patrick.net

wow that sounds great... hahaha

just out of curiosity what did it cost ya? more detailed the better. Im just trying to get an idea of what it would cost me. I dont care how long it takes so that doesnt matter.

10-20% cushion is better than what I expected. I was quoted 100 sq/ft in s. cali for top notch materials. He literally said for 100 bucks it would be "pimped out". I thought 100 sq/ft was quite low... was expecting to hear 300 sq/ft or so actually.

It would be nice to get exactly what you want, which is why im even considering thing...

$100 doesn't include land or permits. Permits are high in CA. I doubt pimped out at $100 is true either, as I've heard $70 is about bare minimum. More likely $150 minimum with your 10-20% cushion in there, so $200-$250 when you're done.

We rebuilt my family's house from the subfloor up a few years ago after a large fire. I put together a thread highlighting the costs of that project here:

/?p=1230048

It took about 2 years to complete primarily due to lack of experience on our part and haggling with the insurance company. We also modified the original design a bit adding a fair amount of foundation to round out the floorplan.

Designing Tools: First I'd recommend you use a designer who can provide you with a CAD drawing which you can tweak yourself. Blueprints are great but I found even a crude 3d model was invaluable to avoiding design flaws. I used Better Homes and Gardens Architect. There are better, there are cheaper but that one was the best overall package I could find for the price.

Costs: You can use sites like this one to estimate the general costs of a project:

http://www.homewyse.com/costs/index.html

Online vendors such as AJMadison can be good sources of information as well as places to obtain materials:

http://www.ajmadison.com/

Prioritize: Decide well ahead of time what your priorities are. Do you want a swimming pool? Three car garage? Bonus room? They'll cost you yet may not add much value to the house at resale. My priorities were to make a house that was flexible, very low maintenance and family friendly. That meant safe for kids, pets, old people as well as easy to use for the handicapped. My dad had spent some time in a wheelchair and his difficulties getting around the original house motivated me in that direction. Again small inexpensive touches can make a big difference here. Slightly wider than standard hallways, 32" wide doors instead of 30" doors. 84" tall doors instead of 80" tall doors. Bullnosed corners instead of square.

Ceilings: Coffered, vaulted or 9' ceilings rather than the standard 8' can add tremendously to the sense of space without adding square footage. For the garage an 8' garage opening with a 10' garage ceiling is awesome if you have a work truck or full size van.

Natural lighting: Take advantage of natural lighting whenever possible. Skylights and sun tunnels are cheap and add to the cheeriness of the house.

Soundproofing Soundproof the house as much as possible. Insulating the interior walls is cheap and helps kill sound transmission. You can also spec sound absorbing drywall. Either way use solid core doors instead of cheap ass hollow core. They feel much more substantial and don't add much to the cost. Quality dual paned windows and carpet are great at killing noise too.

Windows and Doors: Vinyl is good for window frames but can't be painted. Aluminum conducts heat and wood can rot if neglected. I used fiberglass framed windows as they are rotproof, insulating and paintable.

Termite pretreatment: If possible spec boron treated wood or pretreat the wood yourself to add lifetime protection against insect and fungal damage (e.g. dryrot). That might add $1k to the total cost of the project but avoiding even a single termite treatment recovers the cost and then some.

Flooring: I'd avoid most laminate flooring as it is easily water damaged; however, there are a few ABS based laminates which are supposed to be water resistant. Personally I prefer sealed tile and PTT fiber (Triexta/SmartStrand) or nylon carpet.

Sealing: Unless you are laying tile SEAL THE SUBFLOOR with a sealant like Kilnz. That will prevent any water or pet stains from penetrating and make cleanup easier. If laying tile seal the grout. That includes any cabinet tops

Kitchen and bathroom design: Set up the kitchen with maximum flexibility, utility and cleanliness in mind. for instance I asked the builder to plumb a gas line AND wire for either a gas or electric cooktop. Anyone who prefers to later change the cooktop can do so without having to call a plumber or electrician. We went with gas but in hindsight I'd have gone with a induction cooktop. They're much safer and as easy to clean as it gets. If you go electric go with a smooth top cooking surface instead of coils. Again MUCH easier to keep clean.

Cabinetry: Use the hardest woods possible for the cabinetry. Alder looks great but its a soft wood and will get banged up especially with kids:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test

We used hard maple and the natural soft yellow looked great! It was also the hardest wood offered by the builder and the second cheapest. Try to spec outdoor grade materials for the cabinetry. Most cabinetry is made from particleboard which swells and crumbles when exposed to water. If you can't then seal the wood with kilnz.

It MAY be possible to design the kitchens and bathrooms to be later adapted to be ADA compliant. The main problem I encountered was the height of the cabinets, ADA cabinets are a few inches lower than standard. Taller kick boards on the cabinets may make it possible to raise the floor a bit by laying a temporary floor ( e.g. a few layers of plywood under linolium surface) should one the residents need such a layout. Just a thought but if such flexibility is important to you its good to plan it in.

Appliances: Avoid expensive unreliable brands (I'm looking at YOU JennAir!) and stick with whatever consumer reports recommends. I liked the LG ovens as they were highly rated and met my standards for safety. It amazing how many ovens are designed with sharp glass corners and/or protruding handles right at the height of a kids head! The LG had a large rounded handle and no sharp edges. Electrolux was my runner up. Both had racks with rollers which I thought would be ueful. Even better they both had no exposed heating elements making for easy cleanup.

Pool: If you do decide to go with an in ground pool I recommend you plan for a variable speed pump motor, salt water system and perhaps solar heating. I did the math on the pump and found payback was 1 year. Of course that was using PGE upper tier rates, your rates may be lower but still over the life of the pump its likely it will eventually pay for itself over a singe speed motor. The salt water system automatically sterilizes the pool water so you can avoid adding chlorine. Again do the math but in my case it was worth it just based on material and power costs alone.

Problems: They WILL come up. Visit the site often to keep an eye on things. I was able to prevent a few mistakes which at the time cost little to fix but would have been prohibitive further on. Bring a tape measure too.

Change orders These are where the costs start adding up! The best way to avoid them is to get all your ducks in a row (no pun intended) well before construction begins. Know what you want, make sure the builder understands what you want and DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!

@new renter . great post. appreciate the insight..

Meccos says

@new renter . great post. appreciate the insight..

Glad to be of service! I'll add in more things as I think of them.

New Renter - Thanks for sharing.

Meccos says

10-20% cushion is better than what I expected. I was quoted 100 sq/ft in s. cali for top notch materials. He literally said for 100 bucks it would be "pimped out". I thought 100 sq/ft was quite low... was expecting to hear 300 sq/ft or so actually.

It would be nice to get exactly what you want, which is why im even considering thing...

If you are hiring someone to run and manage your project, 100/sqft isn't going to happen. Be careful there, construction costs get pretty high if you are new to the whole thing.

My brother in law built his own house, but he is a licensed general. There is a lot that goes into managing the whole thing.

Just ask a couple insurance agents in your area what are they insuring homes at REPLACEMENT costs per sq.ft. !
This is WITHOUT land.

FortWayne says

If you are hiring someone to run and manage your project, 100/sqft isn't going to happen. Be careful there, construction costs get pretty high if you are new to the whole thing.

My brother in law built his own house, but he is a licensed general. There is a lot that goes into managing the whole thing.

Any idea on range of cost per sq ft using nice, custom home materials on hills thats already graded with ultilities already connected?

I know the cost per sq ft is difficult to answer, but im just looking for a range to see if this is even worthwhile. I have seen many forums say 300-350 sq/ft which i think is ridiculous. @new renter did it for about 259sq/ft based on his post...

Meccos says

Has anyone built their own home?

would appreciate any insights including potential pitfalls, costs, benefits, etc, etc, etc...

I built one myself once in Carpinteria in '68 and contracted a house in Sedona in '77. It was a huge headache both times.

I will say, at 100 a sq ft, you're not getting top notch anything. Maybe top notch by todays standards.

JodyChunder says

Meccos says

Has anyone built their own home?

would appreciate any insights including potential pitfalls, costs, benefits, etc, etc, etc...

I built one myself once in Carpenteria in '68 and contracted a house in Sedona in '77. It was a huge headache both times.

I will say, at 100 a sq ft, you're not getting top notch anything. Maybe top notch by todays standards.

This seems to be the consensus...

I am looking for acerage where I am. it will let me be a hobby farmer for a few years and decide if I want to expand. But for a house, I am thinking of getting one of those modular ones -custom log house or some such. Land first then that. I don't like fancy stuff-just usable and good-but some of them look good. Anybody gone this route??
http://www.blueridgelogcabins.com/

Modular is a good way to go. There are some really great options out there.

What should I be looking for or important questions I need to ask before I hire a builder to build a custom home?

APOCALYPSEFUCKisShostikovitch says

What, where are the machine gun nests?

In the attic eyebrow vents silly! Everyone knows that!

Meccos says

@new renter did it for about 259sq/ft based on his post...

Yep, and that was undoubtedly with a severe asshole client penalty surcharge. I will say the construction quality was very good too.

EInvestor says

Just ask a couple insurance agents in your area what are they insuring homes at REPLACEMENT costs per sq.ft. !

This is WITHOUT land.

I've heard a lot of insurance companies no longer do full replacement cost policies here in CA

Call it Crazy says

Also, make sure you find out what quality level he is providing, ie: builders spec, or upgraded materials (doors, flooring, cabinets, appliances, railings, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, windows, hardware, paint, etc.). This is really important!!

Get a list of references and interview at least three of them. Most will be happy to sing the praises of a good contractor and will proudly show off the house in question. Come prepared with a list of questions. A few things to ask about:

* Quality of the sub contractors - their work, their knowledge, speed of work, patience helping in the selection process, etc.
* Whether milestones were met on time, if not, why?
* Any problems with the city inspectors (ask carefully anticipating contractors may have a "special" relationship with inspectors).
* Material vendors, e.g. do they buy cheap Chinese made cabinetry from some fly by night supplier or do they buy from a well established company?