General contractor vs. hiring the trades yourself

Hiring a general contractor makes sense when a project involves several trades, a permit, a tight schedule or more risk than you want to carry. Managing the trades yourself can save the contractor’s overhead and profit, but you take on the scheduling, the coordination, the paperwork and the responsibility when something goes wrong. For a simple one-trade job, you often don’t need a general contractor at all.

We’re a general contractor, so we have an obvious interest here. We’ll still give you the honest version, including when you should skip us.

What does a general contractor actually do?

A general contractor (GC) manages the whole project and is responsible for the result. On a typical home project, that means:

• Scope: figuring out exactly what needs to be done, including the parts homeowners often miss, like tear-off, haul-away, patching and cleanup.
• Pricing: getting bids from trades, checking them for gaps and putting it all into one written price.
• Permits and locates: knowing which building department has jurisdiction, pulling permits, calling 811 before digging and scheduling inspections.
• Scheduling and sequencing: putting trades in the right order so no one shows up before the work they depend on is done.
• Coordination: being on the phone every day so you don’t have to be.
• Quality control: checking work before the next trade covers it up, and getting fixes made.
• Accountability: one contract and one person responsible. When the fence crew says the landscaper damaged the posts and the landscaper says the posts were already loose, it’s the GC’s problem to solve, not yours.

You can see how we handle each of these on our how we work page.

When does managing the trades yourself make sense?

Doing your own coordination can work well when:

• It’s a single-trade job. If you only need a roofer or a fence installer, hire that contractor directly. There’s nothing to coordinate.
• You have time during the workday. Trades call with questions at 7 a.m. and need decisions the same day.
• You know the trades. If you’ve done projects before and have reliable people you trust, you already have the hardest part solved.
• The schedule is flexible. If a two-week delay between trades doesn’t matter, the risk is lower.
• The budget is tight and you’re willing to trade your time for savings.

It gets harder when the project involves three or more trades, a permit and inspections, work that has to happen in a certain order, or a deadline like a move-in date or the end of irrigation season.

How much does a general contractor cost?

There’s no single number, and anyone who quotes a flat “standard markup” is oversimplifying. The best public data comes from the National Association of Home Builders. Its 2026 Remodelers’ Cost of Doing Business Study found that in 2024, remodelers averaged a 29.9% gross profit margin and a 6.3% net profit margin.

In plain terms: on average, about 30 cents of each dollar a remodeler collected went to overhead and profit, and about 6 cents of that was left as profit. Overhead covers things like insurance, vehicles, office staff, estimating time, warranty callbacks and the time spent managing jobs.

Two things to keep in mind:

• Margin isn’t the same as markup. A 30% margin on the final price works out to about a 43% markup on direct costs. When comparing quotes, ask what’s included rather than focusing on a percentage.
• DIY isn’t free. A trade may price a one-off homeowner job differently than steady work from a contractor, and you pay for any mistakes in sequencing or scope yourself.

These are national averages, not a local quote. The only way to know what a GC costs on your project is to get a written estimate and compare it to the bids you’d collect yourself.

What are the risks of hiring the trades yourself in Idaho?

Liens

Idaho Code 45-501 gives a lien right to anyone who performs labor or supplies materials to improve a building, a fence or other structure, or land. That includes subcontractors and suppliers you never hired directly. A lien claim must be filed with the county recorder within 90 days after the claimant finishes their work or delivers materials (Idaho Code 45-507).

In practice, that means if someone you paid doesn’t pay their supplier, the supplier may be able to file a lien on your home. When you act as your own GC, tracking payments, getting lien waivers and making sure suppliers were paid is your job. Idaho also denies lien rights to contractors who aren’t registered when registration is required (Idaho Code 54-5208). For anything specific to your situation, talk to an Idaho attorney.

Insurance

Registered Idaho contractors have to carry general liability insurance of at least $300,000, including completed operations, and show proof of workers’ compensation coverage or explain why it’s not required (Idaho Code 54-5210). If you hire someone who isn’t registered or insured and they get hurt or damage a neighbor’s property, you may be the one dealing with the claim. Ask every trade for a certificate of insurance before they start.

Registration and permits

Idaho lets homeowners do construction on their own residential property without registering as a contractor, and lets them hire registered contractors to work on it (Idaho Code 54-5205). Those exemptions have limits, especially if you build to sell. Building departments ask for a contractor registration number on permits, and permits pulled without one are marked “no contractor registration provided” (Idaho Code 54-5209). See our guide on how to check a contractor’s registration in Idaho before hiring anyone.

Sequencing and gaps

This is where most self-managed projects lose time and money. A few Magic Valley examples:

• Sprinkler lines have to go in before sod, and fence posts and irrigation lines need to be planned together so post holes don’t cut through pipe.
• Gutters come off before a roof tear-off and go back on after, and someone has to own that step.
• Rock and mulch go down after drip lines are tested, not before.

When no one owns the in-between steps, they fall through the cracks. For timing across the seasons, see our Magic Valley project calendar.

What do I get from a general contractor that I can’t get on my own?

Idaho law requires general contractors on residential jobs over $2,000 to give you a written disclosure before you sign (Idaho Code 45-525). It spells out your right to require lien waivers from subcontractors (at your reasonable expense), to get proof of liability and workers’ comp insurance, and to receive a list of the subs and suppliers on your job before final payment. When you manage the job yourself, no one hands you that protection. You have to build it yourself, contract by contract.

A good GC also brings relationships with trades who show up, a sense of what things should cost, and experience spotting problems before they’re buried under concrete or sod.

How does Zircon work as a general contractor?

We scope your project, price it in writing, and hire and schedule vetted local subcontractors for each trade. We manage the work, check it, and stand behind the result. You get one contract, one point of contact and one invoice. Our how we work page explains how we vet trade partners and handle change orders. If you want a number to compare against doing it yourself, request a free estimate.