Inc., $41.97 for the paperback condensed version). In addition to basic terminology, it includes lists of abbreviations — handy if you hire a sub who speaks in acronyms.
– Several books, including Woodson’s “Building Your Dream Home for Less,” include sample contracts and change orders.
– Although it was published in 1985, Tracy Kidder’s “House” (Houghton Mifflin, $17.95) still offers universal truths about housebuilding, as he follows a couple, plus their builder and architect, through the process.
– Written by the builder featured in “House,” Jim Locke, “The Apple Corps Guide to the Well-Built House” (Houghton Mifflin, $19.95) walks you through housebuilding, step by step.
– Finally, to reward yourself after a long day’s work on your new house, relax with “Under the Tuscan Sun” by Frances Mayes (Chronicle Books, $22.95). Unlike the movie version, the book chronicles Mayes’ rebuilding of a house in rural Italy. Mayes dwells on the rewards, not the frustrations, of building.
— Leslie Mann
