We are self contracting our home build. This is the second time we have contracted it ourselves. But...my husband is a project manager for a commercial construction company so he kind of does it for a living even if it isn't residential. Most suppliers will give you a ''builder discount'' if you ask and tell them you are the GC. However, even with the discount, I have found that places like Lowes and Home Depot are very competitive and if you can get your hands on some 10% off coupons you will save a bundle. You can also have them price out your project at corporate which means you will give them a list of the large scale of purchases you will have coming up, and corporate will give you a line item discount on each item depending on their cost etc...

Another thing to think about is getting a credit card that offers cash back rewards. Because we roll almost everything through our credit card and pay ourselves back with the construction loan dispersments we have managed to accumulate a large sum of cash back that paid for pretty much all of our appliances...Just a thought.

An example of the pricing online to the supply houses, the sink I want is $300 at Home Depot. The plumber supply house that my plumber buys through was $400. Also the tub we bought for the master was 400 less through the big box store over the supply house. It just depends on the item though.

Thanks for the response! So I dont have to get the items from the supply house. Thats great because Ive been looking at a ton of stuff and overstock.com has an awesome air tub at a great price.
The idea to use a credit card is smart. I would have never thought about it, but makes a lot of sense.
Thanks again

@easyprop
What gave the impression that this is a small project? My home will be 2700 sq ft. I know that isnt huge, but I am pretty sure it will be costly and I dont want to waste money any where that I dont have to.

We live in a rural area. So rural that we have more one lane bridges than stores. We are planning to build on the property that we currently live on.

The Amish have done amazing work around here, but I know that they arent going to know where to get certain things that I would want that typically the Amish dont deal with.

I think the poster ment a one time (for you) not several times (contractor) a year build.

A single event contractor does not provide any repeat business incentive for suppliers to give you their best price. The same goes with hiring your own subs. You'll be at the bottom of any repeat business pricing for their jobs as well as their time management priorities.

If you supply your own items for your trades to install, be sure that you completely understand what it is you need to provide. If you are planning a complicated shower install for instance, be sure that you get all of the correct control valves in the correct manufacturer's finish and have everything on site in time for your plumber. And be prepared to deal with the supplier and manufacturer if you've received a defective valve. Subs make part of their profit on supplying their materials and if you take that away, you also take away any labor warranty on the product install. If that valve behind the wall fails, and you call the plumber out to take a look, he will charge you instead of eating that labor charge. The savings to your bottom line may make up for the occasional callback for defective materials, but it would be better if you were knowledgeable enough from the beginning to be able do quality control on the delivered merchandise. If you have to have your plumber involved for that at additional cost, then you might as well have him doing the ordering as well.

Oh, I see. Thank you

Im glad I came here. Im really getting good information, but it is scary. How do people do this all the time? I am intimidated all ready...

Your husband will be acting as the owner and general contractor so there would be no markup on the materials and labor he provides and he will negotiate the markup from the subs he hires. Some subs will install materials provided by the owner and some won't. Some just move the markup to the installation fee. It's not always easy to get a sub to put his cards on the table especially if he is bidding the job.

To determine what is the best way to buy materials have your husband talk to the subs he wants to use first. Sometimes they can get better prices from wholesale suppliers and sometimes they can't. It can even vary from month to month. In any event, buying from the internet is risky but often it saves the most money. However, you really have to know a lot about what you are buying since there are so many knock-off materials from China.

2 years ago I was able to buy Andersen windows from a wholesale supplier for 20% less than at Home Depot and I got a quicker delivery date (Home depot had lied about the next available delivery date). 6 months later Home Depot had the lower price. One thing you don't want to do is tell the wholesale supplier you have been talking to Home Depot because he will probably hang up on you. They are often asked for written quotes in order to take advantage of the lowest price guarantee at some box stores. Don't advertise the fact that you are "shopping" the job as if buying a new set of tires or an appliance.

Timing is important too. Right now the economy is bad enough that of all the builders we've interviewed, none had a problem finding subs who would install fixtures provided by us, the owners. They will warranty the work they do, but they will not warrant defective fixtures. Fair enough. Maybe five years ago they could be pickier, but not here and now.

Im still in the planning stages and dont plan to start actual building until next spring. I am an instant gratification kind of gal so I know that once I have it started no matter how quick the completion is it wont be fast enough. This is why I want to do all the research on materials, prices and options so that I will not sacrifice quality later. I would love to get awesome prices. Is it stupid to buy some things that I am positive I want if I see it at a great price now even though I wont be using it for over a year?

I'm very much in your same position. We are in the planning stages and hopefully will start next spring with us (mainly my retired father in law) acting as general contractor. I have been doing research on faucets and lighting, etc. Even though it will probably be a year or more before we even install my purchases I have already purchased several ceiling fans and a light fixture (all at Home Depot online). I basically track the prices and when they get really low I go ahead and purchase. I've also had free shipping on all these items. I figure the more I can get/research now, the better off I will be next year.

You'd be better off researching energy efficient ways to construct your home over the decorative frills that fill your home. Intelligent building practices will continue to pay for themselves over the life of the home, well beyond that free shipping payback period. Insulation, metal roofing, LED fixtures, central siting of the water heater, induction cooking and a host of other features can save you thousands over your tenure in that house. You'll be "upgrading" that already dated incandescent Oil Rubbed Bronze fixture you found for super cheap a lot sooner than you will your home's roof or basic structure.