Advice for building a house

[Uncle Matt]

I'm clearing the land, have been preapproved for a construction loan, and I'm in the process of hiring an attorney so we can jump through all my towns permitting hoops. Afterwards, I'll be going to the home show, finding a house plan and looking to hire a local contractor.

Any advice before I get the process started?

[Raven]

if you new about kit houses... and how they cost
between 1/4 and 1/2 less than a conventional house...

then with the cost of home heating always increasing
look at nigeria in the last 2 days wanting to stop exportation
of oil to america and venezula threatoning the same...

my point is...you would do well to look at the prefab panels
that are two layers of plywood with foam sandwiched
in between which has a much better insulation factor
than the common stick framing with insulation stuffed
between the 2x4's or 2 x 6's... by almost double!

they are called SIP's which stands for
structural insulated panels

you can do the research but they have many benefits
over the typical construction methods... quieter home,
better insulation and quicker installation ...strength
to name a few. here's a picture link Uncle Matt
http://images.google.com/images?q=in...ng_en&safe=off

[mikecc]

Make sure the contractors are Licensed and insured and listed with the state.
Get copies of all cretificates.
Everything in writing even costs of extras. If he says he is going to do something for free get it in writing.

[jbuck]

1st. make sure you have a contractor with a good track record.

Ask to talk to past customers, they will give you a good idea of how he is to work with.

2nd DON"T hire family never ends good.

3 rd don't skimp on the important thing like fixtures, boiler , ac etc.
Do your home work . Have a good idea of what you want.

I feel very strong about you get what you pay for.

I have seen people cut corners and end up doing it over .

Jeff

[spence]

Originally Posted by mikecc

Everything in writing even costs of extras. If he says he is going to do something for free get it in writing.

Yup and make no assumptions either.

As much as you have time for, keep an eye on everything. People make mistakes and it's better to catch them early when it's easier to fix.

-spence

[Bob Thomas]

Talk to B-12 about it!

[Clammer]

be there EVERYDAY but at all different times >>>>>

[seabass]

1) A written contract, there is no substitue. AIA makes a very good one.
2) Complete plans and specs.
3) Changes on paper are much cheaper then changes to structure, do your homework.
4) Hire a reputable contractor, this is no place to save a buck.
5)Make sure a schedule is included in the contract.
6) Make sure all change orders are priced and signed before the work is done.
7)Set up a time once a week when you and the contractor walk the job and discuss schedule, quality, problems together.
8) You get what you pay for, beware of so called bargains!
9make sure you have a copy of contractors liabilty, workers comp, and alll liscences. Also all subcontractor lien releases.
10) Have fun and good luck.

[vineyardblues]

Buy a keg or 2 of good beer

VB

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by seabass

7)Set up a time once a week when you and the contractor walk the job and discuss schedule, quality, problems together.

And maintain a schedule progress chart with defined milestones that you and the GC can both utilize...

Originally Posted by vineyardblues

Buy a keg or 2 of good beer

VB

To be delivered on Friday atfter 3:30

[BEETLE]

Heed all the above advice, also see Mass. General Laws Chapter 142A
Laws, Rules and Regulations concerning Licensed home improvement Contractors.
Just getting to the end of an addition on my house, been aggravating to say the least for 20 + weeks.
Wish I had this info before I started.
Watch your A$$ with some of these contractors bro.

[Sgt_Nutz]

Go visit the local building inspector. It will be to your advantage to be on good terms with him/her. May want to consider visiting the Board of Health, Conservation as well if you havnt already. None of them can recomend a particular contracter but if you say had a list of three or so you may get a thumbs up or down on them. Unofficially of course. Try and go with someone local who is already known in the town offices. My wife works in one of the above offices and can tell me right off who the problems are and who does good work. It will be to your advantage if you AND your contracter are on good terms with all those offices.
I contracted my own house and the best thing I ever did was hire a real estate attorney. Not the bank attorney that is at the closings but one that represents YOU. May cost $500 to $1000 but it is well spent. Good luck!

[ProfessorM]

Good Luck. Hope you got a lot of patience.

[Swimmer]

Sit on the contractor like stink on you know what. All good advice previous to my post. Many excellant suggestions. Best one, kit houses like Raven suggested. The quality is great now, so much so that 25 to 30 % of the hosue put up on the Vineyard come over on a barge. Don't hire a GC, sub it out yourself.

[vineyardblues]

Leave your gun next to the chop saw

VB

just tryin to help ya out kid!

[Slingah]

Originally Posted by vineyardblues

Leave your gun next to the chop saw

VB

just tryin to help ya out kid!

[Motor Fish]

I'm going through this right now. My house is probably 85% done. I have taken a slightly different route. Legally, I am the GC. I can subcontract out anything, or, if I choose, do the work myself. This has worked out well and has saved me quite a bit of money.

But, there's a lot to building a house that I don't know. So we hired a construction manager. We pay him for his time, and he will put together the contracts (in writing) that he runs by us first, then bids them out to a number of different contractors. He also inspects the contractors work and makes sure they do EXACTLY what was contracted for.

But, like everyone has said, watch the contractors like a hawk. don't leave any of your stuff lying around, because things disappear (accidentally, I hope). And double the time you think it will take.

[gf2020]

Matt, feel free to email me directly for more details.

You may want to consider GCing the house yourself. If your (or your wife's) work schedule is flexible enough you can probably handle it yourself. It's not rocket science. You can expect to save 30% by GCing it yourself.

I GC'd my house in Newbury in '99-2000, helped 2 friends GC their homes in '02, built a spec house in '03, and now that I have moved to Lynnfield I will GC the renovations and addition that we have planned for the 52 year old house that we purchased.

The route that Motor Fish has taken with a "construction manager" who acts like a consultant is a good one and that's a line of work I may pursue in the future.

Even if you decide to hire a builder, definitely work with a local bank that does a lot of construction lending. You can probably save a few tenths of a percentage by using a national bank but it's not worth the hassle. The local bank will be quicker to do their inspections and you will get your money faster.