Or hired a construction consultant to assist with the process? DH and I are looking into doing this but we don't know anyone who has done it. We would hire subcontractors to do the big jobs, but there are some things DH would like to do himself. I'm just not sure about it and would like to hear from someone who has been down that road.
We used a builder in a subdivision. Even still, it was a full time job for a good 2 years.
However it was a learning experience and parts of it were downright cool. Sitting on the floor in a sea of counter top samples. choosing every teeny little detail they way YOU want it. The finished product. Ah, that new house smell.
I don't regret it, but I won't go through it again!
Good Luck!
:)
Everything must be to code so if it is a code issue you are better off leaving it to the contractors. No contractor is going to put their name on a code app and let you do the work.
So looking at electrical, all the wiring to the box, contractor, you can hang the fixtures. Make sense?
I would say work with an architect, don't get your plans from a book. First of all it is boring but also there are things unique to the land that would make one plan work better than another.
The other thing is use an attorney. There are issues with liens you just don't want to deal with on your own.
We just finished building, and watched BIL finish building his home about a year ago, and FIL is currently building.
Here's what we learned:
From the In Laws:
hiring the cheapest General Contractor leads to cheap materials and mistakes in installation. They hired the cheapest b/c he would discount their bill by the number of hours BIL and FIL spent "helping".
BIL and FIL (with no training) - did all the plumbing (already had a toilet backed up due to insufficient slope in the drain line). They had licensed electrician friends do the electric.
Builder mistakes - only a 7 foot ceiling in basement b/c he misunderstood how far below grade to dig. Had to repaint front door b/c he ordered the unfinished one (just short of a grand), and "painted" it w/ auto paint, which peeled. Brick work had to be redone. Lots of other little things....
FIL and BIL worked until midnight most nights after their FT jobs, plus every weekend - with BIL complaining loudly that he never got to see his two daughters (3 and 1).
They saved maybe $10 to $20k.
We went with the best contractor in the area. Every bank dropped his name when we asked for recommendations and it was always "He's the best, but if you want something also well built but a little less expensive, then try...."
The realtors knew his name and all said the same thing (I owned one of his houses prior) - "oh, it's X builder? Then it's quality. It'll sell quick and easy"
On our end, it was a breeze. We had a guaranteed contract, and given allowances. For example, our contract price included say $4,000 for window coverings. We go to the suggested window covering stores (recommended for quality, but we could go to Lowes too). We pick out blinds. If more than $4k, we owe the difference. If less, they subtract the savings from the contract price.
We went over the total contract price by $4-5k.
Mrs. shopped and picked out the plumbing fixtures, blinds, lights, garage doors, cabinets, countertops, carpets and flooring. I'm sure there were others, but that's what i can remember right now.
We came by to look at the construction about once per week, and it was ALWAYS moving forward. Our friends and family who built on the cheap all ran into "well the framings up, and now everyone disappeared for a month".
Ours was finished on time, we were given a year warranty by the builder and a ten year warranty the builder purchased for us. The builder has already sent his right hand man out several times for touch ups, the plumber came the same day we called about a tub issue, and the electrician has even come over to finish some wiring.
We had ZERO worries, and that peace of mind was totally worth it. We got way more than we paid for, and everything was done by licensed and bonded workers who have been building houses for decades (company is family owned which grandfather started).
We also could change the blueprints w/o charge b/c the architect was the son's wife. We got design help from grandson's wife at no charge. And the grandson, our site supervisor was available by email/text/phone and always returned calls promptly.
There's something to be said for name brand - and that comes from someone who pinches every penny.
But I don't know your husbands handyman level - mine was nil. FIL and BIL are both handy, but I prefer the security of KNOWING it was done right the first time. Feel free to PM me for more detail (which I wouldn't want to put out on a public board). :)
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just read the other responses. Ours was done in 6 months, all building permits were taken care of, and all lien work was done by builder (turning in paid forms for the subs to the bank). It was totally turn key on our part. But listen to Jo on the code, architect and attorney if you do it on your own.
we have many friends/family who've been thru the process. As Jo mentioned, be very careful with "code" requirements & restrictions.
Currently, we live in a small town....not many rules to follow.
But what few rules there are....have to have 100% compliance. Be very aware of what you will need to do.
Dream/lottery world: I will be designing/building our new home. Until then, I'm satisfied with remodeling. :)
Yes, thru owner builder network. We received a construction loan, had architect & pulled $$ for each contractor by estimated job costs. We also saved money by doing our own painting, staining etc. We choose all the contractors ourselves thru bids. ONB network gave us supplier/contractor list but we did not have to use them. For concrete, plumbing, electrical contractors etc. pulled their own permits for city inspectors. You are in charge of everything. We had purchased a lot prior to this route. You could also go with an personal builder vs. big names like DR Horton etc. I would imagine it isn't any easier doing a remodel.
We did hire a general contractor but we were in charge of the plans and finish work ourselves. He hired the subs for the big stuff, plumbing, electric, etc. and we got all the materials for the finish work and either used his guys or hired subcontractors ourselves.
Cabinetry, kitchen, bathroom, all tile and floor, built in's, lighting etc. we purchased the materials and hired our own people to install. Some of the easy stuff my husband did like lighting and paint.
The result was a custom house on a "cookie cutter" budget. By purchasing the finishes ourselves we could ensure high quality and still save some $$$. Unless you or your husband is in the trades I would be very careful of biting off more than you can chew. Even with a contractor it's a daunting process. In our county just the permit process is excruciating.
Good luck, the final result has been very satisfying and one of our greatest acheivements.
HAH! We did :) While I was pregnant too.
My husband has designed house and commercial plans for most of his adult life. So whenever we decided to have a baby, of course I wanted a house.
We looked at buying and was horrified at the prices and house conditions in our price range.
So we decided to build. We had a contractor "Black it in"... pretty much, pour the foundation and stand the walls up. That was it. But, let me add that we DID use the BEST contractor in town. Someone said below about not using the cheapest, this is very true and I have seen it many times. You get what you pay for. The rest he and I did on owr own... oh except the sheetrock floating and texturing. The hubs did all of the electrical and plumbing, the HVAC... He even did all of the intial dirt work.
From all of that work, which only took about 4 months bc we are both borderline OCD/perfectionists... We financed our house at a fraction of what we would have bought it for. We had 40,000 in equity the day we closed on it and another 5k the following year.
Plus, since we designed and built it, it's completely custom. My counter tops, cabinets, ceilings, and flooring. There really isn't a single thing in that house that isn't custom. And I LOVE it.
I would certainly say that it's worth the effort from both a financial standpoint and to actually get 'what you want'. But I will add that it is a ton of work and can cause frustration, maybe some tension in your marriage as well. We were there everyday, from sun up to way past sun down. (I'm from the south, LOL can you tell?)
Good luck! I would do it again in a heartbeat :) And as I said, I was 5-9 months pregnant while working on that house.
My husband and I (plus a few awesome friends and family) built out house. We did EVERYTHING ourselves (except pour the foundation and build the rock fireplace). Luckily my husband and dad are VERY hand jack-of-all-trades type guys. I love our house, and I really can't wait to build again since my tastes have changed over the last 12 years. Building is a long and messy process but in my opinion well worth it. Of course, we didn't have kids at the time. The best part we had over $200,000 in equity in our house over our mortage amount when we were done.
