re: General Contracting your Home Build

as long as you know how things are done and make sure your subs do quality work you shouldnt have to sue anybody. if you dont know how things are built, do some research. you dont need to be able to do the work yourself, but you should have a good understanding of how it is done.

dont just pick subs out of the yellow pages. try to get references. check the BBB. drive by some of the nicer houses being built(not dr horton) and see who their subs are. you usually get what you pay for.

if you know your dirt needs to be compacted, or something needs to be waterproofed a certain way, or you expect a certain finish, talk to your sub before they do the work and make sure they are going to perform the work the right way. dont wait until they perform the work to talk about those things.

you should go by the site everyday after work has been done, if possible, and inspect the work. if something looks wrong get it fixed asap. being your own GC means you write the checks. dont pay until the work is done to your liking.

there are a ton of books, youtube videos, television shows, and websites that can help you learn how stuff is done. the gardenweb forums are pretty good and have a lot of info and horror stories. watch holmes on homes on HGTV to see what not to do.