Being the General Contractor - Part 1 of 2

From time to time, I meet clients that wish to use their own resources for parts of a project I'll be doing for them. Sometimes, the client wants to provide their own materials to avoid paying a small mark-up. Other times, a client will want to bring in a particular individual or company to do a specific job within the project. For example, they know a glass guy that did their mother's friend's uncle's sister-in-law's shower enclosure, and they heard he was the best and cheapest in town. Or, maybe their co-worker's bff's boyfriend's parents had granite counter tops done in the kitchen, and they think they can save a few bucks by bringing them in. You get the idea.

Many contractors out there will not allow this. And, there is good reason for a contractor to have objections to these types of requests. I've known contractors that will walk away from a project, rather than deal with a client's subcontractors and / or material suppliers, and I don't blame them. It can make a project more difficult than it should be. And, although I will do my best to accommodate my client's requests, here's a few good reasons why the client should allow the general contractor to be in charge and do his or her job.