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Started By
Message
re: First Time Building a House
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:08 am to cole_cole_world
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:08 am to cole_cole_world
Advice depends on a couple questions.
Do you have a lot that you are building on?
Or are you buying a home from a developer that has set floor plans?
Do you have a lot that you are building on?
Or are you buying a home from a developer that has set floor plans?
0
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:08 am to cole_cole_world
quote:
How does it work?
If you do not have any construction experience,hire a contractor. Don't try to self contract unless you want to be divorced before the house is finished
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:11 am to crimsonsaint
It's not that hard...just go to Lowe's, buy some wood, watch some YouTube videos and presto: Mansion.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:13 am to cole_cole_world
Step 1) buy a lot
Step 2) Meet with a home builder (if you want cookie cutter, $$$) or Meet with an Architect (if you want truly custom, $$$$$$$$$$$)
Step 3) Meet with a contractor
Step 4) Stay on contractor's arse
Step 5) move in
Step 6) have secs in every bed room.
Step 2) Meet with a home builder (if you want cookie cutter, $$$) or Meet with an Architect (if you want truly custom, $$$$$$$$$$$)
Step 3) Meet with a contractor
Step 4) Stay on contractor's arse
Step 5) move in
Step 6) have secs in every bed room.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:13 am to cole_cole_world
I contracted my own home build in 2008! It's a little harder now finding finance for that but it really isn't that hard just long hours and staying on top of contractors. Make sure you have have a flexible job!
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:13 am to cole_cole_world
Is this thread for real? Are there really people out there this disconnected from reasonable person intelligence to problem solve or plan?
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:14 am to Fe_Mike
4,2,3,5,1
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:18 am to HuRRiCaNe MiLeS
quote:
Y'all are so fricking annoying
The squeaky wheel gets the grease, sometimes you have to be annoying.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:28 am to crimsonsaint
quote:
How many contractors do you deal with on a regular basis? Not doing what the owner wants is a real quick way not to get paid. And yeah some do cut corners. And they get stuck with a reputation for it too.
I'm a concrete contractor for civil work so i see a lot in this line. i don't deal with builders nearly as much. As for the not listening to owners, I am talking little things that might not seem big but will drive you insane in the long run. I built a new office at the end of last year and the contractor we had kept saying that all we needed was a 3' wide stair going into the storage upstairs and I told him I wanted them to be 4' wide to allow easier access toting stuff up and down the stairs. Came back from work that night and the fricking stairs were 3' wide and built. He threw a fricking fit when I had him tear them down and redo them 4' wide. Small things.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:29 am to cole_cole_world
Good luck. You will soon learn first hand that there is a large skills gap in this country.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:31 am to Lawyered
When in doubt, go bigger
This post was edited on 1/27/17 at 9:32 am
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:32 am to cole_cole_world
If you want to build a nice home, get an architect and take your time. Also, don't let some dipshit trombone salesman build your house who doesn't know how to swing a hammer.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:34 am to crimsonsaint
For the most part, there are very few good builders nowadays who take pride in their work. I can think of 4 or 5 in Baton Rouge alone. Nobody uses quality materials anymore and contractors are just in it for a quick dollar. Do your research and find a contractor that knows what the hell he is talking about.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:37 am to cole_cole_world
You looking at cookie cutter type construction or custom?
Cookie cutter is a lot easier since your options are much more limited on floorplan and picking out cabinets, floors, colors, etc.
Custom will be more costly and difficult because so many selections to make on EVERYTHING. But at least your house won't look damn near identical to every other house in the neighborhood and will generally be better quality material.
Whichever way you go, just let your wife pick all the colors and interior stuff and nod in agreement.
ETA: Look for reviews online for your contractor before making final selection. If they're reputable and been around for a while, you shouldn't have a hard time finding some reviews online. If they can arrange for a walkthrough of another house they've built so you can see their work in person, even better
Cookie cutter is a lot easier since your options are much more limited on floorplan and picking out cabinets, floors, colors, etc.
Custom will be more costly and difficult because so many selections to make on EVERYTHING. But at least your house won't look damn near identical to every other house in the neighborhood and will generally be better quality material.
Whichever way you go, just let your wife pick all the colors and interior stuff and nod in agreement.
ETA: Look for reviews online for your contractor before making final selection. If they're reputable and been around for a while, you shouldn't have a hard time finding some reviews online. If they can arrange for a walkthrough of another house they've built so you can see their work in person, even better
This post was edited on 1/27/17 at 9:40 am
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:38 am to crazycubes
quote:
Meet with a home builder (if you want cookie cutter, $$$) or Meet with an Architect (if you want truly custom, $$$$$$$$$$$)
I hired an architect and it added less than 1% to the cost of the house. There were no plans that I really liked so I came up with my own layout for the house. The architect had all the room and deck dimensions specified for him so he didn't have a ton of work to do. He had some helpful suggestions that made a few minor changes to things. It's a piling house so he did the piling layout and roof design.
The most important step is selecting your contractor. Look at houses he's built, talk to his past clients. My builder was excellent and things went very smoothly. With a bad contractor your life will be a living hell so choose carefully.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:44 am to Tigris
quote:
I hired an architect and it added less than 1% to the cost of the house. There were no plans that I really liked so I came up with my own layout for the house. The architect had all the room and deck dimensions specified for him so he didn't have a ton of work to do. He had some helpful suggestions that made a few minor changes to things. It's a piling house so he did the piling layout and roof design.
The most important step is selecting your contractor. Look at houses he's built, talk to his past clients. My builder was excellent and things went very smoothly. With a bad contractor your life will be a living hell so choose carefully.
That's odd. Architects customarily charge between 10-15% of the total construction cost for their services. At least good ones do.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:46 am to T Blair
quote:
For the most part, there are very few good builders nowadays who take pride in their work. I can think of 4 or 5 in Baton Rouge alone. Nobody uses quality materials anymore and contractors are just in it for a quick dollar. Do your research and find a contractor that knows what the hell he is talking about.
I build all over pville and ebr and will never understand how homeowners get stuck with shitty contractors. OP do your research. Make sure everything is laid out on the table before you begin so you know how much you're spending. Your contractor should give you allowances so there's no surprise overages. They should also give you a general timeline on how long it will take them.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 9:47 am to Teufelhunden
quote:
Good luck. You will soon learn first hand that there is a large skills gap in this country.
Never heard it said like this but I believe this is spot on.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 10:12 am to OceanMan
Watching the fantasy world that is the "This Old House" hour will spoil you. Norm and boys ain't showing up at your build site.
Posted on 1/27/17 at 10:24 am to cole_cole_world
Make sure your guest bedrooms are 12x12 at a minimum. There is a big difference between the standard 11x11 and 12x12.
Get a design with ability to build a room above the garage and finish it out now. Or some type of man cave.
Spend the extra money up front for the extended outdoor patio and outdoor kitchen/grill.
Lot of closets for storage.
Third car garage.
Get a design with ability to build a room above the garage and finish it out now. Or some type of man cave.
Spend the extra money up front for the extended outdoor patio and outdoor kitchen/grill.
Lot of closets for storage.
Third car garage.
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