Should You Manage Your Own Renovation or Hire a General Contractor?
It’s reasonable to think handling a multi-trade renovation yourself might be an easy way to save the 10-15% general contractor fee. However, several worthwhile trade-offs could end up costing you more than just money, including lost time, poorly constructed renovations, and many headaches.
Can you manage your own renovation instead of hiring a GC?
Without a doubt. Under Ontario government guidelines, you don't need to hire a professional contractor to oversee your home renovation. So homeowners with practical construction knowledge, reliable access to tradespeople, and enough project-management time can comfortably take on small- to mid-sized renovations themselves. The fewer trades and structural changes involved, the more it is a great place for a homeowner to take the lead. In addition to saving money, this approach builds valuable project coordination and decision-making skills that prove useful in other areas of life!
The decision becomes more complicated when the work involves plumbing, electrical, structural changes, waterproofing, permits or several trades working in sequence. In that case, you are taking responsibility for both the finished result and the process required to get there.
What does self-managing trades involve?
Self-managing trade contractors requires taking on full project management responsibilities:
Define Scope of Work: Detail precise responsibilities for every trade involved to eliminate coverage gaps and overlapping duties.
Source & Select Subcontractors: Find and vet qualified trade professionals, evaluate competitive bids, and specify who provides particular fixtures and materials.
Handle Scheduling & Logistics: Create the master schedule, manage site access, apply for required municipal permits, and arrange necessary building inspections.
Provide Quality Control & Oversight: Review completed work at each phase, adjust budgets as needed, and resolve inter-trade conflicts or scope issues throughout the build.
Before construction begins, you need to know which trades are needed, when inspections must be conducted, and when to provide the right materials to keep the renovation as seamless as possible.
Why coordinating multiple trades is harder than it sounds
Every stage of a renovation depends on certain work and decisions being completed first. A trade needs accurate specifications, the right materials on site, and a space ready for their part of the job. If inspections aren’t thorough or are scheduled incorrectly, timely rescheduling isn’t guaranteed.
Preparing a bathroom for a custom shower door is a good example. The type of door needs to be known before the walls are closed so the framing can support the hinges and hardware. The walls and curb need to be built square, level and plumb before waterproofing and tile. The glass company can take the final measurements only after the tile is complete because small changes to the finished opening affect the glass size.
Flooring choices trigger a similar chain reaction. Because materials like hardwood, vinyl, and tile vary in thickness, they often require specific subfloors or underlayments. These differences in finished floor height directly influence baseboard installation, door clearances, stair dimensions, threshold transitions, cabinetry placement, and whether appliances will fit properly beneath counters.
How much can you save by managing the trades?
General contractors typically charge a 10% to 20% fee, which can seem like a no-brainer place to save with self-managing trades. However, that fee unlocks access to an established network of trusted professionals built over years. Subcontractors and suppliers also often extend preferred pricing to general contractors who provide steady, recurring work, while individual homeowners starting a single project may be billed at higher retail rates.
When can self-managing work well?
Managing the trades yourself can make sense if you understand how a renovation comes together, already have reliable people to call and know enough to assess whether the work has been done properly. It is generally more realistic for a clearly defined project, especially if you can make quick decisions and your schedule and budget can absorb some delays.
Your availability matters more than you might think.
If you work a typical nine-to-five, managing the trades yourself can be difficult. Questions and unexpected decisions come up throughout the day, and if you are not on site, work may continue before you have a chance to clarify what you want or catch something that doesn't look right.
At CBS, a key part of our role is being on site to answer questions, check progress against the plans and resolve issues early. Being present means we can catch concerns before the work moves too far ahead or affects the next trade.
Isn’t a general contractor also hiring subcontractors?
Yes, just like self-managing a renovation, a general contractor is also hiring subcontractors. But unlike a homeowner starting a renovation for possibly the first time, the GC has a well-vetted roster of trades. At CBS, we have built a well-vetted roster of tradespeople over 20 years of working across the GTA. We know who communicates well, who follows through and whose work meets our standards.
Those existing relationships also make it easier to resolve questions or bring someone back when their work affects another part of the renovation. The homeowner has one person coordinating those conversations and taking responsibility for the project as a whole.
What are you paying a general contractor to manage?
Like any good project manager, a GC has a vast list of duties, both general and detailed. This is a list of everything you are paying for when hiring a GC:
Planning before construction begins: A GC will do the heavy lifting to turn the overall renovation into a detailed scope for each trade and identify what decisions you, the homeowner, need to make upfront.
Complete project costing: Got a budget? A GC will help you decide your renovation non-negotiables, and then gather and balance labour and material costs so the quote reflects your needs.
Trade sequencing and scheduling: Establishing the correct order of work and making sure each stage is ready before the next trade arrives.
Selections and materials: Confirming that fixtures, finishes and other necessary materials have been chosen, ordered and delivered when needed.
Permits and inspections: Identifying what approvals are required, arranging inspections and accounting for them in the schedule.
Day-to-day site management: Being available during working hours to answer questions, oversee activity and keep the work moving.
Quality control: Checking each trade’s work, addressing deficiencies and confirming that one stage is properly completed before the next begins.
Managing changes and delays: Communicating updates to everyone affected, rescheduling trades and arranging return visits when needed.
Homeowner communication: Providing updates and giving the homeowner one person to contact instead of requiring them to manage every trade conversation.
Site logistics: Coordinating site protection, deliveries and waste removal throughout the renovation.
Business responsibilities: Maintaining appropriate insurance and WSIB coverage, managing trade payments and following the agreed payment schedule.
The CBS process for renovation planning
We’re proud of our thorough quoting process at CBS; we’re known for detailed assessments. Here’s a breakdown:
Site Visit First. Quote Second. Every detailed CBS quote begins with an in-person assessment of the existing space, the work being considered and any conditions that could affect it.
Establish the priorities. We help homeowners identify their top non-negotiables, such as changing the layout, relocating plumbing or investing in custom cabinetry. These decisions define the budget and guide the choices that follow.
Build the scope and quote. The renovation is broken into a clear scope for each trade, including both labour and material costs. This process also helps identify less obvious work that may otherwise be missed.
Confirm the important details. Key materials, fixtures and specifications are established because they affect measurements, installation requirements and which trades need to be involved.
Map the order of work. Build permits, inspections, material lead times, and trade dependencies into the schedule so each person knows when they are needed and what must be ready before they arrive.
Manage the renovation. Once work begins, as the owner of CBS, Dinshaw oversees every part of the renovation, is onsite daily, bridges communication between the homeowner and trades, and adjusts the plan when unexpected issues arise.
When the scope changes unexpectedly
During a kitchen and main-floor renovation in Oakville, the homeowner decided mid-project to address an existing bathroom leak. We brought in the additional trades needed and reorganized the remaining work around the repair, keeping the original renovation on schedule.
Which approach is right for your project?
If you have the experience, reliable trades and time to stay closely involved, managing the project yourself may be a reasonable option. If several trades need to work in a specific order and you cannot be on site to manage the details, hiring a GC can protect more than just your schedule. It gives the entire project one person responsible for seeing it through.
Key Questions Before You Self-Manage
How many trades will your renovation involve, and do you know the order in which they need to work?
Do you understand the permits and inspections your project may require?
Have you confirmed the materials, appliances, fixtures and other decisions that affect the work?
Do you already know reliable tradespeople, and can you assess the quality of their work?
Can you be available during working hours to answer questions and make decisions?
Can your schedule and budget absorb delays, mistakes or rework?
Are you comfortable resolving gaps or disagreements between trades, or would you prefer one person to be accountable for the finished renovation?
Bring On CBS
If you are unsure how much coordination your renovation will require, book a complimentary site visit with CBS. Dinshaw can assess the space, talk through your priorities and help you understand what needs to happen before the work begins.
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