How to GC Your Home
Course Syllabus

Instructor: Kenneth Friedman

Course Description:
General Contracting your own building project is a great way to be involved, maintain creative control, and save you money... but it can also be fraught with unexpected challen ges! This workshop will take you through the GC process, letting you know what to expect every step of the way. Participants will learn about scheduling, permits, estimating, design plans, loans, the steps of the building process, how to hire and work with subs, and much more.

Schedule:
This class runs 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, with a one hour break for lunch.

Course Outline:

1. Why be your own general contractor?
1. Save money.
2. Save time.
3. Creative control.
4. Fun.
2. What is your role?
1. Project Manager.
2. Organizer.
3. Reviewer.
4. Inspector.
5. Bookkeeper.
3. What are your tasks?
1. Provide clear specifications.
2. Schedule labor and deliveries.
3. Pay everyone.
4. Maintain records.
5. Solve problems.
6. Runner.
7. Odd jobs.
4. How do you act like a builder?
1. Get business cards.
2. Get mud on your shoes.
3. Respect subs and their work.
4. Be the boss.
5. More.
5. How much time does it take?
1. Planning phase.
2. Construction phase.
6. What technical knowledge do you need?
7. What tools do you need?
1. Portable file box.
2. Cell phone, pager.
3. Notebook computer.
4. Software
5. Internet access.
6. Inverter.
8. Who are your supports?
1. Lawyer.
2. Architect.
3. Banker.
4. Framer.
5. Lumber yard.
6. Retired builders.
7. Friends in construction.
9. Managing your money.
1. Financing.
2. Records.
3. Software.
10. Forms.
1. Contracts.
2. Purchase Orders.
3. More.
11. Where to spend money and where not to.
12. Where to start.
1. What can you afford?
2. Land.
3. Zoning.
4. Water and sewage.
5. Permits.
13. House plans
1. Stock plans.
2. Custom designs.
3. Modifications.
4. Complete construction drawings.
14. Estimating Costs
1. Spreadsheet exercise.
15. Permits and Inspections
16. Getting a loan.
17. How to hire subs.
1. Sources.
2. Talking to them.
3. Evaluating them.
4. Getting them to trust you.
5. Getting bids.
6. Evaluating bids.
18. How to find suppliers.
1. Sources.
2. Pricing.
3. Quotes.
4. How to evaluate them.
5. Alternatives.
19. How to work with subs
1. Organization.
2. Scheduling
3. On site.
4. Payments.
20. How to work with suppliers
1. Scheduling.
2. Quality.
3. Returns.
4. Care of goods.
5. Payments.
21. Dealing with your partner.
1. Thousands of decisions.
22. Steps to building
1. What happens when.
23. Common Problems, Rules and Proverbs
24. Why projects fail
25. What to do when you get nervous and discouraged.