In article , Lost in
Translation wrote:

I'm hoping someone here can give me a general idea of what I am looking for.

I need to perform some major home repairs, such as replace roof, decks,
driveways, some windows, etc - not a small task. What I want to do is be
able to hire out sub-contractors to do each phase of the work I need to have
done. I will need to be able to work between contractors and my insurance
company who will be footing the bill for major repairs. Many companies
don't want to work with the insurance and wait for their money, and one
roofing company has suggested I act as my own contractor to pay out funds
needed for repairs to begin and then collect them from the insurance company
as we go. (The insurance company and mortgage company have agreed to escrow
the funds and pay them out as verified invoices against repairs are
received).

So, here we go:

Can I act as my own contractor?

Yes.

Do I need a special license of any kind to be my own contractor?

No.

However, hiring a general contractor or project manager can make your
repairs much easier. A good GC knows all the qualified subs in the
area, often by name, and has worked with them in the past. He knows
what to expect and how to tell them what you want in language they can
understand. He knows their availability, whether they need to work on
other projects at the same time they are working on yours, and he can
schedule the work around their other commitments. He can also in many
cases get preferential pricing and delivery of materials.

He also gets to deal with the inevitable personnel issues that arise. I
just had $6,000 worth of concrete poured at my place. The job took
about a week. In that time, two of the concrete contractor's employees
quit (for personal reasons) and he hired replacements from a pool he
already had for just such a purpose. The job went smoothly with no
interruptions. You would probably not be able to do something like
that.

-Frank

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Here's some of my work:
http://www.franksknives.com