Doing work yourself as an owner-builder

If you are planning to do the work yourself as an owner-builder, you assume responsibility for the overall project. You can hire a licensed contractor to perform portions of your project as a subcontractor for a bid or lump sum basis.

If you want to hire people who are unlicensed to do some of the work, here’s what you need to know:

• You cannot hire unlicensed individuals on a bid or lump sum basis for more than $500.
• You can hire unlicensed individuals for an hourly wage.
• You may be responsible for state and federal tax withholding, workers' compensation insurance, unemployment insurance, and other legal liabilities.

There are limits on the number of owner-builder projects you can do in certain time frames.

Learn about being an owner-builder.