Using ChatGPT as a General Contractor
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You've got 47 unread emails, three subs asking about next week's schedule, and a client who wants to know why the cabinets are backordered. By the time you handle the urgent stuff, it's 6 PM and you still haven't written that RFI response.
ChatGPT handles the writing that piles up. Give it the facts and it drafts professional emails, reports, and documentation in seconds. You review, edit, and send. What used to take an hour takes fifteen minutes.
What It Does
You type, it writes back. Tell it "write an email to the homeowner explaining the tile delay" with the relevant details, and it produces a message you can send. It doesn't connect to your email or project management software—you copy and paste.
Specifics matter. "Write a professional email" gets generic output. "Write an email to Mrs. Johnson explaining her subway tile is backordered until the 15th, we're doing electrical trim next week instead, and her completion date hasn't changed" gets something useful.
ChatGPT doesn't know building codes, permit requirements, or current material prices. You bring the construction knowledge. It handles the writing.
Getting Started
Go to chat.openai.com and create an account. The free version works but limits usage during busy times. For daily use, the Plus plan at $20/month removes those limits.
Start with one task you do repeatedly—weekly client updates, progress reports, or subcontractor coordination emails. Create a template prompt: "Write a weekly progress update for [project name]. This week we completed [list work]. Next week we're starting [upcoming work]. One issue: [problem and status]. Keep it under 200 words."
Save that template somewhere accessible and swap in the specifics each week.
What Saves Time
Client communication: explaining delays without sounding defensive, presenting change orders as decisions rather than problems, turning field notes into something a homeowner understands.
Subcontractor coordination: work directives with scope, timeline, and safety requirements. Schedule updates that explain what changed. Reminder emails that are firm without burning relationships.
Documentation: daily reports from field notes, meeting summaries with action items, safety documentation and toolbox talk outlines.
RFIs and submittals: you know the question, ChatGPT helps phrase it clearly and reference the right spec sections.
What It Costs
Free plan: GPT-4o mini with usage limits. Fine for occasional use, frustrating for daily work.
ChatGPT Plus: $20/month. No usage caps, faster responses, image and file uploads, memory that carries across conversations. This is the tier that makes sense for most contractors.
ChatGPT Pro: $200/month. Unlimited access to advanced models. Overkill unless you're using it for hours every day.
Team plans: $25/user/month. Shared workspaces, admin controls, better data privacy. Worth it if multiple people in your office use AI regularly.
Limitations
It generates confident-sounding information that's sometimes wrong. Especially dangerous with building codes and contract language. Always verify technical information before relying on it.
Free and Plus plans may use your conversations to improve their models unless you opt out in settings. Don't paste sensitive client information or detailed financials without checking what happens to that data.
Output sometimes sounds too polished or generic. Edit it to sound like you, not like a press release.
Next Steps
Pick one repetitive writing task and use ChatGPT for it this week. Time how long it takes compared to your normal process. If you're saving 30 minutes a day, the $20/month pays for itself immediately.
Meta Description: How general contractors use ChatGPT to draft emails, reports, and documentation faster. Current pricing, practical examples, and limitations.