We are thinking about building a house.....

[Laurabearz]

We found some plans we like...... have some leads on a couple of lots........ but are still debating......

Anyone gone thru this....... How did you find a builder? How long was the process?

How much over budjet did ya go LOL

With the third child entering out lives, our once nice sized house is way way to small! We both like the idiea of building our own house from the ground up, but at the same time are scared with the whole process!

Any tips, thoughts, suggestions???

Thanks bunches

 

[Jeafl]

We didn't have plans, so we also needed to find an architect to design a house for us. Once we decided on a plan, we interviewed 3 builders, all of whom had been recommended to us by other people. We asked for an estimated price, including all the features we wanted. If I could give you any advice, GET THE FOLLOWING IN WRITING:

1) Time frame in which the house is going to be built. Is the builder going to compensate you for a late delivery date?

2) The exact materials/manufacturers which will be used in the house. We know people that contracted for Thomasville cabinetry and ended up with pressboard. Ask specifics such as will there be Pella or Anderson windows, or another bargain brand. What type of insulation are you using?

3) Who will be responsible for cost over-runs?

4) Will they allow you make changes once the design is decided upon and the contract is signed? Is there a charge for any changes once the house has been started?

5) Is the cost of all the permits included in the quoted price? (this can be a substantial sum!)

6) If you are putting in a fireplace, will it be masonry, a firebox or some other kind. There's a huge difference in price.

I'm sure there is a lot more, but my mind is drawing a blank. If I can think of anything else, I'll post it later.

Good luck!

 

[JESW]

We built the house we are living in but it is in a development and the same builder built most of them (meaning we didn't have to hire a builder) We had heard nightmares about people building but our experience was a good one.

My suggestion would be to go through lots & lots of magazines and books to figure out what you REALLY want and make lists. Think about what works and what doesn't in your present house.

We live in a 36x26 straight front colonial with an 18x22 attached family room with fireplace and we added on over the 2 car garage. We also have 2 & 1/2 baths.

Things we would have done differently 5 years later -

- had a 3 car garage and put the master suite over it. (right now the room over the garage is accessed through our bedroom. It is our second family room - where the computers, birds, desks, chalkboard, books, etc are) (That would have made the kids bedrooms bigger)

- never, EVER put the laundry in your half bathroom! We just have 2 kids (3 & 8) but we have laundry all over the place. I end up piling it all over the floor in the downstairs bathroom. Very messy. We had bifold doors to hide the washer & dryer but ended up taking them out so we could have more room.

- we would put a separate laundry room upstairs. Where are all your clothes anyhow? Who had the great idea of lugging the dirty clothes up and down from the first floor - or even the basement!

- a pantry, That way we could have had less cabinets in the kitchen and more storage space (out of the way) in the pantry.

- we would have made the "box" of our house bigger. We have 4 bedrooms but they are small. The 4th bedroom is VERY small. We didn't even add a closet in there so it would be bigger.

- a mud room. Especially now in the winter. When the kids come in all wet they either leave their stuff all over the front hall or blocking the back door. There is no extra room for it. And I am constantly cleaning the floors.

Well, those are the main things I can think of right now. I'm not sure if those are the type of things you are looking for but I thought I would add them.

Good luck!!!

Jill

 

[Laurabearz]

Thanks Jill(s)

This is exactly the kinda of stuff we need....... Here is a link to the house plans we are considering...... http://www.homeplanfinder.com/factsheet.asp?plan=98436&ordercode=GHG50 It lacks a mud room..... but we were thinking of shrinking the WIC of the 5th bedroom/study and making a nook there.......

Of course we may find a different plan..... but this one is the leader so far.....

 

[rbuzzotta]

We just moved into our new home. My DH is the builder!! Yes, we went WAY over budget but I have absolutley everything I needed and wanted!!

Your plans look absolutely beautiful.........and expensive type house!! The windows alone..........and think about the window treatments once your in!! I have 36 windows in this house and 2 sliders........the shades alone were an expense I did not even think about!! I did them myself and used American Blind and Wallpaper factory online and saved a bundle!!

Good luck and get everything in writing!!

 

[Laurabearz]

Originally posted by rbuzzotta

Your plans look absolutely beautiful.........and expensive type house!! The windows alone..........and think about the window treatments once your in!! I have 36 windows in this house and 2 sliders........the shades alone were an expense I did not even think about!! I did them myself and used American Blind and Wallpaper factory online and saved a bundle!!

Good luck and get everything in writing!!

COngrats on your new house

And yes, this will cost us a tidy sum..... prolly 175,000 more than what we will get for our old house...... but we are bursting at the seems here, and with the new baby...... UGH!! Plus we figure we will be in the darn thing for the rest of our lives...... longer than DVC! (and that cost us a pretty penny too)

I have only thought about the interior design aspect of the house a bit...... it scares me..... Coz with a new house, we would want at least a couple of new furntiure peices...... LOL Never thought about window treatments...... Right now our main window is covered by a HUGE American Flag, we were about to buy drapes, then 9/11 hit...... so the flag went up.... dont have the heart to take it down.

So much to think about...... the next really big step is finding a builder. We know noone who has built their own house, so word of mouth is out of the question.......

Should we start with the BBB and go from there....... I suppose we could drive around and look at some of the new houses being built, but ya cant tell a good contractor from the outside..... ACK

Anyone know another way to research a builder??

Thanks bunches!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I built. We didn't have to hire either BUT I know people that build and I know our local newspaper has the HOME section in which it lists companies that build homes. Start with doing some homework. It is also possible to go to your city/county and get names of licensed builders, maybe???

2 story...eh? Now don't get me wrong I do love my house but after you build you say "I should have..."
All I can say is put your laundry room upstairs if you can. I know you have to shell out a pretty penny for it BUT I wish I would have.

Decks, concrete & Sod??? What are your plans there? Will you roll into your total mortgage or pay cash later?
Plan for sod for the front yard (at least) as mud is no fun.

On your garage make sure you get the 9ft wide single door and if possible get the extra tall garage door, 9ft. DH is KICKING himself for that.

Now for the basement. Map out how you finish it because it will make a difference in the placement of stuff. If you have a plan then the builders will not put things willy nilly in your basement.

Good Luck

 

[Patrick IL.]

Laura, are you staying local? Hope so My BIL is a builder, but he specializes in very high end homes. Once we talked with him about building us a new house, several years ago, but his homes were above our means, even at his cost. Good luck, its such an exciting thing to start from scratch and put together a new home!

 

[Laurabearz]

Originally posted by Patrick IL.
Laura, are you staying local? Hope so My BIL is a builder, but he specializes in very high end homes. Once we talked with him about building us a new house, several years ago, but his homes were above our means, even at his cost. Good luck, its such an exciting thing to start from scratch and put together a new home!

Well I wont be 4.52 miles away from you anymore, but still in the CHicago burbs...... depends on which lot we buy! LOL

Our home wont be VERY high end, but it will be up there......

We are excited...... still in the really nervous planning stages though...... I wish I knew more about finding a builder...... that is the key to a good house........ and it is what we are most scared of. LOL


Mystery Machine.... if you check out our plans (posted above) you will see that the laundry room IS on the second floor! I so love that idea!

And thanks for the tip on landscaping...... Luckly I have a great landscaper from the work we have done on our current house. One less big desision to worry about...... now on to the zillions of others.......

Any more Tips out there?????????

 

[Dan Murphy]

Enjoy the adventure, Laura, best wishes on the new home. And remember, a DIS house warming when you guys are all finished.

 

[ncligs]

Laurabearz,
Very nice house.

Do I see more kids in the future???

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Originally posted by Laurabearz


Mystery Machine.... if you check out our plans (posted above) you will see that the laundry room IS on the second floor! I so love that idea!

Sorry didn't notice it. OOOh now that is nice!

 

[JESW]

Love the style of house you selected! I thought of a few other things and thought I'd include them.

Central Air - I don't know how common it is in your area but it's not in ours. DH wanted it but I thought it was a waste of $$. I'm glad he didn't listen to me because I am soooo thankful for it when the summers are hot - especially since I'm home with the kids.

Central vacuuming. We didn't get this but a friend of mine did and she says it's great.

We don't plan on moving but I still love going to open houses. (it's the nosey person in me) One cool thing I'm seeing in the new higher-end houses is that they are putting the electric outlets in the baseboards. Simple enough, but what a great idea! You no longer have outlets in the way of wallpaper or anything else you may want to put on the wall. It also hides them well.

Think about the molding/trims you want. When we built we didn't want to "bother" anyone so we didn't ask for the real nice moldings and the chair rails. They can make such a difference in a room. And they are cheaper to do at building time instead of doing them 5 years later like we want.

That's all for now. My best friend and I both built houses and we play the game of "..if we were to build over again..."

Jill

 

[Laurabearz]

Originally posted by JESW
Love the style of house you selected! I thought of a few other things and thought I'd include them.

Central Air - I don't know how common it is in your area but it's not in ours. DH wanted it but I thought it was a waste of $$. I'm glad he didn't listen to me because I am soooo thankful for it when the summers are hot - especially since I'm home with the kids.

Central vacuuming. We didn't get this but a friend of mine did and she says it's great.

That's all for now. My best friend and I both built houses and we play the game of "..if we were to build over again..."

Jill

I Love the outlet in the baseboard idea...... thanks....

As for AC not only will we get it, but we will have zones..... Our house now, is small, yet to heat or chill the bedrooms the front room is steaming or freezing..... basement needs more heat than the first floor etc..... drives me nuts!

Central vacumming...... hadnt thought about that........ hmmmmmmmm........ would that mean I would have to vacuum? LOL

Thanks for all the ideas........ Keep them coming!!!!!!!