if you have ever built a house...

[dalmatian7]

We have finally begun the process of building a home and I would just like to know if anyone had any suggestions of what they wish they did/didn't do, hidden expenses, how you saved money, etc.
So far we have a plan, and are meeting with a contractor to discuss the estimate they gave us (which was higher than we expected). Is there an etiquette for any negotiations? How much did you shop around on builders?
We own the land outright, we would just be financing the cost of the home. We have already begun discussions with our lender and we are fine on that end.
I find it more overwhelming then exciting most days. I think mostly because I don't want to make a mistake we regret down the road.
thanks for any insight

 

[dreiwhit]

I acted as my own general contractor once and then used a general contractor when we built our current house 11 years ago.

If I had it to do all over again, one thing I would do is to purchase my own light fixtures and ceiling fans. Nearly all the builder grade fans failed within a couple of years and had to be replaced. The ones we bought at our local Lowe's because we wanted something fancier for a couple of rooms are still going strong after 11 years. The electrician installed those for us without a problem, the builder just didn't include them in his warranty (I had no problem with that.) The allowance the builder gave us for fixtures at his preferred supplier would have easily got better quality fixtures at our local home improvement store.

Make sure any changes or additions you want are done before the contract is agreed on. Our builder charged us $60 for each change, even if we wanted an additional outlet added.

Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

[Darcy03231]

Congratulations!

Make sure you put in plenty of electrical outlets and wire for anything you might want down the road (such as a sound system). Wiring can be very expensive once the walls are up.

Whatever your quote is add another 10% for cost overruns. DH was a contractor for over 45 years. There are always cost overruns.

Get solid wood cabinets in a classic style/color for kitchens and baths. Kitchen cabinets are one of the most expensive items in a remodel.

 

[mistysue]

It's been said, but really don't forget to pay attention to electrical outlets.
Think about if you want something like cable or phones run now, not after the walls are there or the price is set.
I bought my house then realized they did not wire for a phone or cable. We have one spot in the corner of the living room and if we get cable TV we have to tape a wire along the wall or ceiling to hit a TV. Same with a phone.
We built an addition, I said how many electrical outlets I wanted and then didn't pay attention when the guy didn't listen... now the walls are done and we have a 20' x 14' loft with no lights and ONE outlet off to one side.

 

[ajwolfe]

We built our house about 5 years ago. I found the process to be more stressful than fun. So many decisions!! We did some of the work ourselves - some drywall, laying laminate/tile and painting. We purchased all our own bathroom fixtures and light fixtures so we could choose what we actually wanted instead of the contractor grade items.
We did automatic hands free lighting in our laundry room and I so wish we would have done that in all the walk in closets as well. We also have a sizeable wrap around porch and I wish I would have had them run electric to the top for ceiling fans in certain spots.
My advise would be to really visualize you house plan and how you will live in the space. Which way do you want your doors to swing? Where is the most convenient place for light switches? Where do you think you would want the possibility of having a tv set up and could you move the room around if you wanted?

 

[HM]

If you have the ability, take time to check out work as it progresses each week.
Take pictures of the walls before they are drywalled, so you know where the pipes and wiring are for future reference.
Check to see that outlets are where you need them and that switches are placed well. Have them moved if they aren't.
Make sure that overhead lighting/fans are placed where you need them.
Go through and make sure each room as adequate air vents and returns and are placed where you don't intend to place furniture.
Ask to have the extra tile and carpet left in your attic.

 

[Kae]

Think about the outside too. For Electrical Outlets and water. If you have room A laundry sink in the garage is great for cleaning up messy stuff.

Kae

 

[Moomduck1]

I read once that you have to build 3 houses until you get it exactly like you want it. We built ours about 12 years ago and there are a few things that we wished we did differently. For the most part, we love our house. We tried to keep in mind things that would be very expensive to redo later, and spend the money on those things in the beginning. For example:

We took our floor plan and had them make it 2 feet wider on each side. It was extra money, but well worth the extra space.
We wanted our windows to have wooden frames that are stained. We didn't want the the white plastic around it and that would be a fortune to replace later.
We wanted stained wood trim throughout the house as well, not the plastic white.
We decided not to put in granite countertops, because we wanted to spend the money on the other stuff, and figured that down the road when the countertops needed to be replaced, we wouldn't mind spending the money on granite or whatever we wanted at that time. Not a choice most people make, but we have been pleased with that choice.
In the rooms that have carpet, we bought nice carpet but didn't spend a fortune because that will eventually need to be replaced anyway.

We forgot to measure our front porch before we agreed to the floor plans, and we cannot fit rocking chairs on it. It's just a few inches too short.
We wish our kitchen pantry was a little bigger.
We also wish we had planned better with the electrical outlets.
We really wanted our laundry room on the first floor, and now we wonder why we didn't want it on the second floor. That would be great.
Also, check the layout of how the washer and dryer will be placed into the laundry room before it's plumbed/wired. We wish ours was different.
We also insisted we wanted an electric stove (we don't know why) and insisted we didn't want a gas line run. Fortunately, our contractor insisted that we put the gas line in just in case down the road when the stove needed to be replaced we wanted a gas one. We haven't had to replace the stove yet, but when we do it will be gas. We love our contractor for insisting.
My brother-in-law suggested that we put extra insulation in the walls surrounding each of the bathrooms. We didn't and wish we did. (yes, sound travels)
He also suggested that if we like to put candles in our front windows at Christmas, that we have one switch by the door that will turn each light on with one flick of a switch. We don't put candles in, but if you do, you might want to consider that.
I ignored my cousin's suggestion not to put dark fixtures in the bathrooms and I wish I didn't. I clean them, and they still look dirty after. They sort of streak. It's only the powder room, but it annoys me.
I took a friend's advice to make sure I put enough drawers in the kitchen. Thrilled I listened to her.

Spend your money on things that will be impossible to change later or really expensive to change later. And have fun!!!

 

[alliecat523]

It always takes longer than they predict. Check in often on the progress. If they know you're watching, they tend to be more efficient.

Outlets are key. Definitely think through any sort of tv/audio wiring before the walls go up. Ours is all located in the basement with wiring up through the walls so we have no boxes or equipment where the tv's are.

The only thing I wish we added was a mud room with lockers/cubbies. Everything gets dumped in the laundry room (just inside the door from the garage) and I'm always tripping over shoes and such when I try to do laundry.

 

[Anthony1971]

As far as negotiations...you likely will not be able to offer a lower amount without changing something...in other words you can ask how you can lower the price but expect something to be taken away or do certain things yourself like painting if that is included....but make sure it says walls ready to paint. As other have said expect unexpected costs an estimate is just that, It could come in on target but 98% of the time be higher.... there are just a lot of unforeseen things.

 

[AlohaNow]

Laundry on the second floor. Once you have it, you will never go back.

 

[HM]

Also, add in more outside lighting than the plans probably call for. Our plans had two outside spots and we added them on each corner of the house. And I agree with the person that mentioned water and electrical outlets for outside. Our prior house didn't have enough for us, so on this house we put a spigot on each side of the house and electrical outlets by the front doors, the back door and on the deck.

 

[2Gma]

We've built a house and remodeled another and what really helped me was hiring a Designer to help me with our selections. Yes, an added cost BUT a good designer can help you find ways to save too. They can help you zero in on what you really need vs want. They can also research choices for you to pick from based on your style which will save you time. I just got so overwhelmed by the number of choices and not knowing how things would look all pulled together. Find a Designer that you feel comfortable with and they will make it a fun, enjoyable, exciting process! Congrats on your new place!

 

[ready123go]

Spend your money on layout, not on cabinetry or anything that can be replaced easily. I know most people will disagree, but my reasoning is this - you can easily replace cabinets (appliances, carpeting) in a few years, when the budget allows. You can't change the layout easily.

For example, if you have to spend the money to put in metal I-beam to give the room a better layout, then do that, as opposed to spending money on wooden cabinets.

Get Ikea. Change it out in a few years. Your style will probably have changed by then anyway.

Everyone gets caught up in the finished product and forgets the function.

 

[ready123go]

Oh, and if your builder comes with a sterling reputation - keep him (or her)! A good builder will hire good subs and they will all work together to foresee and help walk you through common problems.

 

[DisneyMandC]

I second all comments on electrical outlets, etc. You really don't realize how important those are. Also, it will take more time and cost more than you expected.

I would add that just generally, look at where you can cut some costs to improve on other potentially cost-saving measures. For example, our contractor who totally gutted our upstairs was all concerned about what kind of moulding we wanted. You know who looks at floor moulding? No one. No one pays attention to what you have unless it's something absolutely heinous. Buy a standard size and a quarter round and call it a day on that. Save the money and use it for things that will hold up in the long run. Double-paned windows and quality, well-insulated doors will cut down on your energy costs. Think about placement of windows to maximize heat in the winter and a breeze in the summer so you can use your heat pump/AC less. Our house only has one south-facing window to let in heat during the day in the winter!

 

[damskipi13]

I haven't built my own house, but my last house was purchased from someone who built theirs custom. My recommendation is that if you are going to put in custom cabinetry do NOT build cabinetry sized to fit around a specific TV. She designed her built-ins around an old school projection TV and newer TVs didn't fit in there unless they were less than 40 inches. Way too small a TV given the size of the room. I had to buy the projection TV from her (and then sell it with the house when I sold) because you'd have to take out the entire wall-sized cabinet if you wanted a different TV.

 

[unrequited23]

I used to work for a real estate developer that also acted as a GC for some of our residential and commercial holdings. My advice is to go with the builder who has the best reputation and treats their subcontractors well. You want someone who has projects in the pipeline so the subs will show up for work, because they know there is another job on the horizon. Happy subcontractors will come back to the job site to complete 1 yr punch list items, unhappy/slow paid ones may not. I would pay more to upgrade things now-insulation, windows, electric, etc. that will save you money in the future/be hard to do once the drywall goes up. You can always add the dream counter tops in a few years.

 

[OneOftheB's]

We built our home about 13 years ago and I loved the process. I was fortunate because I was working with several contractors at the time and asked the best of the ones I dealt with to recommend their best builder(s) and we chose from that short list.

There were several things that really helped us when we went to get quotes for the construction. First, we toured about 50 new construction homes that were around the price point our house would list if we sold it (and a bunch that were more expensive). That gave us an idea of flow/materials/designs/finishes etc actually installed and not just on a showroom floor. Once we knew what we wanted, we bought the floor plan we wanted built and modified the plan to fit exactly our needs (in our case we upped the plan to a 3 car garage, and added 5 ft to the master bedroom, which also added 5 ft to my closet, the master bathroom and to the upstairs, which ended up in closet space).

To cut cost a bit, we left the bonus room and a bathroom unfinished on the second floor and finished it later, once we had kids. We also bargain shopped as much as we could-- ie bought most of the lighting fixtures at Home Depot using a friends and family discount, buying floor tile at a local outlet tile store and buying the plumbing fixtures via a friend who worked at an upscale fixture store. Things like that add up.

One of the best random tips I'll add is to stay way ahead of the builder. By this I mean have everything waiting on him instead of making him wait for you to go pick out "x" so you can bargain shop or find just the right item. You will overpay and be less satisfied with the result if you have to rush out one afternoon to pick out a kitchen sink because the counter people's schedule opened up and they will be there tomorrow. You don't want to be the reason why something can't progress-- everyone gets grumpy at that point.

Oh, and stop by as often as possible. We drove our poor builder crazy by swinging by just about every afternoon or at lunch, but we were able to correct mistakes before they got too far along to remedy.

 

[OhMari]

We built last year and like the previous poster said, don't be afraid to go every day. We found out, people do not read. We had the wrong floor tile put it. We made them take it back out. Steps to our basement were put it backwards..
I am not saying Home Depot is a bad place for lighting, but most contractor's will have a place contracted out with the best price. Bathroom and kitchen items, should be purchased from a store, that gets the product from the manufacturer-like Kohler. Yes home Depot sells Kohler, but the quality is not there. We found out, there really is a better, best, top of the line.

Don't go with IKEA products, your kitchen cupboards will be falling off the wall in a year. Get the solid wood doors for your cupboards.

I really do not know why we went with a contractor-my husband was there every step of the way. I think what killed us the most was paying $50,000 in administrative costs, which included building permits. We should of walked away, but the Title company first told us that cost the day we signed. Other hidden costs, we had to put in our own lawn-$2,000 and the driveway another $10,000 in gravel and cement.