Are there contractors that will act as advisors for do-it-yourselfers?
Question:If someone wants to do work on their home and learn how to do the job properly, are their contractors that will take a job on an advisery type basis? I mean, you bring the person in.. show them what you want to do, they give you advice, describe the process and keep you on track as you do the work yourself so you don't make a huge mistake that will cost you thousands?
Answers:
you know you can get anything for a price. It depends on the size of the project as to how much and what you will be willing to spend for the "experience of doing it yourself". I currently offer a service as project manager for "owner/builder" projects however they are either an entire home or large addition and I basically run the job for them as a general contractor would. Sometimes the homeowner will do parts of the project themselves and I will give them some advise however they usually have some experience or someone that will be helping them with knowledge of what there doing. There are lots of time constraints and cost of mistakes etc... to consider when doing a large project. And the lending institutions like to know they are giving money to customers thay know what they are doing even if they have to hire in that knowledge they would rather see that than a project that goes grossly over budget and off schedule. If your considering a small project or large one that can be done in small stages, without a lending institution involved then take your time, ask questions at your local lumber yard,buy a couple "how to" books on each part of project, be prepared to screw up a couple times but by all means go for it! I always say "can't never tried". There may be some projects that you won't need any help on others that must be inspected etc.. you may need alot of help on. People in the trades are always willing to disperse some knowledge if you ask the right way and do not become like a whiny kid if it doesn't go according to plan.
Most of your lumber yards, and yes, even some of the big boxes have employees who are retired builders or tradesman who will help you. Advise is usually not to hard to find, GOOD ADVISE, maybe not so easy! Good Luck
Yes, they are called general contractors. All depends on the individual as to how much and what type of adive he/she is willing to give you and guide you.
You might find a retired builder that would be interested in helping, but, unless you are wealthy, no one will loan you the money to build.
easy answer yes ,, but you will have to pay for their expertise ,, while you make mistakes that need to be rectified and costing more ,, just bite the bullet and get a professional to do the whole job if you are unsure what is required
It is almost always cheaper to hire a contractor. They get things cheaper than you can, they know who is good and who is bad, and any costly mistakes will be on their dime. And, they will get it done a lot faster.
Your best bet is to find a retired professional. For smaller jobs the guys at your local hardware store (NOT Home Depot) can be very helpful with advice, especially if you're a regular.
Friends and family are my main source of information, so I can't really help in regards to finding an independant contractor who works as an advisor.
Absolutely. These are known as project managers. Problem is that to get a good one, they need to know the business as well as know people. You want to watch for what you are getting. I have been doing this for 17 years. I am a great supervisor, but a lousy project manager. I tell people do it and they do it. A project manager is diplomatic in his efforts. And you are going to pay someone for their expertise. These types of people do not come cheap.
If you want to fight a little bit, you can hire individual sub contractors. Yellow pages has most sub contractor catagories listed. If you get a good one, ask them to refer the next contractor or two to you. Remember, with this route you are not looking for diplomacy but inexpensive information. Expect to pay $20 per hour minimum for this expertise. Contractor will charge $50.
Most important thing to remember ask the right question. If you ask how something is done and they give you an answer that doesn't seem to fit in your mind, then you are probably asking the wrong question. Don't get frustrated. Stay sharp and focused on getting the answer.
God Bless
I have walked a few people through some home improvement projects(hardwood floors to kitchen cabinet installation) after they contacted me through FindHomeAnswers.
We did everything by email, and it has worked out very well.
I supplied them with technical and practical advise and they did all the" hands on"
email me if you have any specific questions.
Check to see if you have a "U-Built-It" franchise in your area. It is a company that allows ordinary people to act as the general contractor on their home building or remodeling projects -- either subcontracting the work out or doing it themselves. They do charge a fee for their services, but as part of that fee, you get to meet with their experts to figure out what needs to be done, they provide you with a list of good sub-contractors in your area, you get a discount usually reserved for builders at various supply stores, they let you know what permits you may need and when you should apply for them (you get a binder that shows you what needs to be done and when on all aspects of the job), and the U-Build-It staff makes periodic visits to your job site to check on progress or give advice on how to do a job (if you are doing it yourself).
We met with the folks at our local franchise a couple of times -- once when we were thinking about building and again when we purchased a pre-owned home and wanted to do some remodeling. They were always knowledgeable, professional, friendly, and honest. I was especially impressed when they told us they felt that we could really do the job ourselves and did not need our services (as they could have certainly said the opposite in order to make some money from us).
Another option is to hire a carpenter or a very experienced handyman to work with you on jobs. We ended up doing that on some tasks that were just a bit too intimidating (such as pulling out doors and windows, framing up new walls, and installing new windows).
THERE ARE SOME CONTRACTORS THAT WILL OVERSEE THE CONSTRUCTION OF YOU PROJECT, BUT YOU WILL PAY HIGH FOR SUCH A SERVICE AND THEY MAY NOT WANT TO OVER-SEE THE WORK OF A NOVICE.THERE WOULD BE A TREMENDOUS TIME CONSTRAINT IN TEACHING A BEGINNER ON A REAL PROJECT IN EFFECT.IT MAY BE BETTER FOR YOU TO ENROLL IN SOME ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES TO GET THE GROUND WORK KNOWLEDGE YOU WILL NEED ,BEFORE YOU APPROACH A CONTRACTOR AS A MENTOR..IT MAY NOT BE WORTH HIS TIME TO INVEST IN SOME ONE WITH LITTLE OR NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE CONSTRUCTION TRADES THAT ARE NECESSARY TO CONSTRUCT AN ENTIRE HOUSE FROM THE GROUND UP....SORRY MY FRIEND, BUT THAT MAY BE THE REALITY...GOOD LUCK IN FINDING SOME ONE TO HELP YOU..
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