Construction Contractor Question

[Lost in Translation]

I'm hoping someone here can give me a general idea of what I am looking for.

I need to perform some major home repairs, such as replace roof, decks, driveways, some windows, etc - not a small task. What I want to do is be able to hire out sub-contractors to do each phase of the work I need to have done. I will need to be able to work between contractors and my insurance company who will be footing the bill for major repairs. Many companies don't want to work with the insurance and wait for their money, and one roofing company has suggested I act as my own contractor to pay out funds needed for repairs to begin and then collect them from the insurance company as we go. (The insurance company and mortgage company have agreed to escrow the funds and pay them out as verified invoices against repairs are received).

So, here we go:

Can I act as my own contractor? Do I need a special license of any kind to be my own contractor?

I am in the state of Florida, Broward county if that helps.

In the alternative, can I hire a private contractor who will do nothing but coordinate all repairs with the various types of construction companies I will need to do each repair?

I've had a look at state licensing web pages for Florida but it's like taking qualudes in there!

Any insights would be greatly appreciated, and TIA!

[dadiOH]

Can you hire a roofer? A carpenter? Concrete guy? Drywall? Electrician? Answer in all cases is yes. ______________

No _________________

Yes. A "construction manager". You'd want a general contractor.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[m Ransley]

Hire a general contractor if you just want the work done and do not want the problems of management. You need no lisence where I am. But its then your responsibility of knowing the job is right. Get a permit and don`t pay any sub till it is inspected by the city, be sure you talk to their insurance agent for proof of workers comp and liability insurance, seeing a certificate is not good as the cert can easily be altered. Get a release of lien from all workers. If its all insurance money hire a general but don`t partial pay till you talk to the inspector on each job. Workers that are not paid by their boss, and supliers can come back at you if the contractor does not pay. Injuries and house damage can sometimes be your responsibility, protect yourself, its not easy or fun sometimes. Ive had contractors and workers fake injuries and certs and do substandard work, there are alot of crooks out there.

[Sacramento Dave]

That's good advise. I will add For one your not a contractor, you have no experience in coordinating the work, Your assuming Responsibility for no reason, Your will be responsible for workers Pay if sub doesn't pay them, There also would possibly be situation were your liable for workman's comp and liability. As the owner you can oversee the work and believe me you should. You also will have the insurance Co. on your side if there is a problem , they have a legal department with the experience. I don't know why you would want to be the Contractor, could it be you want to make a little money on the deal? You got freebee as it is, sure it's going to be an inconvenience, There's plenty of Contractors that want the work and can do the Job ( I sure there all pretty busy now) Take the easy road. When I was Contracting an the owner started talking about doing some of the work my price went up not down.

[Frank J Warner]

Yes.

No.

However, hiring a general contractor or project manager can make your repairs much easier. A good GC knows all the qualified subs in the area, often by name, and has worked with them in the past. He knows what to expect and how to tell them what you want in language they can understand. He knows their availability, whether they need to work on other projects at the same time they are working on yours, and he can schedule the work around their other commitments. He can also in many cases get preferential pricing and delivery of materials.

He also gets to deal with the inevitable personnel issues that arise. I just had $6,000 worth of concrete poured at my place. The job took about a week. In that time, two of the concrete contractor's employees quit (for personal reasons) and he hired replacements from a pool he already had for just such a purpose. The job went smoothly with no interruptions. You would probably not be able to do something like that.

-Frank

[zero]

This is from Chapter 489, however Broward County will have the final say-so. Go here then scroll down to (_489.103 Exemptions_) then look for subsection (7). Read it and the (_Disclosure Statement_). This sums up your limitations.

Note that you can not sell for at least a year.

There are a lot of ways to get screwed if you go this route. (subs not paying their bills for equipment, etc.) You are responsable for everything $$$ in most all of these instances. Good luck.

-zero