Who here had their house built to their specifications or bought the plans online then had a contracting company build it? I have a few questions that I'd like to talk about the process. I'm thinking this route might be better for my wife and I if we can find a lot that we like. Send me a PM or post here if you had your house built instead of buying it already built!
I WILL be doing this when I get out of college... all I can say is if you are even contemplating doing the general contracting to try and save money you better know a LOT about building/remodeling/renovating houses... If you don't think you yourself could build it don't try and be the general contractor IMO...
Sounds good!!! I know if I build one I'd have my dad be my GC... you really have to know so much to not get ripped off and save money.
I FINALLY just spoke with my dad (he's on nights right now) and he said that it's around $125-$200 per square foot in our area. The house they're in now that he had built is around 2500 square feet! When he had all three kids in the last house it was a tad over 3200. Jeeeeeeeez.
I've never built a house for myself but in my job as a Realtor I've helped a number of people design and build homes. Here's a picture of my latest project (5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, about 4200 sq ft on the 1st & 2nd floors plus a finished walkout basement with a wine cellar, and a 3 car garage):
That's cheap for down here in Hawai'i! That house would probably be $900k-$1.1mil down here. Because of the 3 car garage, basement, and wine cellar! I personally would likethe wine cellar as I work in the restaurant industry (cook):drinking2: Though back on topic, my family just had our current house rebuilt. My aunty and uncle helped draw out the plans and worked with a GC for my grandmother whom the house was built for. It's a long process and just that alone can get real expensive REALLY quick!
Before the economy took a dump, my wife and I were going to build. From my experience, I would suggest that you have your plans drawn up locally rather than purchase them online. When looking for a designer, ask him/her how many changes you're allowed to the plans and what the charge is after the alotted amount of changes. Also, look for a custom home builder rather than a contractor. When we were shopping around, the contractors were shadey and were reluctant to give prices until ground was broken. The custom home builder we were going to use had his own framing crew, which was nice because all of his employees knew the building codes and were thourough in their work. I'm not saying that all contractors are shadey, but down here in S. Texas, many of them were IMHO. Best of luck to you. Keep us updated.
Well I'm just gathering knowledge right now. I like the thoroughly research things before I even consider them.
Wow! Where you guys live is CHEAP. This house is under contract to sell for more than $1.5M once it's completed. I see a lot of custom built homes everyday and one thing I'll tell you is that many people shoot themselves in the foot when building a house. When I say that I mean they build a house that works great for them but is a nightmare to resell and so when they move they don't sell at a price anywhere near what they think they could get for the house. Here are a couple of suggestions for you: 1. Go look at a lot of new construction homes that are for sale in the area. You'll get GREAT ideas for what you'd want in your own home and also an idea of what floorplans, colors, and appliances are popular in your area. For resale you'll want to be on par with these homes as in the future when you sell they will be your competetion. 2. When you look for the lot to build on think HARD about the location. Location is the only think you can't change about a home. Homes in better location sell for more money and sell faster. They also hold their value better than homes in less desirable locations. Also, make sure the lot fits the house you want to build. Try to get a nice lot that will fit the size house you want but will still leave a nice size backyard. I could type the rest of the day but instead I'll just say that if you need further advice I'm happy to help just PM me.
I do this for a living, I work for my pops and my uncle as a developer in real estate. We buy several lots of land at once and then build homes on them. We usually build one or two spec homes and then we build most of the lots to customers' specifications. They have to use our plans but the possibilities are almost endless. I gotta head out real soon but later tonight I will make a few posts to get you pointed in the right direction.
1.) Look carefully at lots, as MikeyC said, location is the only thing you cannot change. The lot should also be pre-approved for residential construction and should suit your needs. You have to have a mental estimate of the size of the house in your head and how much space it will take up. Don't forget that just because your house idea "fits" in the lot, it doesn't mean it will be approved. Also plan how much setback you want, how much of a front and back yard you want. Finally, factor in where you would want the sceptic system to go - for example, a lot of homebuyers do not just plop the sceptic in the middle of the back yard so that their kids are (theoretically) playing on top of a pile of shit all day long. Of course, this is not an issue if the town offers its own sewerage/sceptic system. Don't get hung up on one lot - these days, there are so many options and so many good deals out there. Do not be hesitant to move onto another lot if you can't find what you want. 2.) Stay away from online plans. Throughout the build process, you are going to have to work with your architect to make changes or updates based on how you actually built the house. Inspectors may require additional information from the plans that only a local architect can provide on the fly. You do not want to start by having an architect draw up brand new plans for you - that is an extremely expensive way to go. Meet with a local architect and see what they have to offer. Pick your favorite plan and have the architect modify it to suit your needs. If you don't like what they have, then move onto the next architect. Do not have the architect modify the plan to do crazy things that make no sense. As MikeyC said, you do not want to build a house that is so tailored to you that only you want to live there. 3.) Let your father (or your GC) be your guide and your mentor. I don't know if your dad is a professional GC or just knows how to be a GC, but GC's typically get the best prices for materials, they know how to handle all the issues and problems that come up during the build process, they are a great source of information, and they know how to deal with the politics involved with codes, laws, and other requirements. 4.) Finally, the most important part: you need to buy books and read them very carefully. When I first started working for my father and my uncle, I tried to buy all the DIY books I could find on home-building and being your own GC. They will give you a great foundation for this potential upcoming task and they are great for reference during the build process. As I have been learning on my own, experience is the key but it helps a whole lot not to be clueless about everything that's happening during the build. The books will also give you an idea of the work involved in building your own house and what steps you need to take to properly plan and evaluate the situation as a whole. I will post some more stuff tomorrow.
Me and my buddy whos an architect designed my house as a project in school needless to say he got an A+... and i got a home design for free! 1900Sqft bungalow with a 6 car garage designed to match the exterior of the house. My father is a GC/master carpenter and he's taught me everything, were estimating the cost of it to be 130-160K I managed to picked up the 2 achier property for 32K! yay... home building is fun... NOT! another 2-3 years and ill be finished..... living in some parts of Canada is decently priced! Matt
