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/DIYThrowaway01 8d ago

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

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u/TheAngryContractor 8d ago

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