Our Mission

'Affordable Elegance'

RCH is a Licensed General Contractor dedicated to quality home improvements at affordable prices with honesty, integrity, and pride.

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Do I really need a GC or can I build it on my own?

The simple answer is...YES. You can build it on your own without a GC, but there are several 'hoops' that you'll have to jump through with the Buildings Department, and a few pitfalls that must be avoided.

Let's assume you have submitted your Building Permit Application and you've just received your letter stating that your PERMIT is ready and can be picked up. STOP Only a Licensed General Contractor (GC) can sign out the Building Permit...unless...

You satisfy the Bldgs Dept. that you have all of the Insurance coverages the town requires for a residential construction project. You will have to consult with your
Home Owner's Insurance Broker to make sure you have such coverages in place, and
that your carrier is willing to cover this endeavor. Your carrier may insist on an 'All Risk' add-on to cover the hazards of construction.

Remember that you will have to spend a great deal of time on the job-site. It seems reasonable that you just hire the sub-contractors and they will go ahead and do
their job...but it seldom works that way. During an average work day on a construction site...even the little ones like your 1 story extension...there are at least 2 or 3 major decisions to be made that involve Time, Money, Procedure, Code, or All of the Above!
If you are not there, you cannot make these decisions in an informed and timely manner.
You cannot expect others to make decisions on your behalf with only your best interests
in mind.

You will also need a working knowledge of just about every trade, else when a decision arises you will not be able to make it without bringing in a third party 'expert'.

A complete understanding of each trade's physical needs on-site as well as the order in which variouse tasks must be done and how they overlap, is crucial.

In short, it's a time consuming task that requires a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to complete successfully. Most who tackle this are either in the industry,
or end up spending as much, and in many cases more, than they would have if they had hired a GC.