Building a house

[LineSkiCat14]

No need to compare to 2004 man that was 20 years ago! Congrats on the house, I know people have been predicting a crash for like 3 years now but the inventory is ridiculously low. Was reading an article about how lots of people that would sell or downsize or sell and move aren’t because their current mortgage rate is so low so they are waiting for interest to drop to sell - which means home prices will probably stay steady or increase with reduced rates so who knows. Also all of this is meaningless if you want to live there for 10/20 years - it really only matters if you want to flip and sell in next 3 years if you’re in a growing area it’ll go up long term. I would definitely feel good about it if I was you!

Yes yes, I know lol. And thank you for the reassurance. Thankfully the house is one that we can live in for 10/20 years.. It's not one that we both said "well, maybe in 5-7 we can get something bigger".. so this can be our forever home for sure.

I'm just praying there isn't some underlying large fix that I'll miss because of waiving the inspection. But the attic was bone-dry, the wood is so fresh you can smell it. The roof is new. The basement is also bone dry, no foundational cracks (the basement is half finished, and the rug in the finished room does have a bit of a dank smell, but I think I just need to rip the carpet up and use a dehumidifier, thoughts?), no water or wetness anywhere. House is above other homes and street and with gutters, the drainage is solid. The Central air unit is old, and we are aware that the furnace is very old as well.. but an inspection wasn't going to help with that. It's not like we could make them fix it, they'd just take a different offer.

Just not looking forward to moving, having our first kid, and renting out my current unit.. all within a month or two,

 

[LineSkiCat14]

Some people may be forced to sell.

Credit card debt is at an all-time high, putting households near 'breaking point,' study shows

Credit card debt hit a record $930.6 billion at the end of 2022, putting households' finances near a projected breaking point, a new report finds.

www.cnbc.com

Not surprised. I think a lot of us saw this coming. People over the last year or two bought houses they shouoldn't have.. and all that was needed was one added/unnecessary expense, or worse a job loss, and they'd go under. Thankfully out house is still in that 28-36% range of Debt-to-income. I was really hoping to wait these people out, and scoop in and buy their homes on foreclosure lol.. but we couldn't really wait any longer.

I also think tax season is REALLY burning people. I think almost everyone I know got substantially less than expected. For some people that was up to $5,000 in difference.

 

[DanCat17]

Yes yes, I know lol. And thank you for the reassurance. Thankfully the house is one that we can live in for 10/20 years.. It's not one that we both said "well, maybe in 5-7 we can get something bigger".. so this can be our forever home for sure.

I'm just praying there isn't some underlying large fix that I'll miss because of waiving the inspection. But the attic was bone-dry, the wood is so fresh you can smell it. The roof is new. The basement is also bone dry, no foundational cracks (the basement is half finished, and the rug in the finished room does have a bit of a dank smell, but I think I just need to rip the carpet up and use a dehumidifier, thoughts?), no water or wetness anywhere. House is above other homes and street and with gutters, the drainage is solid. The Central air unit is old, and we are aware that the furnace is very old as well.. but an inspection wasn't going to help with that. It's not like we could make them fix it, they'd just take a different offer.

Just not looking forward to moving, having our first kid, and renting out my current unit.. all within a month or two,

My wife bought her house right around the time we met each other. It was a flip and tbh the people who did it must have been brand new to flipping houses.

Her inspector missed several things I would consider big items that were quite a bit to fix. One in particular that pisses me off still today. The shower in the master, they did not use a drain pan. The ****ing floor of the shower was graded away from the drain!! The first shower I took, I look down and the perimeter of the shower had inches of standing water. I could not believe the inspector had missed that as running the water for an hour, from what I know, is something the inspectors do.

So we had to have someone rip out the floor and installed a shower pan and re-tile everything. Thankfully he was able to find matching tile as well, as the floor tile ran up the wall in some areas to the ceiling.

What I’m trying to say is, even with an inspection, they still might miss stuff. Sounds like you might have experience or know what you are doing when looking for any areas that would be a major issue.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

My wife bought her house right around the time we met each other. It was a flip and tbh the people who did it must have been brand new to flipping houses.

Her inspector missed several things I would consider big items that were quite a bit to fix. One in particular that pisses me off still today. The shower in the master, they did not use a drain pan. The ****ing floor of the shower was graded away from the drain!! The first shower I took, I look down and the perimeter of the shower had inches of standing water. I could not believe the inspector had missed that as running the water for an hour, from what I know, is something the inspectors do.

So we had to have someone rip out the floor and installed a shower pan and re-tile everything. Thankfully he was able to find matching tile as well, as the floor tile ran up the wall in some areas to the ceiling.

What I’m trying to say is, even with an inspection, they still might miss stuff. Sounds like you might have experience or know what you are doing when looking for any areas that would be a major issue.

Yeah I had an AMAZING inspector for my duplex. I walked with him through the whole thing, and that's exactly the type of stuff he was looking at, bathroom floor grades, foundation cracks, moisture, rot, electrical, everything. He found 3 majors in the house and I was able to get $10,000 in credit. This was back in 2018.

Since then, I've always thought inspections are so dang essential, and that I would never buy a house without having a good inspector look through it. Because there's just no way to know. Because as I walked through the house, I was opening doors, checking floor creeks.. but I forgot to run water in the two showers, just as you mentioned. And thats why you have a professional there.

 

[AthensCatFan]

Why is this my first thought as well about posting pictures 😂

I will post a link to a picture of a staircase that looks very similar to ours. I have zero idea how to post pictures here or else I probably would post a few.

Anyhow, this link shows two staircases pictures at the very top of the page. The one that doesn’t have glass and instead has the horizontally ran metal tubes on the railing is essentially exactly what we are doing. Ours features a double steel stringer with 60” wide treads.

Double Stringer Floating Stairs

Have a Set of Bulky Stairs in Your Home? Double Stringer Floating Stairs Maximize Lines of Sight. Check Out Which Inset Double Stringer Stairs Work for You.

glmetalfab.com

How are the finishing the metal on your stairs? Or are you leaving it as raw steel?

 

[DanCat17]

How are the finishing the metal on your stairs? Or are you leaving it as raw steel?

Will all be painted black including all railing. We will do a wood cap for the hand rail that will be stained to match our floors.

 

[ukalumni00]

Yeah I had an AMAZING inspector for my duplex. I walked with him through the whole thing, and that's exactly the type of stuff he was looking at, bathroom floor grades, foundation cracks, moisture, rot, electrical, everything. He found 3 majors in the house and I was able to get $10,000 in credit. This was back in 2018.

Since then, I've always thought inspections are so dang essential, and that I would never buy a house without having a good inspector look through it. Because there's just no way to know. Because as I walked through the house, I was opening doors, checking floor creeks.. but I forgot to run water in the two showers, just as you mentioned. And thats why you have a professional there.

Key word is “good inspector”. A lot of bad ones out there. You really need to do some homework when hiring one and not just go by who your agent recommends. Did that once and got burned. If you do enough DYI projects you learn what to look for and can accompany the inspector and find issues on your own. Last home we built so mainly dealt with building inspectors who for the most part were fine.

 

[LineSkiCat14]

And then there's this:

High credit scores will mean higher mortgage rates for homebuyers under new federal rule

Mortgage industry professionals call the new rule an “ugly surprise” for people who worked to build their credit.

myfox8.com

Might be one of the most "wtf" ideas I've seen. Absolutely baffled by this.

 

[ukalumni00]

And then there's this:

High credit scores will mean higher mortgage rates for homebuyers under new federal rule

Mortgage industry professionals call the new rule an “ugly surprise” for people who worked to build their credit.

myfox8.com

Might be one of the most "wtf" ideas I've seen. Absolutely baffled by this.

Same people who are trying to use our tax dollars to pay off student loans. It’s all about buying votes. Not going to get into the specifics of it all because it becomes a big political dispute but that is what it all comes down to. They never learn and do not care. Same crap that put us in the 2008 mess. People who have lower credit have it for a reason. Giving them money they cannot pay back always leads to bigger problems no matter what incentives are added. Wish everyone could afford a home but it’s not reality because a large portion of the population do not make enough money to support their lifestyles or are terrible at managing it. Can give them all of the freebies or discounts you want but all it does is promotes even more irresponsible financial behavior.

 

[80 Proof]

And then there's this:

High credit scores will mean higher mortgage rates for homebuyers under new federal rule

Mortgage industry professionals call the new rule an “ugly surprise” for people who worked to build their credit.

myfox8.com

Might be one of the most "wtf" ideas I've seen. Absolutely baffled by this.

Some of the dumbest shit I've ever seen.

 

[Hank Camacho]

Some of the dumbest shit I've ever seen.

Hey bigot, the people with 400 credit scores identify as having a 750 credit score and thus should be treated accordingly.

Learn science.

 

[justa]

https://www.wral.com/story/family-f...nty-missed-building-code-violations/20886844/

 

[Ron Mehico]

So trim is about 99% done. It took a ridiculous amount of time because I decided I wanted a lot of built ins because furniture buying is a massive pain in the ass right now. Built in desks in all the kids rooms - our office all built ins - built in entertainment centers etc. looks amazing and gives me a big appreciation for carpenters - what a cool trade.

Painting starts this week - most cabinets are in - all counters ordered.

Staircase looks amazing - that’s all in except the railing.

Cmon baby - let’s get this shit done! Targeting an August move in and hoping it’ll still happen

 

[ukalumni00]

So trim is about 99% done. It took a ridiculous amount of time because I decided I wanted a lot of built ins because furniture buying is a massive pain in the ass right now. Built in desks in all the kids rooms - our office all built ins - built in entertainment centers etc. looks amazing and gives me a big appreciation for carpenters - what a cool trade.

Painting starts this week - most cabinets are in - all counters ordered.

Staircase looks amazing - that’s all in except the railing.

Cmon baby - let’s get this shit done! Targeting an August move in and hoping it’ll still happen

Finding a good carpenter is really hard these days because its generally one of the lowest paid trades for what they do. When you do find one you wait as long as you need to because they are worth it. Built ins are a PITA to do but when you hire someone who knows what they are doing they can build some really cool stuff.

 

[Ron Mehico]

Finding a good carpenter is really hard these days because its generally one of the lowest paid trades for what they do. When you do find one you wait as long as you need to because they are worth it. Built ins are a PITA to do but when you hire someone who knows what they are doing they can build some really cool stuff.

My builder told me the same thing. Two guys, one has been doing it since 1978 the other since 1984 and they were amazing. Was blown away by the quality. My builder told me “there are guys you can rush - these aren’t them - we need to give them all the time they need”. Bout the nicest two dudes you could find, was really cool to see them do their thing.

 

[Hank Camacho]

So trim is about 99% done.

The words of every married man.

 

[RMP82]

We are fixing to build too. Just met up with the builder we ended up going with. He said he is about 4 months out from being able to start but at least the ball is rolling. I need to get my house listed and buy the land off of my father in law to have it in my name so we can get the bank stuff lined out. I can tell it's going to be an aggravating process but I'm excited to finally get things going.

 

[DanCat17]

So trim is about 99% done. It took a ridiculous amount of time because I decided I wanted a lot of built ins because furniture buying is a massive pain in the ass right now. Built in desks in all the kids rooms - our office all built ins - built in entertainment centers etc. looks amazing and gives me a big appreciation for carpenters - what a cool trade.

Painting starts this week - most cabinets are in - all counters ordered.

Staircase looks amazing - that’s all in except the railing.

Cmon baby - let’s get this shit done! Targeting an August move in and hoping it’ll still happen

We may end up finishing and moving in at the same time.

We just had painters finish their final coat, shoe modeling is at the house to finish trim completely, our stair treads and handrailing is suppose to be installed this week, appliances got delivered and install yesterday, countertops were templated last week, and plumbing fixtures are at the house ready to install.

We also have started our pool and pergola-ish style outdoor kitchen/lounge area. We went with a fiberglass pool. They dug the hole and dropped the pool in within 3 days. Pool is filled and coping is install. But still lots of work to do there. Pool house will take a month plus and they can't really start laying the pavers for the pool decking until the structure is built. But, not as worried about this as we can still move in regardless if this is done or not.

The end is within grasp, but still feels like there are a lot of finishing items left to get done. I keep saying this, but we will see where we are in 3 weeks.

 

[Ron Mehico]

We may end up finishing and moving in at the same time.

We just had painters finish their final coat, shoe modeling is at the house to finish trim completely, our stair treads and handrailing is suppose to be installed this week, appliances got delivered and install yesterday, countertops were templated last week, and plumbing fixtures are at the house ready to install.

We also have started our pool and pergola-ish style outdoor kitchen/lounge area. We went with a fiberglass pool. They dug the hole and dropped the pool in within 3 days. Pool is filled and coping is install. But still lots of work to do there. Pool house will take a month plus and they can't really start laying the pavers for the pool decking until the structure is built. But, not as worried about this as we can still move in regardless if this is done or not.

The end is within grasp, but still feels like there are a lot of finishing items left to get done. I keep saying this, but we will see where we are in 3 weeks.

Yup, trying not to get my hopes up too much for August - a lot is done but still a lot of shit left to do as well. They haven’t even started landscaping or retaining walls yet but like you I don’t give as much a shit about that as I can be moved in before that stuff is done.

 

[DanCat17]

Yup, trying not to get my hopes up too much for August - a lot is done but still a lot of shit left to do as well. They haven’t even started landscaping or retaining walls yet but like you I don’t give as much a shit about that as I can be moved in before that stuff is done.

Yeah, I've been trying to keep patience as I feel like things could be moving faster. Builder told us several months ago that we should be ready to move sometime in June. I expect late July now and if that doesn't happen... Well, Ill be having a talk with the builder. We are at a year and one month right now since the start.

 

[rudd1]

-have some semi-rural dirt. Would love to build something for retirement there.

^when the time comes, gonna hire a *commercial* Architect, GC and subs...I have the contacts, and while it may(?) cost a bit more it'll get done *much* faster. I've been part of *multiple* multi million dollar projects that have broken ground and finished inside 12 months including the covid years.

-to be fair...the structure I have in mind will be fairly modern. A "Traditional" house would be a slight learning curve for many of these folks...although I've been a part of many builds that are aping older structures, so it wouldn't be too foreign.

 

[Hank Camacho]

We put the house on the market this afternoon. I guess we will see how this goes.

 

[krazykats]

I want to sell my house, and can’t! That is a worse feeling than the anticipation of finishing a build!

I can’t wait to move out of this house

 

[Ron Mehico]

I want to sell my house, and can’t! That is a worse feeling than the anticipation of finishing a build!

I can’t wait to move out of this house

You already outgrow it? Thought you moved to a nice place a pretty recently?

 

[krazykats]

We did, really nice honestly but just too much and we have a house worth of equity in it too. So as is I am 300+K in debt now but could sell and afford a 4000 SQ house in our area that would be paid for!

We need our 17YO niece to graduate next year and I won’t wait no matter how much everyone fights me on it.

 

[Hank Camacho]

You better get studying, toots, your uncle has house fever!

 

[LineSkiCat14]

1st baby was born on June 8th.. closing on the new house is July 10th.. moving after that.. and then need to get our apartment ready for the Sister-In-Law to move in by August 1st..

.. I don't ask for prayers.. but seriously, I might need some. Either that, or pour some liquor out haha.

 

[80 Proof]

Congratulations on the. new baby!

 

[Hank Camacho]

I'll tell you who can pucker up and kiss my ass: Zillow.

Their ZESTIMATE (🤮) before we put the house on the market was about $10K over listing. As soon as we listed, those dicklicks dropped their ZESTIMATE! (🤮) to about $5k under asking.

Hopefully Washington, Oregon, and California go bankrupt soon because I've got some thoughts on their property valuation, too.

 

[AIChatGPT]

That’s a tough 10% drop

 

[Ron Mehico]

So we listed our current house on Saturday. By Monday we had an all cash “as is” offer, below ask, and we had to be moved out (AKA new house had to be completed) by August 31st. I countered with closer to ask but we could move whenever new house was completed, and they accepted. We sold the house for 51% more than we paid for it 8 years ago. Pretty ridiculous and the market is still strong in this area apparently. I’m going to email the builder that we have to be moved out of our current house August 31st, however, so hopefully that’ll guarantee this damn thing will be done. Still too much to do imo.

 

[krazykats]

Hey Mr builder, so we sold our house and have to be in this place sooner than you probably expect. So do what you gotta do buddy but get us that C.O.

See at the closing!

 

[Ron Mehico]

Hey Mr builder, so we sold our house and have to be in this place sooner than you probably expect. So do what you gotta do buddy but get us that C.O.

See at the closing!

He’s told us, and we keep asking “so we’re still looking good for August, right?”. He keeps saying yes so we’ll see what happens!

 

[krazykats]

Just don’t freak out when/if certain cosmetic things aren’t complete.

He has a 1year warranty to get the little stuff done too. I’m sure it will be fine.

Congrats buddy!

 

[AIChatGPT]

Start looking for a short term rental or an extended stay.

What’s left on the list? 8/31 is way closer than it appears

 

[80 Proof]

He’s told us, and we keep asking “so we’re still looking good for August, right?”. He keeps saying yes so we’ll see what happens!

What does he have left? Has he gotten any final inspections approved on your mechanical systems?

 

[Ron Mehico]

What does he have left? Has he gotten any final inspections approved on your mechanical systems?

Next week: drywall punch out and continuing paint
2 weeks: bathroom flooring and all tile
July 18th: will start plumbing finishes

That’s all I know so far - not sure on mechanical systems inspections

 

[Ron Mehico]

Start looking for a short term rental or an extended stay.

What’s left on the list? 8/31 is way closer than it appears

No it is - that’s why I negotiated with the buyer we can move out whenever we want I just lied to the builder saying it has to 8/31 to light a fire under his ass

 

[catlanta33]

I just lied to the builder saying it has to 8/31 to light a fire under his ass

Quite the transformation you've made! That is EXACTLY how to do it.

 

[80 Proof]

Next week: drywall punch out and continuing paint
2 weeks: bathroom flooring and all tile
July 18th: will start plumbing finishes

That’s all I know so far - not sure on mechanical systems inspections

Ask him when he has the plumbing/hvac/electric final inspections scheduled. Those have to be approved/finalized before he can get the final building inspection scheduled for the Certificate of Occupancy.