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re: Why would anyone build a new house?

Posted on 4/27/22 at 4:15 pm to
Posted by NOLAVOL16
Member since Jan 2022
873 posts
Posted on 4/27/22 at 4:15 pm to
1. Right now/past 2 years it’s easier to build than compete in a bidding war over and over again. At least the money is going into the house and not the sellers pocket and you know it will appraise properly because you know exactly what it cost to build.
2. I agree that building full custom can be a pain, especially if you aren’t able to be on site daily to keep an eye on things but those builders won’t even talk to you right now if you’re not spending 2 mil and….
3. Normal semi custom/spec builders sell to you at a set price plus your chosen options. Those prices don’t change after you sign the initial contract.
4. Unless you’re a fan of the cookie cutter Joanna Gaines style stuff, any house you buy is going to need costly renovations anyway, whether due to age or style. Might as well spend the money to get exactly what you want up front.
5. It’s new so replacement/repair costs are minimal for at least 5 years.
6. New neighborhoods are full of first owners. I’ve found that the more times a house changes hands, the worse it is kept up. You see this as neighborhoods age they get more and more run down. The initial owner of a house is usually the most prideful of the place. The older it gets the more riff raff shows up.
Posted by Obtuse1
Westside Bodymore Yo
Member since Sep 2016
25852 posts
Posted on 4/27/22 at 5:12 pm to
I have bought and renovated, built, and GCed a build that I did a lot of the work on. I actually enjoy the process but I am a contractor's nightmare. I am OCD, especially about trim and finish work.

I looked for over a year to find our GC for our custom build and finally found a guy that had just moved to the area from NJ and happened to also do amazing sanded in place floors. He was as particular as me and he and my architect got along well. The only problem was trim. I had milled the lumber and profiled all the mouldings except some egg and dart, corbels, and appliques that I had a friend with a CNC router run for me. I had every piece of moulding designated and grain matched for a specific area and had models of each of the built up mouldings but they kept telling me it just couldn't be done. I finally just hired one of their helpers and ran the trim on the weekends myself. Apparently, true custom moulding using hardwood is a lost craft in my area. I ended up building the staircases as well. I learned the reason there are people who specialize in just building staircases.

I was lucky I found a GC that understood what a true custom home was and got along well with the architect and me. Most of the GCs I talked with thought a custom home was just a spec house built for someone specific that got to choose their colors and fixtures.


I enjoy the process and like getting exactly what I want built but it can be a big PITA.
Posted by mdomingue
Lafayette, LA
Member since Nov 2010
30741 posts
Posted on 4/27/22 at 6:38 pm to
quote:

Even full brick/stone houses these days look bad to me. Because instead of actual structural walls, it’s still just a veneer on 2x studs.


Most brick homes for the last 100 years have been 2X4 stud walls with a course of brick on the outer wall that is not structural. Much of the stone as well.

Let's see, 60+ years ago? As often as not, not enough bathrooms, undersized and inadequate electrical infrastructure, small bedrooms, poor insulation. Am I leaving anything out?

I will say that the quality of the lumber and carpentry work was often far superior. Of course the uniformity of the lumber as you go further back becomes a little iffy.

Posted by Summerchild
On top of the world.
Member since Dec 2022
382 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 9:15 am to
Because they own a piece of land that doesn’t already have a house on it, yet they wish to live there? That’s my reason.
Posted by Cajun75
Member since Mar 2022
607 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 9:22 am to
quote:

the answer is they want a house on their terms, and not some cookie cutter house that looks exactly like all the others around.


Yep...it's an interesting experience and something that everyone should do at least once.
Posted by TigerKurt
Kenner, LA
Member since Apr 2005
872 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 9:24 am to
quote:

Canjun75

You nailed it.
Posted by XenScott
Pensacola
Member since Oct 2016
3167 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 9:32 am to
My group builds between 35-55 custom homes per year. Our clients are our biggest advertisers. We are on our third build for some clients. Find better builders. Also we are in house design only. That resolves a lot of issues.
Posted by chRxis
None of your fricking business
Member since Feb 2008
23663 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 10:23 am to
quote:

My group builds between 35-55 custom homes per year.

what area?
Posted by Jake88
Member since Apr 2005
68425 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 10:26 am to
Because wives think their tastes and preferences are special.

And no, you don't have to buy "cookie cutter."
Posted by Crusty
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2011
2447 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 11:36 am to
quote:

KenHaptor


You revive a thread that is a year old for your first post? Sounds like you're not having a lot of luck in your housing search so you came here to vent?

Best of luck in your search.
Posted by MasterJSchroeder
Berwick
Member since Nov 2020
992 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 12:32 pm to
Seriously! Why would I ever take everyone's word on everything.

If it is to be, its up to me.

If you know what you are getting in to and have the ability to be presented with an issue and resolve it like an adult it is pretty simple.
Posted by X123F45
Member since Apr 2015
27483 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 12:34 pm to
Because I was tired of fixing 30 years of half assed shite.
This post was edited on 3/9/23 at 12:50 pm
Posted by Saint Alfonzo
Member since Jan 2019
22293 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 1:39 pm to
We have a 1/2 acre golf course lot in North Carolina that we are going to put a custom home on. The 2/3 acre lot next to ours came up for sale a week ago. So we bought that also, close at the end of the month. Having 1.25 acres opens up our home options a lot. Instead of a narrow ranch, it looks like it's gonna be a larger walkout basement type of joint.
Posted by X123F45
Member since Apr 2015
27483 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 1:43 pm to
quote:

North Carolina


I thought you were in Chicago?

Posted by turnpiketiger
Southeast Texas
Member since May 2020
9548 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 1:49 pm to
Dear Facebook
Posted by Cracker
in a box
Member since Nov 2009
17757 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 1:51 pm to
not saying you are the poors but
Posted by Sun God
Member since Jul 2009
44874 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 1:54 pm to
quote:

Aren't most people building new homes gonna hire someone to draft it that is gonna come up with something similar to the cookie cutter stuff they have drawn up before?

Every single new house in my hood is the chip and Diane farmhouse shite
Posted by Saint Alfonzo
Member since Jan 2019
22293 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 1:55 pm to
quote:

I thought you were in Chicago?

New Jersey, actually. Hopefully we'll be back in Carolina this year, next year at the absolute latest.
Posted by Breauxken
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2013
26 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 2:03 pm to
quote:

There are always huge frick ups by the builders during the project


Yes. There will be mistakes. If you are not an a-hole and you have a good builder, issues can be resolved. When I built my house a few years ago, the builders installed the wrong color roof. It was supposed to be grey, they put on brown. After a bit of negotiation, I got them to build my outdoor fireplace for free. Pick a good builder and its really not that bad.
Posted by XenScott
Pensacola
Member since Oct 2016
3167 posts
Posted on 3/9/23 at 2:59 pm to
quote:


what area?



Escambia County Florida, Baldwin County Alabama.
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