Compare
Hiring a GC vs. Managing the Subs Yourself
Contracting the trades directly removes the general contractor’s fee, and on a small, simple job that can be the right decision. What it does not remove is the work the general contractor was doing — it transfers that work, and the risk attached to it, to you.
Send a floor plan, a lease exhibit, or a landlord work letter. We come back with a real number and the assumptions behind it.
Side by side
| Category | Romco Commercial | Managing the Subs Yourself |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | A fee for coordination, risk and warranty | No fee — a genuine and immediate saving |
| Scope gaps | We review scopes against each other so the work between two trades is assigned | Gaps surface mid-job and become extras nobody agreed to |
| Schedule | One programme, sequenced, with trades held to it | Each trade schedules to its own convenience |
| Permit and inspections | We are the contractor of record and carry it | You coordinate submittals, comments and inspection scheduling yourself |
| If something fails | One party responsible for the finished work | Trades point at each other and you arbitrate |
| Insurance and liens | We carry the coverage and manage lien releases | You verify every certificate and every release yourself |
Our view
The honest verdict
Managing the subs yourself genuinely wins on cost, and it wins clearly. On a straightforward job — paint, flooring, some light electrical, no permit or a simple one — an owner with time and construction literacy will save real money, and hiring a general contractor for that work would be a waste of your fee. The calculation flips as soon as trades have to be sequenced against each other, a permit is involved, or the space is occupied. What you are buying from a general contractor is not labour. It is a single accountable party when the ceiling grid and the ductwork want the same six inches, and the answer has to be decided today.
Other comparisons
Design-Build vs. Design-Bid-Build
Design-bid-build finishes the drawings, then puts them out to competitive bid. Design-build brings the contractor in during design. Both are legitimate. They fail in different ways, and the right choice depends on how firm your scope already is.
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Us vs. the Landlord’s Preferred Contractor
Most South Florida landlords have a contractor they suggest, and some leases require one for specific scopes. That is not a scam — it exists for real reasons — but it is worth understanding whose interests the arrangement is built around.
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Local GC vs. a National Rollout Contractor
If you are a brand opening locations in several states, a national rollout firm is a reasonable answer. If your locations are in Florida, the calculation changes — because the thing that actually delays a build-out here is jurisdictional, and jurisdictions are local.
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A Licensed GC vs. an Unlicensed Crew
There is always a crew that will do it cheaper and start on Monday. On residential handyman work that is often fine. On permitted commercial work in a leased building, the exposure sits with you, not with them — and that is the part worth being clear about.
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Renovating vs. Renewing the Lease As-Is
The alternative most owners actually choose is to do nothing — renew the lease, keep the space as it is, and spend the money elsewhere. Sometimes that is exactly right. It is worth being honest about when it is not.
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Next step
Ready to price your project?
Send a floor plan, a lease exhibit, or a landlord work letter. We come back with a real number and the assumptions behind it.