Since we are about to meet with potential contractors, we've done some research and found a lot of great questions to ask. Do you have anything to add?
What is your expected payment schedule?
-How much do you require down?
-How much do I keep as retainage until construction is complete?
How will the site be supervised?
-Is there a project manager?
-How often do you visit the site personally?
What is our Timeline?
-How many jobs are you doing?
How do you handle change orders?
-Can I get a written change order to lay out the additional cost and time?
Do you include a Broom Clause in the contract?
How much of the work do you do yourself?
-Who do you sub-contract to?
-Who pays the sub-contractors?
-How are sub-contractors supervised?
-Do your sub-contractors charge by the hour or by the project?
Do you and your sub-contractors have worker's comp?
-Who are you insured with?
Can I visit homes you are currently working on?
-Can I get a referral?
Do you provide a warranty?
-What happens if I have a problem after construction is complete?
Will you obtain all permits?
Can you give me a detailed list of charges including materials and labor?
-Can I get receipts?
The House Plans are Finalized!
We finally finished our house plans! We have been working with a planner for a couple of months, tweaking some plans we found online. I definitely suggest working with someone local who knows the area and that you can meet with face to face. We did a lot of emailing, phone chats, and two face to face meetings. We were able to work with someone who works for a company full time drawing plans for a luxury home community nearby and does plans for others on the side. He charged us just thirty cents per square foot where most others charge anywhere from $1.50 to over $2.50 per square foot for custom plans. We lucked out and he did an amazing job.
Our next step is to get bids from general contractors. We want two or three bids before we make our decision. I've been doing a lot of research on how to choose a general contractor. There's a lot more to it than simply googling home builders in your area! I'll get a list of tips together for my next post and a list of how to cut costs without cutting quality. We have two meetings next week with generals who seem to think we can break ground in about a month! Trying not to get my hopes up but let's be honest, that would be amazing.
We are Building a House!
We bought land yesterday. I can't believe it. I've wanted to build my own home since I can remember. It's a dream my grandparents sparked in me. I watched my grandmother pour over Better Homes and Garden magazine, tearing out and dog-earing pages of beautiful homes she loved. She would make notes on the pages such as, "these cabinets" and "paint color." She would talk about windows and "the new thing in houses these days." She circled fabrics and window treatments. She often asked me what kind of house I wanted when I grew up. I always said, "a BIG ONE! with columns!!" She would smile and ask me who was going to clean my mansion and then we would laugh. We would sometimes drive around town just looking at houses. My grandfather built houses. I remember blue prints sitting out on the dining room table he built, that I now own, and wondering how it all worked.
And now we are building what we hope will be our forever home, together with my in-laws. My husband's mother has been ill for sometime now and we feel it would be best for his parents to come live with us so that we can help more. At first we looked at houses with walk out basements to convert into living quarters but the pickings were slim and we couldn't find anything that worked for all parties involved. So, we decided that building together would be the best option. After months of looking for the perfect spot to build our little dream on, we finally found an acre of property. It just happens to be in the same tiny town that my grandparents are from and very near my aunt and uncle who we are extremely close to. Actually, it was my uncle who found us the property.
We are so excited to start building. Our plans are finalized and we are about to get bids from contractors. I'm really hoping we can break ground in the next three months.
The purpose of this blog is to serve as a keepsake of sorts of our journey and also as a way to share the tips and tricks we learn along the way. There are so many moving parts to building a house and so many choices to make. One thing I know for sure is that I want a gray house with a blue door.
And now we are building what we hope will be our forever home, together with my in-laws. My husband's mother has been ill for sometime now and we feel it would be best for his parents to come live with us so that we can help more. At first we looked at houses with walk out basements to convert into living quarters but the pickings were slim and we couldn't find anything that worked for all parties involved. So, we decided that building together would be the best option. After months of looking for the perfect spot to build our little dream on, we finally found an acre of property. It just happens to be in the same tiny town that my grandparents are from and very near my aunt and uncle who we are extremely close to. Actually, it was my uncle who found us the property.
We are so excited to start building. Our plans are finalized and we are about to get bids from contractors. I'm really hoping we can break ground in the next three months.
The purpose of this blog is to serve as a keepsake of sorts of our journey and also as a way to share the tips and tricks we learn along the way. There are so many moving parts to building a house and so many choices to make. One thing I know for sure is that I want a gray house with a blue door.
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