Just as the price of yogurt at the gas station is significantly higher than that of the same yogurt at the grocery store, so are the prices of materials and labor versus paying for them each separately. If you shop around and buy materials separately from labor you may get better materials and you will save money. There are some exceptions to this, but for the most part it is true.

By buying your own materials, you have a chance to shop around for less expensive labor because you are not relying on a sub for the materials, and it gives you a chance to find better quality.

There are lots of benefits to buying your materials separately from hiring your subs. The following is a list of benefits:

• You can save money on materials- The sub or contractor might not shop around enough. You can shop around more, and look for a better price because it matters to you more than it does your GC.


• You may save money on labor- Because subs aren't good shoppers, if you take off materials, the price of labor drops too. For example, if you have carpet installers supply the carpet and pad it will cost more than if you went straight to the carpet supplier for carpet and pad, and paid separately for just the labor of laying the carpet. You could save over $1000 on your home.


• You know exactly what you are getting- If a sub says they will provide the materials as part of their bid, you can't be sure what you are getting until the sub shows up and uses them. If you buy them yourself, you know exactly what you are getting, this can mean you have better materials, and your home sells for more later.


• YOU control the quality- sometimes subs will use lesser quality materials in order to make a bigger profit. If you buy the materials, you have all the say over the quality. You know if what you bought is cheap and just looks nice, or if it actually is nice. Then, you know how much your house is worth, you can sell it for more because the quality of materials is higher.


• You have direct access to warranty information- Warranties are often overlooked, and not something you think about until you need it. If you don't get that information from the sub when they do the work, you may not be able to get it later.


• You can get refunds on any excess materials if you overestimate- subs tend to overestimate so they don't run out, but you rarely see the money from returns. If you buy your own materials you will always see that money, and this can mean a lot of savings and extra money.


• You may find some items you can install yourself and therefore save- If you find that when you buy the materials there are components you can install yourself, you could save on labor.


• You get contractor pricing you can use on future purchases- You might find a great deal, or get a "contractor price" and use that to get better prices on other items later.


• You protect yourself from material men's lien- if your sub didn't pay for the materials, you could be the one who suffers the consequences. If you buy the materials yourself that is not a problem you have to worry about.