What general contractor jobs were filed at
Every permit carries the value the contractor filed with the city. These are the jobs a general contractor usually runs.
| City | Remodel, usual filed value | Middle half of remodel firms | Addition, usual filed value | New home, usual filed value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis, MN | $15,000 | $11,400–$50,000 | $100,000 | $433,850 |
| Columbus, OH | $22,000 | $17,000–$65,000 | $113,269 | $350,000 |
| Cary, NC | $40,000 | $20,000–$65,439 | $125,000 | $359,500 |
| Greensboro, NC | $35,000 | $25,000–$64,373 | $66,975 | $189,075 |
| Sacramento County, CA | $22,464 | $15,000–$45,200 | — | $444,771 |
| San Diego, CA | $18,998 | $10,241–$38,500 | $85,351 | $383,691 |
| San Francisco, CA | $38,000 | $28,000–$61,500 | $230,000 | — |
| Miami, FL | $15,000 | $9,500–$35,525 | $38,564 | $648,376 |
| Bellevue, WA | $40,000 | $16,500–$100,375 | $125,000 | $948,071 |
| Naperville, IL | $46,300 | $25,000–$77,000 | $94,500 | $255,600 |
| Honolulu, HI | $20,000 | $15,000–$50,000 | $100,000 | $370,000 |
| Boulder, CO | $25,862 | $14,431–$73,225 | $100,000 | $850,000 |
A dash means the city's file does not separate that job type. The remodel band is wide in every city because "remodel" covers everything from one bathroom to a whole floor; the middle half is the range to hold a quote against.
What the general contractor's share pays for
NAHB's 2024 Cost of Constructing a Home survey splits the average new home's sales price like this (NAHB, January 2025):
| Share of the sales price | Percent |
|---|---|
| Construction cost | 64.4% |
| Finished lot | 13.7% |
| Builder profit | 11.0% |
| Overhead and general expenses | 5.7% |
| Sales commission | 2.8% |
| Financing | 1.5% |
| Marketing | 0.8% |
That is a builder selling a finished house, not a remodeler working for a fee, so do not apply the percentages to a kitchen quote. What carries over is the structure: a general contractor's price is the trades' and suppliers' costs plus its own overhead (supervision, insurance, office, vehicles) and profit. On a fixed-price bid you see only the total; on a cost-plus contract the fee is a separate line. Our fixed price vs cost-plus guide covers which to sign.
When you do not need a general contractor
The cheapest general contractor is the one you do not need. Licence law draws the line:
| Job | Who can do it | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Small repair, no permit, in California | An unlicensed handyperson | Under $1,000, labour and materials together (CSLB, AB 2622) |
| One trade: a water heater, a panel, a reroof | The licensed trade contractor directly | It pulls its own permit; see subcontractor vs general contractor |
| A remodel under $40,000 in North Carolina | No general contractor licence needed; the plumbing, heating and electrical still need licensed trades | G.S. 87-1(a) |
| A project under $25,000 in Tennessee | No state contractor licence; nine counties, Davidson among them, require a home improvement licence over $3,000 | TN Board for Licensing Contractors |
| Several trades, structural work, an addition | A general contractor | Coordination, the permit and responsibility for the whole job |
Our general contractor vs handyman guide has the line in 16 states.
What you pay up front
The deposit is regulated in some states whatever the general contractor's fee. California: $1,000 or 10% of the price, whichever is less (B&P § 7159.5). Ohio, on jobs over $25,000: a written contract with the total estimated cost and an insurance certificate, and an estimate before unforeseen extras pass $5,000 (ORC 4722.02). A general contractor asking for a third of a California remodel up front is outside the law, not just expensive.
Check it in five minutes
- Find your city and job in the table, or open your city's cost page, for example Columbus remodel.
- Ask each general contractor for a total and a line-item breakdown; how to compare contractor bids has the sheet.
- Check the deposit against your state's limit.
- Look each firm up on our compare page and check how many of its permits reached a final.
Compare Columbus remodelers by filed value and finished permits →
What this does not tell you
Filed values are what contractors told the city, not contract prices; some file construction value only, and none record the general contractor's fee separately. The NAHB figures are national averages for new homes sold by builders. We found no official or independent figure for remodelers' markup and give none.
How we know this
Filed values come from each city's permit file over its three-year window ending September 2026. "Usual" is the median of permits that carry a value; the band is the 25th to 75th percentile of firms' own median remodel values among firms with three or more remodel permits. The cost split is quoted from NAHB's 2024 Cost of Constructing a Home summary, read 22 October 2026. Licence thresholds are from the CSLB, North Carolina and Tennessee pages and deposit rules from B&P § 7159.5 and ORC 4722.02.
Numbers come from City of Columbus Building & Zoning Services permits on 1-, 2- and 3-family homes (the city's Accela permit layer); Town of Cary building permit applications (issued permits only); City of Minneapolis construction permits (CCS); Sacramento County building permits on single-family, duplex and townhouse homes in the unincorporated county (the County's Accela permit layer); City of San Diego Development Services approvals; City of Greensboro building and trade permits, data through October 17, 2026. Nobody paid to be on this page and nobody can.
Questions
- How much does it cost to hire a general contractor?
The usual remodel a general contractor filed was $15,000 in Minneapolis, $22,000 in Columbus and $40,000 in Cary; the usual addition $113,269 in Columbus and $85,351 in San Diego. The GC's own overhead and profit is inside that price, not added on top of a separate bill.
- What percentage does a general contractor charge?
There is no official figure for home remodels, so we give none. For new homes, the National Association of Home Builders' 2024 survey put builder profit at 11.0% of the sales price and overhead and general expenses at 5.7%. On a cost-plus contract the percentage is written into the contract; on a fixed price it is built into the total.
- How much does it cost to hire a handyman instead?
Less, but only for small jobs. In California an unlicensed handyperson may only take jobs under $1,000, labour and materials together, that need no permit (CSLB). Above that, or for any permit job, the work needs a licensed contractor. Our general contractor vs handyman guide has the line in 16 states.
- Is it cheaper to be my own general contractor?
You save the GC's overhead and profit but take on its work and liability: scheduling, permits, inspections and checking each trade's licence. In California, hiring anyone other than licensed contractors on work of $500 or more as an owner-builder can make you their employer. See our owner-builder guide before deciding.
- How much does it cost to build a house with a general contractor?
The usual new-home permit was filed at $189,075 in Greensboro and $350,000 in Columbus, before land. NAHB's survey puts construction at 64.4% of an average new home's sales price, the lot at 13.7%, and profit and overhead at 11.0% and 5.7%.
Build your own list
Every firm with that kind of permit on record. Pick what you value. The list moves.
Related guides
- Remodel vs rebuild: what remodel, demolition and new-home permits cost in 10 cities
- How long does a home project take? Permit to final inspection, by job and city
- Contractor didn't finish the job: what to do, and what the permit file shows
- Design-build vs general contractor: one contract or two, and who may draw your plans
- Fixed price vs cost-plus contracts: which to sign, and what state law says about each
- Home addition cost in 2026: what addition permits were filed at in 14 cities
For one city
- Cost of Constructing a Home in 2024 — NAHB Eye on Housing (Eric Lynch) (2025-01-23; accessed 2026-10-22)
- Handyperson Exemption to Increase to $1,000 in 2025 (CSLB press release, AB 2622) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- NC General Statutes Chapter 87, Article 1 (G.S. 87-1) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Subcontractors / Who is Required to be Licensed — Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors (accessed 2026-10-20)
- California Business and Professions Code § 7159.5 (2025 edition, via Justia) (accessed 2026-10-20)
- Ohio Revised Code 4722.02 Service contract (accessed 2026-10-22)