However, you may want to do the general contracting work yourself to save yourself some money and to make sure the work gets done right. If you decide to do the general contract work, you must first realize that it is work and it will take time and effort to get it done correctly. You will be doing all of the research and managing on the subs and some times that can be difficult.

The first step to making sure you have the sub contractors showing up on time is to make sure you hire the right sub contractors. You don't want to hire people that you will have to be constantly checking on and pestering to arrive and do their work. The best way to find the best subs is to get recommendations from trusted sources. If you have friends or contacts that have had similar work done, ask them who they used and what they thought of their work ethics.

If you don't have recommendations, then call several subcontractors and have them give you bids on the project. You will begin to see how they work at this point. If they are late to show up for the bid then you have a clue has to how they conduct their business. Also, ask them for references on jobs they have done. Go to the owners of the job and inspect their work and ask about their work ethics. This will give you a good indicator on what to expect when they will be working on your projects.

You may also want to include timeliness in the contract. You have to have all of the electrical and plumbing done before you can have the drywall done. You have to have the drywall completed before you can get the painting done and so forth. Hence, it is critical to keep the work flowing and one subcontractor can tie up the entire process. You may motivate the contractor to get the work done on time by offering a bonus if it gets done early and a penalty if it is done late. For instance, if want to motivate the dry wall sub contractor to complete the work quickly, offer him a 1% bonus for every day that he is done early. Additionally, penalize him 2% a day for every day he is late. The penalty and reward must be large enough to motivate him or her.

Also, make sure you don't pay them until the work is complete. If you have already paid them, you lose your leverage. Additionally, if you use certified contractors then you will pay a premium, but you will have some recourse if things are done incorrectly or take too long.

In conclusion, you must properly manage your sub contractors in order to get your project completed on time. You should get and check references before hiring somebody. Also, you need to be clear on when the work is to be done and build it into the contract if necessary.