http://www.remodeling4dumbbells.com) you know I am surprised more homeowners aren’t doing a simple cabinet & countertop redo by themselves.

I have built hundreds of shells for customers (Shells are usually projects built to a point where the exterior roof & walls are complete & the inter

My immediate answer would be, probably not. The long answer would be something like this:

It depends on a number of factors. Most people who contract the job themselves are trying to save the amount of money the contractor would have grossed on the project. I guarantee you, they will not have a joyous time doing it.

No different than trying to sell your house without a real estate agent. I can’t speak for the Realtors but I can speak for the contractors. Contractors gross do not approach the Realtors gross. It’s a good idea if you can pull it off, but most of the time you will find you can’t.

You will find yourself with a mess on your hands. Not only a mess of problems, (construction defects, contractor disputes as to who is at fault etc) but you will not save nearly as much money as you thought you would.

A lot depends on the complexity of the project. If you are looking to pour a cement patio or have aluminum siding put on your house then you need only to call a cement contractor or a siding contractor. There is little preparation or coordination necessary to accomplish what you want to do. If you read my kitchens page on my web site (http://www.remodeling4dumbbells.com) you know I am surprised more homeowners aren’t doing a simple cabinet & countertop redo by themselves.

I have built hundreds of shells for customers (Shells are usually projects built to a point where the exterior roof & walls are complete & the interi

have a joyous time doing it.

No different than trying to sell your house without a real estate agent. I can’t speak for the Realtors but I can speak for the contractors. Contractors gross do not approach the Realtors gross. It’s a good idea if you can pull it off, but most of the time you will find you can’t.

You will find yourself with a mess on your hands. Not only a mess of problems, (construction defects, contractor disputes as to who is at fault etc) but you will not save nearly as much money as you thought you would.

A lot depends on the complexity of the project. If you are looking to pour a cement patio or have aluminum siding put on your house then you need only to call a cement contractor or a siding contractor. There is little preparation or coordination necessary to accomplish what you want to do. If you read my kitchens page on my web site (http://www.remodeling4dumbbells.com) you know I am surprised more homeowners aren’t doing a simple cabinet & countertop redo by themselves.

I have built hundreds of shells for customers (Shells are usually projects built to a point where the exterior roof & walls are complete & the inter

u will find you can’t.

You will find yourself with a mess on your hands. Not only a mess of problems, (construction defects, contractor disputes as to who is at fault etc) but you will not save nearly as much money as you thought you would.

A lot depends on the complexity of the project. If you are looking to pour a cement patio or have aluminum siding put on your house then you need only to call a cement contractor or a siding contractor. There is little preparation or coordination necessary to accomplish what you want to do. If you read my kitchens page on my web site (http://www.remodeling4dumbbells.com) you know I am surprised more homeowners aren’t doing a simple cabinet & countertop redo by themselves.

I have built hundreds of shells for customers (Shells are usually projects built to a point where the exterior roof & walls are complete & the inter

ject. If you are looking to pour a cement patio or have aluminum siding put on your house then you need only to call a cement contractor or a siding contractor. There is little preparation or coordination necessary to accomplish what you want to do. If you read my kitchens page on my web site (http://www.remodeling4dumbbells.com) you know I am surprised more homeowners aren’t doing a simple cabinet & countertop redo by themselves.

I have built hundreds of shells for customers (Shells are usually projects built to a point where the exterior roof & walls are complete & the inter

http://www.remodeling4dumbbells.com) you know I am surprised more homeowners aren’t doing a simple cabinet & countertop redo by themselves.

I have built hundreds of shells for customers (Shells are usually projects built to a point where the exterior roof & walls are complete & the interior is left for the homeowner to finish himself.) The homeowner gets a good start on the most difficult part of the construction & is competent enough to finish the interior. In many cases the homeowner contracts the electric & heating to others. Some times, if he is very competent, he does the electric & heating himself.

Does he save money? Yes, he does. He saves all of the interior carpenter labor. The electric & heating contractor will charge him more (probably a lot more) than a general contractor who is giving them a few hundred thousand dollars a year worth of business. The homeowner still has to deal with inspections, certificates of occupancy, underwriter certificate, cleanup, etc. In addition the project will take forever to complete.

Homeowners who want to do the finish themselves have good intentions but some are not as capable as others. Let me tell you of experiences I have had when doing estimates. Over the years, at least a hundred times, the homeowner at some point in the conversation would say something like this. “I could build this myself but I don’t have the time. Then he insisted he show me the finished basement, attic, deck or w