Depends on the contract you have with the GC.

There are other factors than just messing with the GC's income.

Warrantees, installation issues, and quality issues can arise.

Many contractors have deals with suppliers/manufacturers and most have favorite materials they have found to be of good quality on a long term basis.

If you purchase the items, you have the warantee responsibility. And some companies see an out when the home owner buys the product. That opens a door for the warenteeing company to claim improper installation---which voids the warantee. There is also a size issue that often arises. The space for a stove/fridg/DW is built and the product is a different size. That means extra work for the contractor---who has to charge you more---which causes real problems in some cases.

The thing to do to prevent as many problems as possible is to pick out the products---the exact models/sizes/etc, not just a brand before the building starts.

The contractor can then check for installation procedures(which will probably be an added cost) and make sure the products are installed correctly.

Example. I contracted to remodel a bathroom for a customer. For reasons of their own, they did not want permits pulled. There was a way do do all the work they wanted legally without a permit, so I agreed. In fact a great deal was done with the house next door getting daily visits from the codes inspector. Who came over and talked to me(I was working in the driveway).

I told him what I was doing and he agreed it was legal.

Now, the last thing was a new floor. Snap together composite planking with a ceramic like finish. Bought by the home owner. First thing I do is read the installation instructions. Lo and belohd, buried in the small print on the last page was a requirement for that flooring, when used in a bath or kitchen, to be installed using a special glue. The lack of which voided the warranty. Which fact was unknown to the seller(Home Depot).

I go back to the HD store where the flooring was purchased and ask for the glue. Lots of folks laughed. "No glue, it just snaps together!"

When I showed them the instructions I had brought, they said that was for another product. I made them open a new box and get the instructions.

Oops. No laughing now!

Took three weeks to convince the Manufacturer to find and send the right glue---evidentally the factory did not have any either.

Moral of story. The ceramic top layer delaminated within the warranty period. The company rep immediately said the flooring was incorrectly installed. No glue in the bath environment.

Oops! The company had to pay me to replace their product. And I did not use their products.

If I had not read the instructions, either myself or the home owner would have been responsible. I would bewilling to bet a large amount of money that most home owners/contractors got burnt by that product. Simply because details often get lost in the process of use.

It is, for two reasons:

One, contractors like to stick with the stuff they know -- they have a positive track record with it and they know the little "gotchas". Installing whatever you've provided -- which they may never have seen before and may never see again -- may mean time spent (wasted, from their perspective) figuring out its foibles. Time is money.

Two, contractors also typically get a price break on the items they purchase, which gives them a little more profit. This profit typically is figured into a complete quote, so if you already have agreed on a price including labor and materials, supplying your own items removes some of the contractor's profit.

The best time to discuss providing your own items is while you're selecting the contractor(s). See how open they are to incorporating your ideas -- and be open yourself to how they may want to structure their bid to cover their costs and make sure they don't lose lots of time on installing your provided items. Realize that they may not discover until they are into the job that whatever you or they may have chosen.

I've been successful in such an approach before. Just as long as everyone knows what to expect beforehand, conflict should be minimal to non-existent.

Thanks - that makes sense. I'm not ready yet,but I do understand this process is fraught with problems. When I first stepped a toe into looking into renovating/remodeling, I asked a contractor about spray foam insulation, and was told that's not what he uses, but I'll be fine with the regular stuff.

It was at that point I knew I was not ready.

I can appreciate the expertise of others and fully understand the purpose of hiring a contractor is to have the advantage of that expertise.Of course reading concentrated doses of work not completed, not completed according to contract, and a host of horrors, I'm not sure how a home owner maintains a balance of letting experts work and making sure I get what I want because it's my house.

More reading - I am not ready yet.

Just because a contractor does not use a product or method does not mean much.

Many contractors are comfortable with the 'old' ways, do not know how to use new methods, or do not know another contractor/craftsman who can use new techniques. Very often building codes seem to disallow new procedures as well.

Spray foam insulation is one of those examples. spray foam actually does a much better job of sealing a space. That sounds wonderful. There can be a serious unintended consequence however. The sealing is so good, a system of air exchange has to be installed, since in the winter, with doors and windows closed, no fresh air is easily brought into the home. That can cause what is called as 'Sick Building', a situation where stale air is simply recirculated over and over.

You wrote:

"I'm not sure how a home owner maintains a balance of letting experts work and making sure I get what I want because it's my house."

The perfect solution is to find a contractor who will incorporate your ideas and desires. One way to do that is to find a company with design/planning capacity as well as construction capacity. That way, the designer/architect designs what you want and does it so the builder can follow the plan.

That can cost a lot more than hiring a contractor to add/change walls/rooms/etc. But, if you want to keep/enjoy the finished product for a long time, it might just be worth the cost.

Thanks Handymac!

My immediate goal is as much energy efficiency as possible which would include the insulation as well as the proper ventilation,then windows and doors, and making sure that everything is well-sealed and properly installed. Of course I have ideas and visions of what the house looks like, but my primary concern is all of the stuff you can't see.

I shall continue my education and then expand my search for a company that does both design and construction.

I know I want particular things - stove, refrigerator, cabinets, bathtub, vanity, doors (I'm still learning about windows but I do know I want fiberglass and probably triple paned).

I can see a major issue with who does the purchasing, but don't you need the customer's selections in fixtures, appliances, vanity, cabinets, etc.? How could you do it otherwise?

On the other hand, I undertook a bathroom remodel where the client selected and purchased the tub, fixtures, wall bars, etc. Even that was a damned big headache, since I kept getting calls and emails about the selections. And while it was a pain, it was a good thing I did get the calls because they kept trying to order stuff that would not work in their space. Example: they wanted a a drop-in style tub for a corner tub/shower combo with a frameless enclosure, and I wasn't about to glue on a tile flange and warrantee that. There were several more examples (I couldn't believe it myself) and I spent too much time trying educate and answer "but why can't I order this...?)

I can see that going back and forth, especially after the plans have been made, wanting to change or add more things, would be bothersome for the contractor. All of those issues should definitely be worked out before the work begins. On the other hand, I can also understand the homeowner wanting particular fixtures but not really understanding what can and cannot fit or be used without the advice of the contractor as there are a dizzying array of options.

In addition to this forum, I have also been reading one that is only for contractors. I can't participate because I am not, but I do read it. More often than not, it seems that the contractors create "packages" for kitchens and bathrooms and present these as the only options usually based on what is best/preferred/easiest for the contractor. Then there are the discussions about charging through the roof when the client wants something different just because it's a product not known to the contractor.

And, again, there are thousands of options with new ones coming out everyday, so I can understand contractors wanting to work with that which is familiar; however, I also think that they should learn about the new things too, though I would expect it's almost impossible to know everything. However, in lieu of that, a homeowner suggesting and purchasing his/her own fixtures seems a reasonable solution.

There has to be a way to get what I want without creating an adversarial relationship with the contractor. I would think that discussing things well in advance would be it, but I am beginning to think that solution is subjective to contractor and homeowner and may not always work.

"More often than not, it seems that the contractors create "packages" for kitchens and bathrooms and present these as the only options usually based on what is best/preferred/easiest for the contractor. Then there are the discussions about charging through the roof when the client wants something different just because it's a product not known to the contractor."

Contractors are in business to offer services and make money. That means they have to find the niche in the marketplace into which they are conmfortable and can make the most money.

Time is money. The faster they can produce the product for the least cost to the customer, the more money they make.

Continually changing plans is a financial boobytrap, for both the contractor and the home owner. Every change costs money and creates the possibility of a mistake---which costs more money.

If money is no object, and the contractor can handle the changes, great. I don't know of too many situations like that.

That menas the homeowner is ultimately on the hook. They have to choose the right folks for their job. They have to make up their mind BEFORE construction starts and make sure their budget is possible.

Having pacakage deals simplifies work for the contractor. That means lower costs for the HO as well as more profit for the contractor.. It means faster job completion for the home owner. Which is good for both.

And, again, there are thousands of options with new ones coming out everyday, so I can understand contractors wanting to work with that which is familiar; however, I also think that they should learn about the new things too, though I would expect it's almost impossible to know everything. However, in lieu of that, a homeowner suggesting and purchasing his/her own fixtures seems a reasonable solution.

Oh, I think good contractors learn plenty about new things. But it does take some time to learn about it and to have enough confidence in it to install and warrant it.

Think back a few years to when low-flow toilets were just coming into use. Most of them were just awful. A few were better than that. Most contractors, if not required by law to install a low-flow, would have installed the then-typical toilet because they didn't want to have to come back to address the poor design of the low-flow unit. Today, the lousy toilets are the exception rather than the rule, and even ultra-low-flow (1.28gpf) toilets are installed without complaint because they really do work.

I know I've paid a contractor more than I would have for a package, but I hired people who were interested in looking at the new stuff, we agreed that I was on the hook for labor on the product if it had to be removed for warranty work (never happened), and I made sure that their costs were covered if it turned out to take longer than the standard job. Sometimes I had to do a little education (I had the electrician hang Cat 5 cable throughout a house we were building back in '99 and had to show him how to do it, but he was interested in learning a new skill and he did it right).

All that has worked out fine for me. It can for you, too. You just need to find the skilled contractor who is new enough/hungry enough/inquisitive enough to want to do it your way -- situation and physics permitting. :-)

The biggest trap in buying your own is that you don't understand what is needed for the job. You don't know what you don't know, and don't understand how to communicate your wants and needs to your contractor correctly. That costs you money. Some purchases are physically impossible for the space, such as you buying a 12" rough in toilet for a 10" rough in space. Some cannot be installed without you upgrading your home's systems first, such as a new hot tub for your new deck that your ancient 60 amp panel can't supply.

There are a lot of risks that you take when you go this route. For instance, in a kitchen, you want a farm sink, and you buy that farm sink online at a great price. You think you've just saved a ton of money and gotten what you want. But you forgot to tell the kitchen designer that you want a farm sink instead of a "regular" sink and they order a standard sink base. That has to go back (with you eating the cost) and you have to wait the 6 weeks for the right sink base to come in. You also forgot to tell the cabinet installer, so he gave you a "standard" labor price rather than one that incorporated the much higher labor costs (due to it being a fussy and demanding job) of installing a farm sink. You also forgot to order an overlay piece for him to scribe to fit over the cutout panel, and now you don't like the look of your sink but have to wait at least another 2-3 weeks for that overlay panel to come and try to entice the carpenter to come back out and fuss with installing that. More time, more money, but you got what you wanted in the end.

I'm not saying it's impossible for a homeowner to buy what they want and get a quality job from a contractor. It's just that the homeowner had better be pretty handy and educated about a lot of subjects, and the contractor had better be pretty flexible. What usually happens is that by the time the homeowner knows enough to specify a job properly, they know enough to act as their own GC and they do that instead. And by the time most contractors have had that certain "flexibility" knocked out of them by repeatedly dealing with flakes who make them regret it, they offer "set packages" to minimize their hassles.

Live wire oak,
That describes it very well. And the flake reference, which may sound harsh (and which is not meant for the poster), does sum it up for those who have been caught in one of these types of jobs. It's back and forth, back and forth, on and on with changing ruminations and decisions, delays, the project never seems to close, and you end up getting second-guessed by folks who don't know what they don't know.

In the bathroom job I mentioned earlier, they chose a Toto with a wide base, which required the supply (which came out of a tile floor) to be at least 8 1/2" to the side. Moving it meant more work and $$, of course, which they did not want to pay since it differed from the original quote. And all I did was burn minutes for something they were ordering themselves. But they did ask me if I would pick it up if I was anywhere nearby the supplier!

Then there was adding more lighting...AFTER the lighting and electrical were done and closed in, finished and painted. I had strongly urged more lighting before that, but to no avail.

Writing this seems like therapy. I am reliving the memory so I don't do it again!

ae2ga these have all been good responses.

Starting yesterday morning, your Q+A got more detailed.

As long as you will gladly pay for those extra days required to let working people read new manuals you will be happy.

The first time anyone reads a manual, they miss things. You do too. It's always good to see it long in advance and re-read it. Don't think the tradespeople are good at this. Now that the internet is so powerful, and web sites too, you can get your hands on the right manual long in advance. You can read them all long before buying, long before selecting your purchases, long before knowing if you'll even get that kind of purchase...

But the average bear is not a good manual reader. We cannot all be above average. Most bears are below average.

I've seen situations that take more than a day to resolve, and that could have been avoided if "knowledge" had been known in advance. If you are glad to pay for time wasted, you will be happy. Some workers know how to convert a customer like you into an "hours worked" kind of payer so you keep dishing out a regular amount like $5000 per week as they keep showing you things that need deciding and reading and double checking and redeciding and calling the tech support number, and so on. This kind of arrangement ends when you run out of money, and then you may feel you've been ripped off, and you may post about it. You might get the plumbing and electricity back but you won't get a finished place out of it.

Someone who can read understand and remember everything, can be a good customer showing tradespeople new things. It doesn't happen like that in most cases. If it's hard for YOU, a white collar person, to get manuals and read them, try to imagine how hard it is for many blue collar people. If they had been good at reading and understanding things when they were far younger, they might not have become trades people. Now they have "experience" but they might still not be good with reading entire paragraphs including subtle sentences that describe warnings, limits, and so on.

Tell me you can understand the fine print on a paint can or bag of cement.

Buying your own appliances is OK by me. But read everything and take notes. It won't be "in the manual" when you need it. It'll be on another page.

hth

You guys are great, and I sincerely appreciate the time you've taken to explain my issue for the alternative point of view.

So far, I have learned that contractors do not like customers purchasing their own fixtures and things because:

1. Time and money wasted by customers who do not know enough to know what they're doing because:
a. there is the very real possibility that it won't fit,
b. will require additional pieces to be installed,
c. pieces that were not purchased because the homeowner did not have sufficient knowledge/information/skill/experience to get the correct things.
d. plumbing and electrical needs are not understood

As a result, there are delays, whining complaining customers, contractors whose time is being wasted, and it would seem, whose skill and experience are seemingly being disrespected. The contractor is displeased because of the delays and changes which wastes time (and time is money). The homeowner is displeased because the finished job doesn't "look" right, and there are substantial extra costs.

2. Another reason that buying my own stuff is a problem is because of warranty issues.

a. . A contractor is disinclined to warranty products/work with which they are unfamiliar.
b. I would have to be prepared to accept the extra costs for labor if there is a warranty problem at a later time.This would have to be in writing and part of the contract.

I have learned from my reading(in that fine print) most products include a clause about correct installation being required for warranty to be valid.

3. Additionally, there can be problems with the learning curve.
a. Using new products/materials requires learning how to use new products/materials which takes time.
b. IF this is to be done, it needs to be done BEFORE the job begins, not during, and there is still the possibility for error - as is the case with doing something for the first time in any circumstance.
c. Theoretical knowledge is not the same as practical experience. And it is the practical experience that is needed.

4. Finally, buying my own stuff sets me up to me charged significantly more money for the job mostly for the reasons listed above and because I will most definitely be a PITA customer.

This is what I have learned thus far, and I am extremely grateful for the lessons.

However (damn, just when you thought I had actually learned something ;)), it does seem that SOME of the problems can be resolved by discussing these issues before the job begins, and then writing it into the contract. Add me getting out of the way and letting the contractor do his job after we've reached that understanding.

For the homeowner, the renovation/remodel is a starry-eyed proposition of a vision of how I want my home to function and look; for the contractor, it's a job for which he/she can (hopefully with minimum fuss) be paid to support self and family - no idealistic visions involved.

My learning curve - before all of this begins - is to get to past the idealism, be more practical, and understand the work and costs involved in achieving my goals in such a way that they are compatible with the required work.

Is this the part where you say "Go back and read what we posted already!" or am I getting a little closer to reality?

You are the best at reiterating reviewing and concluding on a positive can-do note of all the people i have seen write responses. Kudos, hats off, bravo. I mean it because this was a fast response.
!

I'm confident you will find the right people, keep them motivated, not depress them, and yourself remain sane and balanced.

Still for caution's sake I would tell an internet person to be finicky about only a few items and not everything. That much stands as before.

Pardon a wrench thrown into this thread but here goes. I occasionally work for a contractor friend who has the homeowner select and buy whatever they want. He'll give direction if they need it. The decisions, "exact models/sizes/etc",, as handymac said, just need to be made before critical moments; basically before cabinet layout is finalized. I heard him say to a homeower just the other day, "not a problem if you change your mind about the stove, we'll just move the gas line if necessary." That's how he runs his business, despite his wife's complaints as he cheerfully heads out the door on a Saturday to redo something. I'm surprised homeowners will submit to a limited set of products dictated by a GC.

To the OP: put good effort into finding a good contractor - that's how to smooth your remodel.

I should add that if the homeowner wants something that my contractor friend isn't comfortable doing himself, he finds a specialized sub with the required experience/skills OR leaves it up to the homeower to sub that bit out him/herself. I see that this flexibility might not be possible in smaller markets. I should also add that my friend is a UC Berkeley trained lawyer, not some kucklehead with a pickup. The pros on this forum are similarly capable, as I'm sure you've seen, (MIT maybe?), and you might have some trouble finding such competence where you are.

Sometimes the changes are not a big deal. But other times they are.

I did a kitchen remodel to prep a home for sale. It was mutually agreed to keep costs low and go with a standard depth sink, no GD (garbage disposal - there wasn't one to begin with), no dishwasher, no extra outlets. Take a guess at what they decided to add before it was completed, but after the walls were done and cabinets installed? All of that. This was working with a cast iron drain that was too high to accomodate a GD. But I aim to please (and my r
eputation depends on it) so I chagrined and got it done. Another lesson learned.

Bill - does your friend not charge extra for each of these changes? Do they not make the job take longer?

I am more of a "have a definitive plan" kind of girl. If I know as much as possible about the task I set for myself, from as many points of view as possible, then the work goes more smoothly because I can make informed decisions. Not knowing beforehand makes me batty. I even like knowing my Christmas presents before I open them. ;)

I don't think the gentlemen who've responded are telling me that I have to accept what someone else wants for my house; rather, they are telling me that I have to be clear about what I do want - to be certain of it BEFORE I begin - and are giving advice about the pitfalls to avoid, such as having unreasonable expectations given my wants and what is possible given my budget.

I have read myriad posts of homeowners who complain about how long the remodel takes, how much more it costs, how many times the contractor had to come back, how things that didn't work out after changes were made - I think it is possible to learn from the people who do the work to avoid the sorts of problems so prevalent on this and other home sites. And then there are posts by contractors and subcontractors who are not happy with clients.

There must be ways to avoid such antagonism, and I believe I am getting excellent advice to accomplish my goal. Ultimately, I will be hiring a contractor because I am in need of his expertise;expertise I have to both trust and respect. If what I want conflicts with what is possible within my budget, I would much rather know now than later.

To be sure, I want what I want; however, the way I approach getting it, areas in which I may need to compromise, things that cannot be the way I want given the space and budget, what sort of information I need before I begin this project, understanding the contractor's position as well as understanding my own so that we can have a compatible work relationship - I think all of these are necessary.

At the end of the day, I expect to be joyfully content with a house that is well-sealed, well-ventilated, warm, dry, energy efficient, beautiful, and within my budget. I will be happy with my home, but there is no need to make others miserable to get what I want.

If we could get homebound and ae2ga together, I think we've got a successful project! Dream contractor and dream client.

To answer your ? about added cost, it depends, but usually not. I've not been with him for more than a couple years so I've not seen it all. I think he just just likes to work and provide great service. I KNOW I don't have his patience and giving nature. Day 1, walking into a kitchen redo recently, I saw the dishwasher had been started just as we walked in. "2H" on the dial, (a Bosch), and my sledge was ready to go. My friend said nothing when I was thinking "YOU IDIOTS". And half the cupboards and drawers were still full "because they ran out of boxes". He just laughed. I'm betting homebound is like this. "lesson learned. That's the 'tractor' you want.

Look for a contractor who communicates well and you're comfortable with. Who listens to you.

I am obviously not a contractor; I am an English teacher. I love my job, and I'm really good at it because I work hard to be good at what I do. Sometimes, because public education is a political entity, there are "experts" and "consultants" who come along, well-meaning but sometimes clueless, proceed to make changes in the classroom. And while their hearts are in the right place, they are often do not have a working knowledge of what I must do to teach my at-risk below grade-level students to be better readers and writers. But in they come, implement their "new and improved" ideas, and when it doesn't work out, they say things like "if you had done it my way" and make teachers attend meetings during which we are told that "if we had done it right the first time." And then, after they've totally screwed up the program, made my life more difficult, and put my students even further behind, they leave. And I can go back to doing what I know works, but I have to work more and harder to get that job done. And this doesn't mean I have the only good ideas, but is does mean that I absolutely know what I am doing. I can always learn more and actively seek to do so, but I really do know what I'm doing.

When required to work with such people, I am frustrated, sometimes resentful, and, after all of these years, I tend to mostly ignore and wait for them to go away. I imagine that being a contractor is similar. You have studied, apprenticed, and worked to gain experience so that you know what you are doing, do it well, and are proud of your work. And then comes along a homeowner who has a better way, a new idea, an unproven method; they know better, not because they do, but because they say so.

And so the contractor has taken this job and is committed to completing it because the children still need to eat, and he knows that this too shall pass. But in the meantime, there has to be a great deal of frustration, annoyance, and resentment during and after. And when the next one comes along, the previous experience results in an attitude that says, "oh geez, not another one."

It's not a good working relationship. The works takes longer. It's frustrating. And no one is happy.

However, if the expert/homeowner asks questions in advance, gets the necessary knowledge and information, learns why some things are done certain ways, stops to consider that the teacher/contractor does things in a particular way for a reason, then if changes/improvements are going to be made, then they can happen in a way that is beneficial for both.

I will need a contractor who listens to me. I will also need to listen to my contractor - that is part of the lessons learned in this post.

Wow. Just. Wow.

All I can say is, if you're doing a kitchen remodel, you better head over to the Kitchen Forum.

After reading all of the contractors are horrible, homeowners are evil threads, I thought that if I could just purchase my own supplies, that the contractor could do the work, and I would avoid most of the adversarial issues and problems that people say they have. However, in all seriousness, considering this thread has completely changed my attitude.

Mine will be a rehab/renovation designed to improved the whole house system (insulation, sealing, windows,hvac, electrical, plumbing, then updating kitchen and baths) and it may well turn out that I purchase a number of things, but if I do, it will be discussed and decided with the guidance and advice of my contractor before one speck of work is begun.

clap.

clap.

clap. clap.

clap. clap. clap. clap :-) Very good choice! Good luck with your remodel!

Thanks bunches. One more year of job number two, and I will be ready to go.

ae2ga: All of the above sounds great...in theory. In practice it's another matter altogether. Take this from one who is at the precise time of this writing in the throes of a home remodel. I couldn't have been more 'prepared'. I studied, studied, and studied some more. Years of studying before embarking on this aventure. Yet, I've been averaging weekly 'battles' with the GC for the past 2 1/2 months. Good luck to you in your future project, but may I gently suggest that you take off those rose-colored glasses and fasten your seatbelt. You are in for a rude awakening and a bumpy ride. ;-)

Foxy - about what sorts of things are you having "weekly battles" with your contractor? Is work being completed differently than was contracted?

I do not believe that anything in life worth having is easy, but I also believe it willbe possible for me have the house I want without contention. Rose-colored glasses? Maybe so. But I am also positive that I can find a way to make the process work without the fractious complication.

We are in the middle of a remodel of a large kitchen and 2 baths, and we have bought almost all of our "stuff" ourselves. If we weren't sure about something (such as rough in valves, etc.), we just made sure to ask our GC before we purchased. This is the way our particular GC works with most of his homeowners, and it has worked just fine. If our GC is uncomfortable about an approach he tells us why. We listen to him and reach an agreement that works for both of us. We have saved thousands of dollars doing it this way, and so far, no problems at all.

Thanks sas - confirmation that communication with the contractor is key for a good working relationship.

I gpt bids from 3 contractors, all of whom said, without prompting from me, "You can buy your own cabinets & appliances, or we can; whichever you'd like."
No--I lie--one of them said that he *wanted* me to purchase the materials.

Of course, he didn't personally warranty the floor, and it did have problems, and I was on the hook for dealing with it. So, that downside did come true. It wasn't the worst thing, though.

Tally Sue -

Did your contractor purchase the other things like insulation, windows, vapor barrier, etc.? Did he install the floor?

I'm really curious about the floor issue because if you bought it, but he installed it, I can see where there are issues with the warranty - who pays for what when something goes wrong as the warranty to you because you purchased, but warranty voided for improper installation which would be him.

How did that end up working out? Was it part of the contract that you purchase the materials you did and he just install them? Was there anything in the contract about him not being responsible if something went wrong after installation of products you purchased?

ae2ga,

Thank you for this thread. I've learned a lot just from reading it. Once you get to the point where you are choosing a contractor and checking references, make sure you get the names of the people who actually worked on the job. We got a contractor off "Angie's List" and got burned because a different worker was sent. The floors had bits of paint and hair on them when the polyutherane was applied. Awful.

Good luck with your remodeling job!

From this and private messages sent to me, I hav learned an amazng amount of information about what to do and what not to do - GW has amazingly helpful and knowledgeable members.

I had many materials bought before hiring our gc. When he came in, day 1, I had a detailed list ready of what was purchased and what else was chosen and what else we expected to choose. I asked him for guidance on a number of items and we have had very few issues with our supplying most things. In fact, a few things on "his" list were purchased by us when I saw a steal or specialty item. He took those off the contracted price as a change order.
I think it simplified a lot for him and he was comfortable because the materials were on site well in advance. I may have pestered him about a few choices but overall, he was grateful that I had things done early and was attending to my duties. The issue he hates is when a h.o. is supposed to supply something and then the job is help up because of a backorder or something was forgotten.
I have a number of things that he or the subs have never worked with or even heard of (one joked to his buddy I cursed at him when I said I had a Mockett, lol). They were interested in the new stuff or new ideas I had because I think it was a new toy or something interesting for them. I did not see any eye rolling or complaints. In the future, they have some new ideas and techniques to sell when doing other jobs. I have researched everything to death and was able to provide detailed instructions on anything new. I certainly have learned a ton from them, but I contributed as well.
I hope your gc works out as nicely for you as ours has. Our architect was a nightmare, but our skilled gc has minimized the pain of dealing with him/his mistakes as best as possible. The subs chosen by our gc were all top notch as well. His bid was reasonable and was equal to a few and below a few. He was the most pleasurable to deal with while bidding on the project and that has carried through to well past the halfway point (where we are now).
One great thing about having materials bought in advance, is that is one area you won't have budget creep. We knew how much our appliances, cabs, etc... would cost prior to hiring the gc, so there were many fewer unknowns than most people have.

I agree about the budget creep issue. We had some other bids from GCs who insisted on supplying almost everything, and we realized that every time we wanted something "nicer" than what they originally had in mind, the price would go up. Buying our own things and being able to shop around, we could get nicer for the same price or cheaper. And it gave us more time and leeway to think about what tradeoffs we wanted to make to keep within budget.

To the OP,

Another thing we have run into is contractors, subs and consultants not admitting they don't know how to do something or have never done it before. We can tell now that steel framing and a real woodburning fireplace were new to everybody on our job, but nobody has admitted that yet!

Wow, the mistakes they all made as a result of their lack of knowledge, mistakes we could have caught in time if we had known it was new to them -- because we both have graduate degrees and good research skills, something the trades folks usually don't have.

Use your skills and your powers of observation to keep this problem to a minimum.

Thanks for the heads-up - something else to keep in mind.