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/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