Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

Well yes and no. As an owner-builder you are free to hire licensed subcontractors. You are also entitled to employ people to work on the project. The trouble is, if you employ people to work on the project who are not licensed contractors or employed through a licensed contractor that carries workers compensation insurance, you have to get your own workers compensation insurance, an employer identification number, withhold payroll taxes and pay employers' payroll taxes, etc. If you don't do that, particularly the workers compensation insurance which is REALLY important for a roofing job, you can be subject to very serious fines and penalties, especially if someone gets hurt. In addition, if you employ people you become subject to CalOSHA job safety regulations which can be a real pain in the back side on roofing jobs.