Go to your local library and rent some books on self contracting. that would be a very good start. It will explain budgeting, tracking expenses, and several other things.

good luck with your build

Microsoft Excel.

Grab a template if you need one.

ETA: There is no reason to reinvent the wheel. Microsoft excel will do everything you need and comes with a massive support structure. I could write everything you need on excel in a couple of hours, and I still wouldn't as someone else has already done that and put it up on the internet for free or a small charge.

MS Excel, word, project.

There are countless excel documents to manage/estimate construction cost. And you can roll your own. I recommend this worksheet https://buildingadvisor.com/project-management/estimating-overview-2/estimating-budgeting-worksheet/ for making a budget.

Tracking bids, create own page with the same line items and multiple columns

e.g. drywall: 10,456 (ACME ), 12,123(XYZ Drywall brothers), etc

>task lists and progression

MS Project, I can post one or you can find one on internet

Excel is the best all around & most flexible. Save it in a google drive or one drive for sharing. I would be careful about allowing editing. Maybe designate a column for comments.

Your initial budget should have about 50-60 line items. FHA/HUD has one that is similar to most or you lender will have a format they want populated. You can take each line item and separate into smaller items. For example "Rough Carpentry" can be further broken down into "Framing labor, lumber, trusses, r hardware" etc. Columns should include "cost to date, cost to complete, cost at completion, budget, variance" to help you predict the actual costs. This will look somewhat similar to the above described for purchase spreadsheet.

A mirror image spread sheet can be used to schedule using each column as a "week" or a "day" allowing you to "waterfall" the schedule, then back off from each start date and figure out decision points and notice needed. (its what I use now based on a lot of MS Project work).

I use Quickbooks pro to gather and total costs by line item, download or integrate it into the excel spread sheets for analysis. Not really needed for a single project.

BEWARE of quick solutions, purchasing online cost estimates, etc. Most aren't geared to custom homes and cannot adjust for location and month/year (costs increase over time > inflation).

Availability of trades and suppliers that specialize in new construction via many well known online referral services is slim as they are geared towards remodel & service. The ones you want usually aren't there.

Honestly read Terry. Ziegler’s posts here. If you don’t have experience GCing your own build can quickly become a nightmare. Luckily she is almost to the end and can hopefully relax and enjoy her new house soon. But it’s a lot more than budgeting. Good luck!

migraine Craftsman here just finished a build he gcd. it was a small house but I believe he got it done in three months.

he has several videos detailing the costs, process etc. very informative.

so a search for migraine Craftsman on YouTube.

Migraine Craftsman IS a GC... and this IS his job.

If you are G.C.ing your own house for some enrichment then by all means go for it, I caution against purely financial reasons for it though, because...

I get the opportunity to talk to a lot of people and a lot of them take this specialization thing seriously. they let a cook do their cooking and end up spending thousands a month eating out. hey it's only money right?

I get the opportunity to talk to a lot of people and a lot of them take this specialization thing seriously. they let a cook do their cooking and end up spending thousands a month eating out.

You obviously didn't watch the video. I get about $800 per lecture hour. So why don't you do the math for me and explain why I would be better off financially cooking rather than using that time to lecture and paying thousands for someone else to cook for me.

Please note that the opportunity cost for going out to eat isn't simply paying for the cost of the meal and if it was, almost everyone would eat out all the time and work just a little bit extra.

hey it's only money right?

No it isn't only money. Which is the point of the video, it is time and quality also.

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I was a licensed plumber (expired) and worked summers for an electrician, which is why I became a CPA. I am a partner in a development company that does multi-family dwellings, I have spent my life restoring and selling old houses.

Self GCing a house is a losing proposition financially for me, and I suspect it is for most people. I get extra utility out of restoring old houses, in that I like doing it. So while financially it has been bad, it maximizes utility through increased enjoyment. Which is why I noted that if you are doing it for some enrichment other than financial, go ahead.

Other than that it rarely makes sense. Sure you have people who are very good at building houses who create videos showing a solid return on investment, but you are missing their opportunity cost. After 25 years of doing this stuff I could absolutely go out and G.C. a house and make it seem profitable to someone looking in from the outside, however, if you consider the opportunity cost of using the massive amount of time I would dedicate to a house and the money I could be earning it would look like a foolish decision.

I know people who make a lot more than you and have a lot more than you and they still cook, clean, change their engine oil etc.

do what you can to save money and leave what you can't do or can't do efficiently to professionals

to say one can't save money contracting their own build is a falshood.

A kindergartener attempting to school a PHD is hilarious. Ultracrepidarianism at it's finest.

You just wait. Faith in a false belief is based in the ignorance created by a lack of personal experience. Ask anyone who has actually been hands on. Very little money is saved. Time is extended. Stress is higher. 85% would never do it again.

The cheapest possible build has never ever been a self GC’d custom shack. It’s always been a tract build. And will remain so. Self GCing is for those who are control freaks with time on their hands who need to stay out of the streets or another nasty habit that spent their money and time. That money and time now goes into the build, which is a bonus for breaking the habit.

But it won’t save very much at all if you count the newbie 20,000 hours researching and the 4,000-8,000 hours it takes to be on top of things and do it right. And still make irreversible mistakes.

How much could you earn for 20,000 hours at a second job and only have to spend a few hundred hours on selecting a few choices? Especially since you don’t really care at all about what kind of shack you live in or how it looks. Should be a no brainer for anyone with rudimentsry math skills and the ability to research a darn thing.. A second income stream more than pays for itself over being the GC.

lol at rudimentary math skills. please double check your math before we go down this rabbit hole. 20000 hours of research lol

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning–Kruger_effect

Considering that you've spent about 5000 hours already, and still don't know what you don't know, I'd say 4x that amount of research might be a low estimate.

In agreement with Microsoft Excel. I usually work out a spreadsheet, add in formulas that will add everything up for me, etc. Make sure to allow row spacing for multiple bids, and an area for notes (such as the companies current timeline on how soon they can get to you).

We self contract every home we build and will be starting our 4th build soon. We also do a lot of things ourselves but we do not let it take away from our normal work hours. We use our evenings & weekends to get the majority of things done, make phone calls as needed for scheduling, then back to our "normal" job in the morning. I will add that I do not have an 8-5 type of job (buy/resell "junk" from auctions and the like) and am more of a 'stay-at-home-mom' than anything, so I do have more free time than the average joe to handle things while my husband is doing business. My husband does a/c & heating so can also schedule meetings in-between service calls when needed & I'm unable to handle something. I weirdly enjoy the process of home building but the stress can get to you at times, especially when your timeline gets knocked off schedule or someone doesn't show as promised, etc. For me, getting your schedule correct is probably the hardest thing. You can't call someone & expect them to be there next week to start the work, they might be 6+ weeks out until they can get to you. You don't want your home half built, sitting empty with no work happening.

On the flipside, my brother built a home 4-5 years ago and felt that he could also save money by hiring a contractor. In his situation, he was right. His job isn't one where he could run over to take care of the homesite for a quick meeting and he was out of town often for work, & weekends were often filled. So, for him, he made the right choice in having someone else take care of the stress. Time is money.

Thanks for all the input and advice. Seems like things got a little off track but I got alot from .And just to clear some things up I am GCing my house but I have hired a GC to act as a ccouplconsultan

consultant**

g Landry. good idea. you would still save more than hiring a builder and they are there to help you with areas where you may not be comfortable.

tiger, where do I find Terry zieglers posts? maybe I'm not searching right or am to knew to app but I'm not finding anything

Microsoft Project. It'll help figuring out your scheduling and budget. I used it quite extensively back when I was managing pharmacy build-outs twenty odd years ago.

Read up on Gantt charts and dependencies to give yourself a basic idea of project management.

"you would still save more than hiring a builder"

Maybe, maybe not. You very well end up spending more. Hire a GC to act as a consultant may work and may not as he is technically an emplyoee, no skin in the game.

In this busy building climate, anyone competent is working 14 hours a day, 6 days a week. Everyone is in high demand, and making money.

Anyone with time on their hands to serve as a "consultant" is either technically incompetent and can't get hired, has major drug issues and can't get hired,( as opposed to minor drug issues, which almost all will have) has major (as opposed to minor) personality conflicts and can't get hired, or is on oxygen and oxycodone and can't leave the house.

Those that can, do. And without the hassle of "consulting" where no one is really in charge because no one that knows what they are doing controls the purse strings. Who pays the subs is who controls the job. No consultant will have any power to enforce anything without it. With it, they are a real GC. Not a consultant. A consultant has no responsibility to anyone, including your budget. It's highly suspect, for multiple reasons. Red flag disaster ahead.

The DIY projects I watch used to take 2 years, now 3 from breaking ground to move in, not including permit processing.

Why do you think it is taking longer?

@live_oak or it could be that they are a family friend who has retired

"Why do you think it is taking longer?"

Because they are self DIY or GC'ing and don't know what they don't know. You will not have access to the network of subs that a GC has. Lets say you a GC that gives hime multiple houses year after year needs him in a pinch and he has the option of working on your one house or going to the GC's job, where is the sub going that day? Will you get the same price as that GC?

Why do you think it is taking longer?

TLDR: See millworkman's comment -

It really goes back to economies of scale, all things being equal, your house is less attractive to a sub-contractor, than someone who represents continued work. This is an absolute certainty and there are largely three ways to combat this. Hire someone who the sub will see as an opportunity for continued work to represent you (that is usually a G.C.), or pay more money so that the sub sees your job as more attractive, or find someone that has limited opportunities to work with G.C.'s (this can either be someone who does high quality work at a high price or low quality work for a mid price).

Without one of those three things happening you need to anticipate delays. It is possible that your build will happen without any sub-contractor delays, however in most of the U.S. right now, that would be the exception and not the rule. Note: only a few years ago the situation was quite different so be wary of stories where everything went right a few years ago. Those delays can and do add cost, and you should anticipate their arrival and work to minimize their impact.

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The most important thing about self contracting a project, is being honest with yourself about your abilities. That supposed savings is seductive, yet for most people it doesn't materialize, and not because it wasn't available, simply because those people were chasing savings over creating savings.

The things that create savings for self-G.C.ing homes are actually the exact same things that would lead to some success as a contractor were you to enter that business. For example, a large part of G.C.ing is managing your time and schedule well, if you are excellent at managing time and scheduling, then you may create value, and if you were a G.C. that would be a viable pathway to value creation for clients. Or maybe you or your spouse are incredibly talented with construction, having done it for years, or maybe you are incredible at visualization and design so you can communicate and achieve your design efficiently.

With all of these things, you are still going to encounter the economies of scale problem, but may still create some savings because of your skill set. However, most people want the savings without any efficiencies to create savings, and attempt to simply cut out a step in the value chain. That rarely works.

G.C.'s create value, denying that value is a foolish move. Working to substitute your value for theirs might pay off, and it might not. But either way, they are earned savings and not simply avoided costs.

or it could be that they are a family friend who has retired

Again, a word of caution. I have two family rates (1) no charge, limited service, and no guarantee. (2) Full charge, full service, and fully guaranteed.

If you are using a family friend I strongly suggest paying them fully, executing a contract, and demanding full service. Otherwise the parties are very likely to see the responsibilities differently. People, even with the best intentions, often adjust their work to reflect the compensation received.

Most Pros simply won't do work for family and friends. It's either a small job, completely free, as a favor. Or it's full price, and full business. Most just avoid it. At best, it's free liability with awkward holiday gatherings thrown in as a bonus. At worst, it's complete alienation and lawsuits.

Yes we plan on paying him hourly for his consultation at a fair full rate and will be putting things in a contract. Anybody want to chime in on fair market range for a hourly rate?
Also to clarify things we are not self contracting primarily for the reason of saving the supposed "10-20". We are mainly doing it for the self satisification in building a home that we have worked hard for. Do we belive we can save some yes, but we belive we will save most by not doing lavish line items most people seem to want. Do we know we will have some wasted time and headache, yes but we belive it will be worth it to accomplish a goal we have set that we can look back on and be proud of. With my shift work schedule,multiple weeks of vacation saved up, and my wifes flexible schedule we feel we will be able to put in the necessary time. And to be clear we do see the value and worth of GCs but feel that our needs and wants will be best met doing it this way. We are open to any and all suggestions. We also appreciate all the input.

A custom designed home, designed by an architect and built by an experienced general contractor, with all the needed trades, often takes 8-12 months of full time effort, from the start of construction until occupancy. This will vary, based on a number of site and house construction features. Lesser homes may be completed in less time.

Do you have 8-12 months of full-time available for your dream? And if you only work on the home part time, how much longer do you think it will take for completion?

Are you financing your construction with cash? Or are you financing with a construction loan, followed by permanent financing upon completion. Have you worked out the details and schedule with a lender?

Do you have experience in residential light-frame construction and related sitework? Do you have a list of available sub-contractors for the needed building trades?

You have set a major goal. Congratulations! How practical is it for you?

Why wouldn't your consultant provide the budget spreadsheet and maintain it as the work is bought out? If he has the expertise why not use it? If you don't know how to manage a construction project, you will only be tracking your mistakes. If you have hired an expert, why not use him for the parts that require years of experience to do right? I have found that these ready-made spreadsheets never have the right line items for your project.

If he [GC] is your friend or your family by the time you finish the construction he will not be. I have full personal experience with that, trust me. Never ever do complex business with your friends and / or family. Plenty of errors, plenty of mistakes, plenty of times friends dropped /cracked expensive items, shot nail thru the glass window, refused to follow the explicit directions I gave them; forgot to check the concrete mixture and take the ticket, improperly under compacted the soil, over-compacted breaking the sewer line, installed footer drain above the footer.

Your most important and difficult task will be to create a professional level of construction documents organized so each trade will know what they are responsible for. The documents should include plans, elevations, sections (especially wall sections), details and specifications properly organized and cross referenced by trades. That is what an architect would provide regardless of the project delivery method selected but it is not what contractors or homeowners are accustomed to providing. If you are the GC you will also need individual contract forms for the subs.

If you fail to provide complete design information and agreements, you will end up paying dearly in corrective work and delays regardless of how skilled your consultant might be.