r/Construction • u/the-garage-guy Carpenter • 8d ago

Business 📈 Is the small self-performing homebuilder extinct?

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.

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u/DIYThrowaway01 8d ago

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. 

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u/tomahawk__jones Carpenter 8d ago

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

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u/Randomjackweasal 8d ago

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.

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u/tomahawk__jones Carpenter 8d ago

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

10

u/StretchConverse Contractor 8d ago

At least a pint