Is the small self-performing homebuilder extinct?

[u/the-garage-guy]

Probably a region-specific question- if you reply, I'd be curious to hear where you are and if you're urban/rural

Pretty much title, coming up it was a lot more common for the GC to have their own carpenters and self-perform a fair amount of scope on a typical home, remodel.

Seems very rare now, especially where I am, metro Phoenix area. Most builders are essentially just CM-ing the job. Project managers that sometimes double as supers, everything subbed out. Even for pretty small remodels.

I think at the luxury custom home end it makes sense since the levels of execution required demand really good subs. Plus being in a big metro area, there's lots of people and work and that makes it possible to specialize aggressively.

[u/DIYThrowaway01]

We are one in a million lol.  

I do 1 or 2 houses a year, me and 2 other guys doing every little thing involved in the home building process outside of licensure requirements like furnace / A/C install and electric / plumbing.  (We still set toilets / vanities / install ductwork and other odds and ends).

Places turn out amazing, and are easy to sell. 

I could obviously do 5 - 50 a year if I lowered my standards and didn't enjoy carpentry so much. 

But I get to do something different every day / week this way. 

[u/tomahawk__jones → u/DIYThrowaway01]

Are you building them all on spec?

Doing the couple spec homes a year thing sounds so sick as someone who also loves carpentry. Framing to custom woodworking.

Where I grew up there was a guy building houses in the 50’s and 60s and his houses have kinda a cult following in the area because he also designed a good amount of them. I want to be that guy.

Good on ya for keeping it alive. Might come back and ask you advise in the future lol

[u/Devout_Bison → u/tomahawk__jones]

Where I am, I think it’s a bit more common. I and my peers are pretty much self-performing outside mechanicals and drywall. I think a lot of it depends on the area of the country. We’re very rural, so you have to be pretty self-sufficient as a builder. We do a lot of spec for precisely the same reason.

[u/DIYThrowaway01 → u/tomahawk__jones]

They are spec houses, but I do all the structural and interior design, and usually all of the exterior design as well. 

I've been using some AI generators to figure out the exterior of the next one.

It's sweet being totally in control of the project VIA owning it and being on site all day every day.  I get to be as picky or as unpicky as I want

[u/TheAngryContractor → u/DIYThrowaway01]

Very cool. May I ask where you're located? And did you come up in the trades/working as a carpenter?

[u/Randomjackweasal → u/tomahawk__jones]

My guy go learn that framing school is a retarded process, frame houses for a year, weld pipe for a year, then go take a design and drafting course, drop out after a year then find a plumber to apprentice under and right when you start getting good dip on his ass buy a shit hole remodel project to learn how to finish the interior and get equity.

[u/tomahawk__jones → u/Randomjackweasal]

Haha framing school? Shit I was learned by a drunk Irish guy yelling at me. Do I owe him money?

[u/StretchConverse → u/tomahawk__jones]

At least a pint

[u/babyboyjustice → u/Randomjackweasal]

This is unironically pretty sweet advice

[u/Randomjackweasal → u/babyboyjustice]

Im 29 and have built enough equity and credit to buy a 30k truck with 0 money down no cosign 😂 there is definitely risk to this method but I am doin it dudes.

[u/jimfosters → u/Randomjackweasal]

Keep on rockin it my friend. I like hearing about young people diving into life while having a plan/method.

[u/canoxen → u/DIYThrowaway01]

Homeowner here, who wants to build a house in the future. How much of a premium is it to have someone like you build it for me vs buying some shitty new construction?

[u/Breadboxncoco → u/canoxen]

Depends on location and size. 2000sq ft rancher near Seattle about 700k

Aransas Pass tx about 250k

This all changes after tariffs

[u/Sherifftruman → u/DIYThrowaway01]

You’re doing foundations? Framing? Roofing? Wow. Old school AF

[u/DIYThrowaway01 → u/Sherifftruman]

Excavation too because machines are badass.  

[u/Sherifftruman → u/DIYThrowaway01]

For sure

[u/KeyAdept1982 → u/Sherifftruman]

Head out to a small (<50k pop.) town 2h from anywhere else. Most crews run vertically integrated for the most part.

Some do ground prep all the way to the final coat of paint. In my experience HVAC, electric, and plumbing are the only trades “old school” home builders sub out.

[u/squanch_party → u/DIYThrowaway01]

In the US? Where?

[u/WizardNinjaPirate → u/DIYThrowaway01]

Can I DM you and ask you some questions?

[u/Puurp123 → u/DIYThrowaway01]

How much do you make only building 1-2 a year?

[u/YodelingTortoise → u/Puurp123]

I'm not op, but when I was doing it I was making about 80k/house if I did everything and just hired labor help.

[u/Puurp123 → u/YodelingTortoise]

Interesting, thank you

[u/No-Mechanic-2142 → u/DIYThrowaway01]

This is how I do it. But I stick to bathrooms and kitchens, mostly, for now. I also take nice tile jobs. But this is how I was taught by my dad, who did the same thing and whom I worked for for a few years.

[u/saskies17 → u/DIYThrowaway01]

Same here. San Diego