Don't Make Deals With the Subs

You stop by the house on a Saturday. The electrician is there, finishing up. You ask if he could add a couple of outlets on the deck while he's at it. He says no problem, he'll take care of it. Everybody's happy.

Then the inspector flags something, or the deck lights don't line up with the plan, or a small bill shows up nobody can explain. A friendly conversation on site turned into a change nobody else knew about.

The fix isn't to stop talking to the people building your house. It's to make sure anything you agree on goes through your builder.

Who the subs work for

On most custom homes with a general contractor, the subcontractors work for the builder, not for you. Their contract, their scope, their price, and their schedule all run through the builder. So does the warranty on their work.

That's why a side agreement can cause trouble even when everyone means well:

• Scope. The builder doesn't know the work was added, so it doesn't get coordinated with the other trades or the plans.
• Price. It may get billed later through the builder with markup, billed to you directly, or not billed at all and quietly resented.
• Warranty. Work outside the builder's contract may not be covered by the builder's warranty.
• Schedule. An hour here and there adds up, and the builder is planning around time that's now spent elsewhere.
• Inspections and code. The builder is usually the one responsible for permits and inspections, and can't account for work they don't know about.

The subs are usually trying to help

When a sub says "no problem," they're being helpful, and they probably mean it. They also may not know what's in your contract or what the builder has already promised you. Putting them in the middle of a change isn't fair to them either.

Most good subs would rather you ran it by the builder. It keeps them out of an awkward spot.

A simple habit

When you're on site and something comes up, try:

"That sounds good. Let's run it by [builder] so it's on the plan."

Then, the same day, send the builder a short note:

"I was at the house today and talked with the electrician about adding two outlets on the deck. He thought it was doable. Can you let me know the price and if it affects anything else before it's done?"

That's all it takes. The builder hears about it, prices it, and coordinates it. You get a record. The sub doesn't have to guess.

It also turns the request into something you can track. See Requests aren't change orders until they're priced for the rest of that habit.

What's fine to talk about

None of this means you can't talk to the people on site. Asking how something works, what a part of the house is going to look like, or how the day is going is all fine and usually welcome. Questions are good. It's agreements that need to go through the builder.

If a sub tells you something that worries you, like a problem with the plans or a concern about the work, that's worth passing along too, the same way: a short note to the builder the same day.

None of this is legal advice. If you and your builder read the contract differently, that question belongs with a construction attorney.

Questions worth asking

• How do you want me to handle it when I talk with your subs on site?
• Is it okay for me to ask the trades questions, as long as changes come to you?
• What's the best way to send you something I agreed to on site so it doesn't get lost?
• Are there any subs I'll be contracting with directly, outside your contract?