I just “GC’d a job” — meaning, I served as a general contractor to manage the renovation of a small house in the neighborhood near where I own several other houses that I rent to community heroes. I didn’t have the time to do all of the renovations myself, but I did do some of the required work myself, like replacing the house’s entire electrical system.

It has been fun (and tiring) for the past two months to turn a house that was rather beat-up, drab, and dull and turn it into a nice-looking, updated home. The house had “good bones” — no water or termite damage, cracks in the foundation, or other evidence of substantial problems. What it needed was tender loving care.

I hired crews who replaced the roof, installed new appliances in the kitchen, placed new hardwood flooring throughout the first and second floors, moved a few walls and repainted the whole house, and built a three-season addition that can be used for additional recreation space and family eating area. Crews also had to replace most of the plumbing. And as I said, I replaced old knob-and-tube wiring and a four-buss old-style “fuse box” with a 150A service, updated circuit breaker panel with proper grounded wiring. I also had a new furnace and had air conditioning added on (the house had a few window air conditioning units, which made rooms very dark. I hate those things.)

Serving as a general contractor is not my primary line of work. But it something that I have learned to do, and when working with a property with much potential and tasks that are specific, it is a job I have grown to enjoy. I learned about scheduling deliveries and assigning crews — so much so, what’s left of my hair has become more gray. 🙂

The pay was fairly decent, too, which contributes to the long-term personal savings plan.

I anticipate that the house will sell quickly. It is in a nice neighborhood in an old, established area of my home county, near shopping, schools, and public transportation.

Life is short: show your skills!