The past few days, I’ve been sharing my opinions on the Build vs. Buy debate. Now I know that a lot of you might disagree with the stuff I’ve been writing, and that’s just fine — in fact, I’d love to hear some of your opinions!
A lot of people view homebuilding as a nightmare full of stress, over-shot budgets, delays, and headaches. And although this is often the case, let me share a few things I’ve learned that can help make homebuilding a more fulfilling — even enjoyable — experience:
- Hire a Builder – Now, this rule isn’t set in stone; I know a lot of very capable homeowners who have built their own homes without the use of a general contractor. Each of them has a strong background in construction, and they have jobs that allow them to spend a lot of time on-site rather than at work, but for the rest of us mere mortals, you really ought to hire a professional. Sure, you’ll end up paying more, but you get to keep your sanity!Not only will a good builder take care of a lot of the technical details (such as obtaining permits, coordinating inspections, etc.), a reputable contractor is also able to purchase large quantities of building materials at highly discounted rates. Sure, most of those cost savings disappear when the time comes to pay your contractor, but if you try building a home yourself, you’ll likely end up paying retail price for all of your materials — and retail price = blown budget!If you’re like me, you might know a thing or two about construction. As a teenager, I worked for an electrician, wiring up new homes; in the past, I’ve done some volunteer work framing homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina; and I’ve had countless hours painting and sheetrocking. But y’know, that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans! At the very least, I would have to locate and hire someone to pour the foundation and do the plumbing. Try to imagine that — locating and hiring reputable companies to pour the foundation and do the plumbing. Maybe you want to hire someone else to do the tilework. Then there is the cabinetry to worry about — just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach! Finding and hiring a good builder is a difficult task, but at least you only have to do it once.
If you want to use your construction skills, I’d suggest working out some kind of a sweat equity plan with your builder. That way, you do a portion of the work yourself, and your builder knocks the price down.
- Clearly Discuss EVERYTHING – Especially if you’re building a home that your contractor hasn’t built before (this happens all the time when ordering plans off the Internet). You need to be sure that he knows exactly what you expect. Take the time to draw it out whenever possible. Explain it clearly, and then ask your builder to repeat it back to you, just to make sure you’re on the same page. It might seem a little redundant, but good communication is vitally important!Most homebuilding headaches come because there was a misunderstanding between the owner and the builder, and once a mistake is made, you’re either gonna have to just live with it or tear it down and replace it (a very pricey option). I can’t stress it enough — you have to communicate plainly!Your goal isn’t just to make sure that your builder understands. You have to make sure that there’s no way he can misunderstand!
Even if you end up being your own contractor, you’re life will be so much happier if you discuss everything with your spouse. I’m not sure if there are any statistics, but I’ve heard stories about homebuilding experiences that ended in divorce. Heartbreaking, but true. So discuss EVERYTHING — everything from floorplans and structural modifications to paint colors and light fixtures.
If you end up hiring a contractor, make sure to discuss beforehand who will be in charge of obtaining permits. Discuss engineering needs. Find out what you’ll need to do to bring utilities (water, electricity, phone lines, fiber-optics, etc.) into your site. Ask about how much excavation you’ll need to prepare your lot for building. And most importantly, thoroughly discuss the price. Find out about hidden costs, time estimates, etc. Keep in mind that it could easily cost 20% more and end up taking 2 to 3 months longer than what you’ve been quoted — by doing so, you’ll probably end up saving yourself a lot of disappointment down road.
Like I said, discuss EVERYTHING! You’ll be glad you did.
- Visit the Site and Get Involved – I know I just got done telling you about how your builder can save you a lot of time and worry, but that doesn’t mean that you can just sit back and eat bon-bons. You should make it a point to visit the site every chance you get.There are a couple reasons for this. First and foremost, it gives you a chance to inspect the work. If there has been a miscommunication, you can catch it early — before you reach the costly point of no return. But be careful! You don’t want your contractor and his workers to see you as some kind of cruel, unpleasable nut case!While you’re on the site, if circumstances permit, you should try to learn the workers’ names and get to know them. Be a genuinely friendly human being — it can’t hurt! Compliment them on their work. You might even want to consider bringing a pizza or two, or maybe some cold drinks. You don’t want to distract them or disrupt their work, but making friends with your workers can be very beneficial. Not only did you make a new friend (and who has too many friends, honestly?), but you are also letting them know what kind of work you expect from them. By getting familiar with you, they’ll understand that you have high expectations — and they’ll be more likely to put forth extra effort to meet those expectations. So Get Involved!
So that’s my take on building. There is a lot more to it than that, but this should give you enough to think about for now. Sure, buying an existing home is simple, but like My-House-Plans.com says, building gives you the chance to “watch an empty piece of property literally transform into your own personal kingdom!”
Just make sure you have the right set of house plans!
