Framing reference

Labor-only vs turnkey framing: which to hire

Labor only means you buy the lumber package and the framing crew assembles it. Turnkey means one contractor supplies both the material and the labor for one price.

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  • Last updated: September 2026

Mavericks does both. Builders and general contractors almost always want labor only. Homeowners almost always want turnkey, because sourcing a framing package is a job in itself and it is not the job they wanted.

The difference in one table

Labor onlyTurnkey
Who buys the lumberYouMavericks
Who carries lumber price riskYouMavericks
Who manages delivery timingYouMavericks
Who eats a short or wrong orderYouMavericks
Typical total costLowerHigher, the risk is priced in
Your time involvedMoreLess
Price certainty at signingLowerHigher
Needs a supplier accountYes, for real pricingNo
Who it fitsBuilders, GCs, remodelersHomeowners, one-off projects

If you are a builder or GC, you want labor only

  • You already buy lumber. With a yard account, your material price beats anything a framing contractor would charge you for the same package. You are not paying someone to carry it.
  • You are running the schedule anyway. You are already coordinating foundation, framing and roofing. Adding a delivery window costs you almost nothing.
  • You want the labor number clean. Separating labor from material makes it obvious what the crew costs, and makes comparing framers straightforward.
  • The job is big enough that markup matters. On a full house, the margin on a $40,000 package is real money you keep.

Mavericks sends the list of what to order, taken off the plans, so the package arrives right and lands when the crew needs it. The paperwork and process are on the builders page.

If you are a homeowner, you probably want turnkey

Be honest about why. It is not that homeowners cannot manage it. It is that the work is unfamiliar, unpaid and easy to get wrong.

  • A framing package is a hundred-line order. Getting it wrong stops the job, and the mistake surfaces on a Friday afternoon with a crew standing on your lot.
  • Without a supplier account you pay retail anyway. The savings people imagine from buying their own material is mostly a contractor's account pricing, and you do not have one.
  • One number is easier to finance and easier to plan around. For a homeowner writing checks against a budget, price certainty at signing is often worth more than the lowest possible total.
  • A short order becomes our problem. That is most of what you are buying.

Ask for it at quote time and the number comes back that way. It is a different quote, not an adjustment to the same one.

What people get wrong about the comparison

"Turnkey costs more." It costs more than the labor line. Whether it costs more than labor plus what you would actually spend on material, including the trips, the shorts and the restocking fees, is a different question. Compare finished totals, not quote lines.

"Labor only means they do less work." The framing scope is identical either way. The difference is procurement, not craftsmanship.

"I will get both quoted and pick the cheaper." A labor-only quote next to a turnkey quote is not a fair comparison until you have priced the material yourself.

The scope is the same either way

Floor systems, wall framing, roof systems and truss setting, sheathing, rough openings, LVL and steel beam and column installation, and house wrap.

House wrap is part of rough framing. It is never listed as an exclusion and never billed again under siding.

Equipment such as a telehandler is quoted as its own line item rather than folded into the labor rate, on both arrangements. Most builders provide their own.

On permits

Mavericks does not hold a builder's license. It works with a partner general contractor who pulls the permit and is the contractor of record on permitted homeowner work, while Mavericks does the framing labor.

For builders, you are the contractor of record and Mavericks frames under your permit, the way a framing sub should. Full detail on the permit page.

Frequently asked questions

What does labor-only framing mean?

The builder or homeowner buys the framing package through a lumber supplier and the crew assembles it on site. The crew is paid for labor and does not carry material cost. It is the standard arrangement for builders in Michigan and the default at Mavericks.

Does Mavericks supply material?

Yes, on request. Labor only is the default for builders who have their own supplier accounts. Labor plus material is available and is usually the better fit for homeowners, who would otherwise be sourcing a hundred-line lumber order themselves at retail pricing.

Is turnkey framing more expensive?

The quoted number for turnkey framing is higher because it includes material and the risk of material pricing moving. Whether the finished total is higher depends on what you would have paid for lumber yourself. Without a contractor's account at a supply yard, turnkey often comes close to even.

Who orders the lumber on a labor-only job?

On a labor-only framing job you order the lumber, through your own supplier. Mavericks takes the list off the plans and sends you what to order, so the package is right and arrives when the crew needs it.

Can I switch from labor only to turnkey after getting a quote?

Yes, you can switch a framing quote from labor only to turnkey. Ask before signing and the quote gets rebuilt that way. It is a separate number rather than an adjustment to the existing one, because it is a different arrangement.

Which do most builders use?

Most builders hire framing labor only. Builders already have supplier accounts and already run the schedule, so procurement costs them very little and they keep the margin on the package.