Building a house

[Ron Mehico]

It appears I will be building our “dream home” this year. I know it’s probably the worst time to be building one with lumber and labor costs, but where I live it’s an equally horrible time to buy and inventory is very low and my family is growing and we’re out of room.


We have meeting number 2 with the architect tonite to hopefully finalize design and then await a quote for cost. With that said, for anyone who had built or is experienced with it, any suggestions? Anything you wished you had done different? Anything to absolutely avoid? Just trying to get as much honest feedback as possible before this huge step.

 

[krazykats]

Where at?

 

[Ron Mehico]

Central Ohio

 

[Creed Bratton]

I have 2 or 3 friends who were ready to begin construction when Covid hit and the increases to materials cost them both over $50K. My only suggestion is to do it like you want the first time. If you plan to stay in this house a while build it just like you want. I know too many who 5 years after building were either remodeling or complaining that they wished they had done this or that different but was trying to save money.

 

[ukalumni00]

Hire the best GC you can find. Do not cut corners. You are already going to pay a premium building in the current environment. A lot of GC's/subs are going to cut corners to save on material cost. Make sure you hire someone with an excellent reputation and tells you like it is. If it sounds too good to be true it is. We shopped 4 different GC's and it was amazing the difference. We went with the guy who was 5% higher but told us why, had it in writing and had a long list of referrals to back him up.

Speaking of referrals, you MUST check them. Phone calls, checking job sites of current projects of that GC, talking to subs on site, etc. You'll see firsthand the quality of their work. Check the Better Business Bureau, Google and Facebook reviews, etc. That said, there is not a contractor out there that does not have at least 1 bad review. Just the nature of their business but you are looking for a trend and not an exception. Always that one person that they could not satisfy no matter what.

Check the construction site EVERY DAY. You have to stay on top of contractors no matter what. GC's are not always able to check their subs work every single day so you need to have a firm understanding of what work is being done and also knowing that it is being done correctly to your specs. Know what materials you have ordered such as windows, doors, etc. and make absolute sure they are installing the correct material. Example: We walked in one day and the painters had painted 2 rooms the wrong color. Turns out they mixed up the colors with another new home. Thankfully we caught them when they were about 10% done. Also ran into issues with a wrong window and door being ordered. Luckily caught it while the materials were sitting in the garage area before being installed.

Could go on and on but all I can say is building a house is a huge commitment full of stress, unexpected delays, etc. etc. It will go much better if you hire the right GC who can handle it and limit the amount of crap you have to deal with. Once done it is very rewarding as long as you carefully planned out everything. That said, can promise there will be some things you wish you did later that just cannot be seen before or during construction.

 

[UKGrad93]

When we built our house 18 yrs ago, we had better quality windows and exterior doors put in (Pella). We've always been happy with that. The builder put in contractor grade cabinets. They are functional, but has always been something we've talked about upgrading.

We had the basement finished, but I wish I had sprung the extra for recessed lighting. Wish I had had a gas line ran for the kitchen stove (we went with electric). We just had the deck rebuilt using Trex (it was not that much more than regular wood right now).

 

[80 Proof]

Spend more time in the planning phase than you think you should. Change orders are expensive anyway, but in this market they could cost you months of time, a lot of extra dollars, and even potentially kill your financing.

Also, get a good agent.

 

[CrittendenWildcat]

I'm trying to wait for the Biden recession before building/buying my next home.

The cost of housing is too d@mn high!

 

[vhcat70]

Put a floor-length urinal in guest toilet room. Will make quite the impression. Saves a lot on hit & misses.

 

[vhcat70]

Oversize your non-parking garage area. You'll never regret having that space.

 

[kyeric]

Check the construction site EVERY DAY.

Couldn't agree more. We didn't have a full custom home (went through Drees Custom), but regardless, you never know what you might have missed if you don't. My wife and I found a couple of things that we had fixed/changed by doing that, but would have missed them if we hadn't gone to the site pretty much every day.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

It actually seems like the way to go. We have 3 friends building and the cost doesn't seem any worse than paying 15-20% more for a preexisting home. Plus I like the idea that everything *should* be good for 15-20 years. Roof, pavement, foundation, even all the appliances and HVAC.. Hopefully you don't have to touch anything for over a decade, in a house that is built around today's technology/standards/needs.

As someone who lives in a 120 year old house.. that's huge IMO.

 

[kyeric]

Oversize your non-parking garage area. You'll never regret having that space.

100% spot on! We are regretting this now and we even got a 4ft extension added to ours when we built. Actually just put in a hanging 4'x8' shelf this last weekend to get some of the stuff we don't use regularly (outside decor, etc) up off the floor.

I have room for everything, but movement and usage is greatly restricted or impossible when both cars are in the garage.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I do agree, inspect, go there, etc. If you paid for a certain vanity, make sure it's there. Even down to the HVAC vent covers. My SIL is going through this, and the company is definitely trying to jerk them around, not working on the job, cutting corners, etc etc etc.

I trust contractors/Builders like I trust people in the auto-industry.. which is not much at all. That trust needs to be earned. Too many unscrupulous types in these fields. I guess that can be said about any field.. but IDK. I'd be there a lot.

 

[kyeric]

I think the one thing we did was, where possible/within budget, upgrade. So glad we upgraded the kitchen counter and island to granite to name just one.

Sod the whole yard! Our yard came with sod in the front, both sides and 20ft from the back of the house. Been fighting for almost 4 years to get the rest of the backyard up to snuff. Part of that is probably my fault for not being the best at yard work (and my neighbor on the left doesn't exactly keep his up and we are slightly downhill from him), but i've been able to keep the sodded areas of the yard looking quite well. Wish i would've had the rest done, too.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

I will probably build my next one. There's some homes by me that are 100% more than what they sold for just 5 years ago. And you know there's going to be repairs. Things that are older. Work that needs to be done.

The housing market right now is insane! But, I've read articles in the past that aside from major crashes, houses rarely go back down, it evens out and then rises (maybe someone can correct me). I love the idea of not having any repair headaches for that chunk of time. And being in something no one else has jerked off in!

 

[ukalum01]

Echo the oversized garage comments. We added an additional hallway in our building plan and in doing so it added about 5 feet in length to the garage. Really glad to have it.

Our biggest regret was not adding a front porch during construction. Would’ve been no issue at the time but a huge headache to do now.

 

[Ron Mehico]

I will probably build my next one. There's some homes by me that are 100% more than what they sold for just 5 years ago. And you know there's going to be repairs. Things that are older. Work that needs to be done.

The housing market right now is insane! But, I've read articles in the past that aside from major crashes, houses rarely go back down, it evens out and then rises (maybe someone can correct me). I love the idea of not having any repair headaches for that chunk of time. And being in something no one else has jerked off in!

It’s definitely very appealing to build something brand new exactly how you want. The issue for me is I’ve been told I have to be there to make sure they’re doing stuff right but I have no clue WTF anything is. I can barely put up a curtain rod and am the least “handy man” guy in the world so that part sounds overwhelming.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

It’s definitely very appealing to build something brand new exactly how you want. The issue for me is I’ve been told I have to be there to make sure they’re doing stuff right but I have no clue WTF anything is. I can barely put up a curtain rod and am the least “handy man” guy in the world so that part sounds overwhelming.

Glad to see someone knows less than I do about home repair lolol.

Well, for starters, you should at least have an idea of what you (aka, the wife) ordered. I would at least make sure the right stuff is getting installed. Go there, even just to walk around, ask questions.. let it be known to the workers you can stop in at any time. Note: Be friendly. my SIL's Husband is being a huge dick to the builders, and he's now convinced they are doing shit on purpose.

After that, I'm not sure. You realtor can help, and they should be involved in this as well. And I imagine the house still needs an inspection at the end. Overpay for this. Two things regarding homes that are 1000% worth the money: a good inspector and movers.

 

[Larry Skaggs]

They are printing money like crazy. It will not get any cheaper anytime soon

 

[LineSkiCat14]

They are printing money like crazy. It will not get any cheaper anytime soon

My small glimmer of hope is that mortgage rates have risen, which maybe can stamp down some of the demand. Part of this isn't even just the price.. there's no supply. Homes in upstate NY are being listed, and pending, in the same day. a dozen offers on some, where the owner is just selling to the highest bidder. I'd be happy if we could just get some inventory back

 

[Joey Rupption]

I would say to start with an understanding that there will be errors and omissions by the architect, contractor, and yourself . None of you will not be perfect - especially in Central Ohio. The architect will fail to specify things, the contractor will make mistakes, you will make changes along the way.

When mistakes are made, approach the process as a “give and take” and between you, the architect, and the contractor.

An example: The architect is going to leave out a specific instruction on something that you wanted (say, “tile layout orientation”). The contractor is going to lay it in the most logical way by default, and you may be upset that the tile are running east-west instead of north-south (just an example).

In that case, if it’s not that big of deal to you really: I would make it known that your upset about it, but will accept it. That sets a precedent that they can’t slip by incorrect work without approval, and will make it easier down the line for them to revise something you changed your mind on or added in scope later.

I can give the drawings a look over if you’d like and help point out things that you may want to really specify or review in more detail.

I assume the level of house you are building is a “solved problem,” that could be done by a custom home builder - and wouldn’t really require an architect. Don’t let the architect up-sell their services based on the “social status” aspect of getting to talk about working with an architect. I feel like some of them lean on that aspect as a feature of their service around these parts.

Let me know if you want some cool custom stuff in your kids’ rooms or other areas. I’m working on some CNC panels for a “It’s A Small World Castle Relief Wall” in my Daughter’s Room and a “Jungle Leaf Light Cove” all around my son’s room at the moment.

(I can also knock out renderings to help you better understand the space, if needed.)

/Former Residential Architect for Billionaires

 

[80 Proof]

I'm trying to wait for the Biden recession before building/buying my next home.

The cost of housing is too d@mn high!

View embedded media

Housing prices are unlikely to drop, but you will face much higher interest rates. More inflation is likely too so if you want a house in the next 15 years, you might want to go ahead and purchase.

 

[Ron Mehico]

I would say to start with an understanding that there will be errors and omissions by the architect, contractor, and yourself . None of you will not be perfect - especially in Central Ohio. The architect will fail to specify things, the contractor will make mistakes, you will make changes along the way.

When mistakes are made, approach the process as a “give and take” and between you, the architect, and the contractor.

An example: The architect is going to leave out a specific instruction on something that you wanted (say, “tile layout orientation”). The contractor is going to lay it in the most logical way by default, and you may be upset that the tile are running east-west instead of north-south (just an example).

In that case, if it’s not that big of deal to you really: I would make it known that your upset about it, but will accept it. That sets a precedent that they can’t slip by incorrect work without approval, and will make it easier down the line for them to revise something you changed your mind on or added in scope later.

I can give the drawings a look over if you’d like and help point out things that you may want to really specify or review in more detail.

I assume the level of house you are building is a “solved problem,” that could be done by a custom home builder - and wouldn’t really require an architect. Don’t let the architect up-sell their services based on the “social status” aspect of getting to talk about working with an architect. I feel like some of them lean on that aspect as a feature of their service around these parts.

Let me know if you want some cool custom stuff in your kids’ rooms or other areas. I’m working on some CNC panels for a “It’s A Small World Castle Relief Wall” in my Daughter’s Room and a “Jungle Leaf Light Cove” all around my son’s room at the moment.

(I can also knock out renderings to help you better understand the space, if needed.)

/Former Residential Architect for Billionaires

Our situation is my wife found a lot she really likes a stones throw away from the neighborhood we want. The lot is already associated with a contractor. They had some models but we didn’t like them so my wife literally found blueprints of a house we really liked on Pinterest and sent it to architect. He tweaked it to fit our lot and all that jazz and we’ve already paid him his price for that. Builder seems nice, really liked the architect, so just hoping for the best here. Really appreciate you offering to help my man.

 

[ukalumni00]

Oversized garage or at least 3 bays is a must. You can never have enough space in a garage and most times you will need it.

Obviously with lumber costs so high right now this is a tougher decision but I would go with all 2x6 exterior framing which allows for better insulation. Different opinions on the subject, but foaming the entire attic/roof will save big-time on utility costs. Recommend if you plan on staying in the home for a long time. We have a 5000 sq foot home and our monthly bills are in the $100 area even with temps are at their highest or lowest. Will also add life to your HVAC equipment which will save money in the long run as well.

Again, cost wise will be tough, but we used Zip sheathing around the entire home.

Speaking of HVAC equipment, do not go hog wild on it unless you have FU money and don't care. Most brands use similar parts now since they are all owned by large companies.

Wood floors is a must these days unless you plan on building a really cheap tract home. Engineered flooring is the more affordable option and a lot of folks are using it now.

Good sized Island in the kitchen is a must. Our first few homes did not have one. We made it a priority in our current home and its been wonderful.

If there is something you think you can do later on your own think long and hard about it. I did not complete a portion of the basement thinking I would do it myself to save money. Wrong! I am in the process of having it completed by contractors because my wife wants it done now for my MIL to stay in and I cannot find the time to do it plus now I am paying more because of the increased cost of construction.

 

[Joey Rupption]

Our situation is my wife found a lot she really likes a stones throw away from the neighborhood we want. The lot is already associated with a contractor. They had some models but we didn’t like them so my wife literally found blueprints of a house we really liked on Pinterest and sent it to architect. He tweaked it to fit our lot and all that jazz and we’ve already paid him his price for that. Builder seems nice, really liked the architect, so just hoping for the best here. Really appreciate you offering to help my man.

Perfect. That’s the way to do it. The architect is essentially working as a well-versed draftsman who’ll be out of the picture when you want to change a closet location.

The biggest issue, IMO, is “version tracking” of information: making sure everyone is working off the latest set of instructions at all times.

I was afraid you were setting yourself up for one of these deals:

 

[bbonds]

Run ethernet cables to every single room and have them all run to a network closet.

 

[catlanta33]

Run ethernet cables to every single room and have them all run to a network closet.

Would add prewire for CCTV and audio too.

 

[trueblujr2]

It’s definitely very appealing to build something brand new exactly how you want. The issue for me is I’ve been told I have to be there to make sure they’re doing stuff right but I have no clue WTF anything is. I can barely put up a curtain rod and am the least “handy man” guy in the world so that part sounds overwhelming.

If that's the case, you said you have an Architect on board. As long as they're independent and not in the pocket of the contractor you choose, I would lean on them for advice, education and construction observation. Even if you have to pay them an hourly rate or extra fee to do so. As long as they're working for you and you alone, It will be in their best interest to ensure your project is built to high standards and corners aren't cut.

 

[CrittendenWildcat]

Housing prices are unlikely to drop, but you will face much higher interest rates. More inflation is likely too so if you want a house in the next 15 years, you might want to go ahead and purchase.

You're probably right. But then again, back around 2005 just about everyone thought the U.S. housing market was unstoppable...

I have a house, but it's a little cramped. My fiancee wants to upgrade, and I do too, but on the other hand, my current house is so reasonably priced, I'm gonna hate the higher outlay for mortgage...and property taxes...and insurance...and utilities...and new decor and furnishings...

Another reason to stay where I'm at: All of our kids are reaching adulthood, and I don't want the kids thinking we have the space to allow them to move back in. So close to being an empty nester!

 

[funKYcat75]

So close to being an empty nester!

Which shocks me every time you mention having a fiancée. Good for you, though.

 

[rick64]

Agree with several others, picking the right builder/contractor is absolutely key. Interview, talk to friends, verify references, go see and inspect their work. It will be well worth it in the long run.

 

[Atrain7732]

Hire the best GC you can find. Do not cut corners. You are already going to pay a premium building in the current environment. A lot of GC's/subs are going to cut corners to save on material cost. Make sure you hire someone with an excellent reputation and tells you like it is. If it sounds too good to be true it is. We shopped 4 different GC's and it was amazing the difference. We went with the guy who was 5% higher but told us why, had it in writing and had a long list of referrals to back him up.

Speaking of referrals, you MUST check them. Phone calls, checking job sites of current projects of that GC, talking to subs on site, etc. You'll see firsthand the quality of their work. Check the Better Business Bureau, Google and Facebook reviews, etc. That said, there is not a contractor out there that does not have at least 1 bad review. Just the nature of their business but you are looking for a trend and not an exception. Always that one person that they could not satisfy no matter what.

Check the construction site EVERY DAY. You have to stay on top of contractors no matter what. GC's are not always able to check their subs work every single day so you need to have a firm understanding of what work is being done and also knowing that it is being done correctly to your specs. Know what materials you have ordered such as windows, doors, etc. and make absolute sure they are installing the correct material. Example: We walked in one day and the painters had painted 2 rooms the wrong color. Turns out they mixed up the colors with another new home. Thankfully we caught them when they were about 10% done. Also ran into issues with a wrong window and door being ordered. Luckily caught it while the materials were sitting in the garage area before being installed.

Could go on and on but all I can say is building a house is a huge commitment full of stress, unexpected delays, etc. etc. It will go much better if you hire the right GC who can handle it and limit the amount of crap you have to deal with. Once done it is very rewarding as long as you carefully planned out everything. That said, can promise there will be some things you wish you did later that just cannot be seen before or during construction.

This is a great post.

I own a business in SW Florida and work with many many builders. Truthfully, only a small fraction of them would I allow to build my personal home. Not that they are all bad but there is a huge difference between the exceptional ones and the decent ones. Only way to find that out as suggested in the post above is to check multiple references not just the ones they give you if possible.

Right now in SW FL the backlog is so great that the good builders have stopped even accepting new customers. It’s at a 2-yr wait right now up from 8-12 months from less than a year ago.

 

[DanCat17]

Going through the same process with my soon to be wife(Marrying in October). We are close to finalizing our house plans with our architect.

Get a lot of coworkers and friends asking if we will wait for lumber prices to drop. We are trying to start ASAP. We figure with the market as good as it is now, we will likely sell our current home higher than normal to offset the increased lumber prices. Plus, who knows when the prices will come down.

 

[robh1975]

Run ethernet cables to every single room and have them all run to a network closet.

This is a must!

 

[80 Proof]

Using 2x6 walls for insulation purposes these days doesnt make sense. Spray foam is a much more logical use of money than extra walls with fiberglass or other low-r options.

 

[DanCat17]

Run ethernet cables to every single room and have them all run to a network closet.

This is something I will absolutely be doing. What type of company would provide the service of setting up the network closet and running the wire? I have read to not let an electrician do this work.

 

[Joey Rupption]

@Ron Mehico I would be remiss to not suggest including a projector screen somewhere in your new build. As I’ve harped about, I installed a 120” screen for pandemic szn and it has been amazing.

My in-laws stayed with us for a couple months to help with the baby and when my F-I-L returned home, he immediately installed one in the basement.

IMO, projectors have undergone a “technological leap” and will be showing up more and more in people’s houses. They are relatively cheap and very easy to operate nowadays.

(The biggest issue is planning how to hide it - permanent screens are superior to drop downs.)

 

[Born and raised Big Blue]

Central Ohio

I live in medina, Ohio but originally from southeast down on the river! Good luck!

 

[Kooky Kats]

One thing to remember... add enough juice to your garage setup for car charging. In ten years, there will not be new combustion engine vehicles produced.