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Yes, I too have had an experience with a family friend couple who decided to build their own house. I think a lot of people underestimate how ridiculously long it takes to build your own house. Realistically, you can hire as many subs as you want, but for the same price, you can have a custom home built to your specifications by a professional contractor. I mean, sure the sticker price for the custom home will be more, but ultimately, after all the extra time and money invested in building your own home, it will prove to be somewhat of a worthless task.
I would suggest that unless your husband has ulterior motives such as building for the sake of personal pride and accomplishment, that you do not attempt to build yourself. Even if it would mean your husband having to swallow his pride, I would consider having a house built. I've just seen too many situations where either things take years and years to do, or things take a couple years to do, but when said and done, are poorly constructed and don't really follow the original specs. You see, the process will be so mind numbingly demanding, that you more than likely will start to throw in the towel on a lot of the sub-projects. For instance, the beautiful stonework around the fireplace will turn out to be a bare painted wall, and the enormous kitchen with the island and all that jazz will become a mediocre kitchen with an eating area. It's just the kind of thing that takes so long, and is so difficult, that you'll cut corners just to get it over with. I had an aunt and uncle who decided to remodel their kitchen one summer. Nothing huge, just new cabinets, appliences, paint, and flooring. That summer job took about a year and a half. So, some more advice I can give is that unless you're prepared to quit your dayjob and focus all your time on this house, I'd steer clear.
Personally, I like a home that's already been lived in. That is if you feel that you really want a new home. I think buying a home that's a year or two old is beneficial in that when you go to open houses/showings, you can get a really good feel of the layout, and how certain things will work. Unlike building your own home and trying to figure precise measurements for couches and dishwashers and all the other junk. Let's see...what else? I guess all that's left to say is that buying a home may be frusterating, as finding the perfect one may take a while; but in the end it will have been not nearly as frusterating or time-consuming as building your own home.
I was planning on building my own house. I have had extensive remodeling experience and I constructed custom outdoor kitchens for a living. I've done framing, wiring, plumbing, flooring, ceramic tile, and much more.
After I came up with some concept plans and drew them out in a CAD program, I was at the point where I had to price it out and come up with a budget. I soon came up against so many problems for which I did not know the answer, that I abandoned the entire idea of building it myself.
Then, I considered the idea of acting as the GC and subbing everything out. I figured that the subs would know how to do the things that were new to me. I soon came up with the same concerns that have been expressed here. How would I know if the subs were doing it correctly, or not? A lot of it is common sense, but I decided I could not afford to make mistakes.
I finally decided that a contractor's fee would be recovered through better supervision of the subs, discounts in materials offered to contractors, fewer mistakes and the time cost of construction, such as interest and changing material costs.
I found a contractor I trust who offered to build the house at cost plus. This is the actual cost of the materials, with all discounts (and all price increases) passed on to me, plus a flat fee for the contractor. For his fee, the contractor has corrected my designs and turned them into working drawings, worked with the engineer to get them stamped, will pull all of the permits, hire, schedule and supervise the subs, and manage all the bill paying. For my part, I get a say in the costs by researching and suggesting different materials or different sources for the materials,will see all purchase orders before they are placed and all invoices before they are paid, and will serve as the full-time on-the-job "watchdog". In order to avoid conflicts, if I see the subs doing anything I question, I'll report it to the contractor, who will deal with the sub. That ensures there is only one "boss" on the job.
I was initially concerned about the idea of cost plus, but then I realized that if I built it or contracted it myself, it would be at cost -- plus zero, of course, because I would not have to pay the contractor. But, there would be a greater chance of expensive mistakes, I would not get the contractor's discount in many cases, and it would definitely take longer.
A flat fee would protect me from all mistakes and any increases in costs, but I can assure you that a contractor builds those variables into his flat price, and pockets the extra money if there are no mistakes, or if costs go down (which they are, at this time).
I've been riding with the contractor on some of his other jobs, and I'm satisfied with his quality of work. I sat in on the engineering discussions and understand how the house will be constructed. I also learned enough from those experiences to reinforce the fact that I don't know enough to do it myself.
We're getting closer to starting the construction -- we had the power company out yesterday to determine where the transformer would be placed, where the power will be dropped and where the meters will be placed (I have 5 acres, and I'm going to have a separate meter and distribution point for the outdoor wiring).
I am a semi retired contractor. My opinion on this is, you can do it. Careful planning, check references of your subs, ask for multiple refereences for sure. Remember the lowest bid is not always the best in the long run. If paying for materials up front to subs, get lien waivers, be sure your subs are paying for materials that go in your home.
Quality work meeting codes should not really be a problem. There are very few areas in the country that do not require permits and inspections now a day from my knowledge.
I was planning on building my own house. I have had extensive remodeling experience and I constructed custom outdoor kitchens for a living. I've done framing, wiring, plumbing, flooring, ceramic tile, and much more.
After I came up with some concept plans and drew them out in a CAD program, I was at the point where I had to price it out and come up with a budget. I soon came up against so many problems for which I did not know the answer, that I abandoned the entire idea of building it myself.
Then, I considered the idea of acting as the GC and subbing everything out. I figured that the subs would know how to do the things that were new to me. I soon came up with the same concerns that have been expressed here. How would I know if the subs were doing it correctly, or not? A lot of it is common sense, but I decided I could not afford to make mistakes.
I finally decided that a contractor's fee would be recovered through better supervision of the subs, discounts in materials offered to contractors, fewer mistakes and the time cost of construction, such as interest and changing material costs.
A flat fee would protect me from all mistakes and any increases in costs, but I can assure you that a contractor builds those variables into his flat price, and pockets the extra money if there are no mistakes, or if costs go down (which they are, at this time).
I've been riding with the contractor on some of his other jobs, and I'm satisfied with his quality of work. I sat in on the engineering discussions and understand how the house will be constructed. I also learned enough from those experiences to reinforce the fact that I don't know enough to do it myself.
We're getting closer to starting the construction -- we had the power company out yesterday to determine where the transformer would be placed, where the power will be dropped and where the meters will be placed (I have 5 acres, and I'm going to have a separate meter and distribution point for the outdoor wiring).
Thanks for sharing this option, I didn't know it existed. I'm in a similar situation with future building plans- I drew them up myself, but I don't yet have the experience to know best practices in all the skilled labors involved. Electrical schemes I can draw out, but I'm very intimidated by electric when it's in my hands. I'm awed by master carpenters. I've learned so much, but no way I have the ability of someone 20yrs OTJ.
The only other option I could imagine was doing the finish work myself. I think that should save substantial $$.
Since you're still in this process, could you post a new thread about how it all works out when you're done?
Yes, I did it. All the warnings are real. In my case, my ex convinced me he knew what he was doing. In reality, he did not except for a few jobs. I ended up figuring out how to do everything the right way. County inspectors will usually be very persnickety for owner-builders compared to pros so you probably will have to religiously follow all codes. Contractors often can get away with short cuts, depending. My marriage crumbled under the strain, but I think it would have anyway.
If you are going to do this, you need to fully understand all the things a contractor does. Building a house is 10,000 jobs and skills that have to be done in the right order and the right way, plus you have to manage any workmen or subs you hire. You also have to know all the building codes - local and national.
Depending on how much of the labor you do yourself, savings can be significant. Depending on the mistakes you make, costs can be excessive and ones a contractor could have avoided and be paid for in his fee.
Emotionally, you have to be willing to work hard and accept long delays and have patience. Whatever time you think it will take, triple that and it will still take longer. Inexperience adds time to everything. Whatever the communication problems or incompatibilities with your spouse will be magnified under the strain.
With all that, some people do successfully pull it off and their relationship survives and is stronger for it. I know a couple who did it and are still happily married many years after. It took them more than 5 years for a modest size house and they still didn't have the baseboards installed.
I don't really regret my experience because it removed any lack of confidence I had before about what I can do. While my marriage didn't survive, I'm happier for it. It was hard ploughing thru all the fallout, but in the end, it wasn't a good thing anyway, so I'm better off for having it die.
I would discourage anyone from attempting this if you are a neat-nick type of person who needs everything all nice and tidy. This project would literally drive you crazy. You also have to learn that if something is hard and not working, beating it to death won't help. If it isn't working, you are doing it wrong. Getting frustrated will only make it worse. Take a long hard honest look at yourself and your husband before you leap into something like this. It is high risk and could be high reward or could be horrible.
Over my years in construction, I've seen very few people who have built their own homes who have actually saved much (if any) money and who have had satisfactory results. Unless you've got a very good understanding of what's involved in constructing a home, and also have a substantial amount of time to devote to project, I'd strongly recommend against doing it. All of the crap you hear from companies like U-Buildit that claim you'll "save 30%" are just that- crap.
While HGTV and DIY have made it seem like any idiot can work in construction (and trust me, there's plenty of idiots who are working in construction), it's far more complex than it seems, and it's becoming moreso with stricter building codes, a wider array of products, and concerns over indoor air quality, "sick homes", etc. I'll put it this way- I build multi-million dollar commercial and residential projects for a living, and even I knew I didn't want to build my own house.....lol.
Last edited by BobKovacs; 02-28-2008 at 08:02 AM..
Over my years in construction, I've seen very few people who have built their own homes who have actually saved much (if any) money and who have had satisfactory results. Unless you've got a very good understanding of what's involved in constructing a home, and also have a substantial amount of time to devote to project, I'd strongly recommend against doing it. All of the crap you hear from companies like U-Buildit that claim you'll "save 30%" are just that- crap.
Why HGTV and DIY have made it seem like any idiot can work in construction (and trust me, there's plenty of idiots who are working in construction), it's far more complex than it seems, and it's becoming moreso with stricter building codes, a wider array of products, and concerns over indoor air quality, "sick homes", etc. I'll put it this way- I build multi-million dollar commercial and residential projects for a living, and even I knew I didn't want to build my own house.....lol.
100% agree!! Even if you sub things out to contractors, you are not going to get their best crews. I listen to contractors all summer. I have heard them negotiate house to house on who gets what crew.
Yes, I have family that started building their house 2 years ago and after 6 months, they ran out of money, and it just sits there empty. I feel sad for them because like others said, it took 6 months to build our home and now I am getting ready to sell it and they still have not moved in. I think he had problems with contractors charging too much, permits, etc, now they are out of money and finding it hard to get a loan for the remaining building that is needed.
We took an adult night course taught by an architect and she walked us through the entire process. She gave a lot of good advice (much of which I have seen here) and her husband (a contractor) came in on the last class to answer questions.
Very informative. You might check your local Adult Ed for a class in your area.
Two edits:
1. We decided against doing it after taking the class.
2. My brother, who has been building houses his entire life, hires someone else to build his. Three times now...
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