Having a home built

“Any advice for a future homeowner? I'm going with a VA loan. No money down. Fixed rate mortgage on a 2764 sq ft home.”

“visit the site every day and bi_ch hard about every little thing. Don't expect the contractor to care nearly as much as you do.

Take lots of pictures and enjoy it.”

“Double Wide?”

“Almost as wide as your mouth buttpac but not quite.”

“I knew you could not afford a double wide.”

“Does the VA mortgage still include the real estate taxes in
the mortgage. I wanted to make
separate payments,couldn't do it.”

“What Roam said, plus

I brought my screw gun by after they left for the day and screwed the floor down where they only used nails and put more in the drywall where they were only using about 4 per sheet.

Lots of phone jacks, electrical outlets, cable jacks, dsl jacks/ethernet cable (if you think you might ever want them).

That stuff is a real pain to do a month after you move in and find out where you really want them. Or now in my case.”

“Hey building your own house is great i built mine 3 years ago. Ditto the things said above. Visit as often as possible and bring the workers cold soda and beer if it is hot. Save the beer until after work hours. They will be much more willing to do extra things for you if you are nice. If you come across uptight and a A$$hole then they will pee on your floors.”

“don't open any empty but lidded spackle buckets...”

“Lthiker make an excellent point. If the guys think your a cool dude, they'll do a much better job - even if they don't speak english very well.”

“Just from my experience...

Check the plans. I had my chimney put in the middle of the house, rather than on the outside like the plans called for. Less creosote buildup if you're gonna burn wood. An important change if you aren't too thrilled about gettin' up on the roof every year.

Also check the landscaping plan. Mine was fine except a turn around was built into the main part of my front yard. I had to pay to have 'em move it.

I'd also make sure I had luevers (sp) as a house needs to breathe.

Oh yeah, and I only had sub flooring under the carpets!

And make 'em come back and fix every little thing that doesn't work or is second rate...it amazed me that something that cost so much is only guaranteed for one year.”

“Knew a guy that was having a home built. After dry wall was put up he went in with a marker and circled flaws he wanted mudded over and fixed. A day later he returned to find they painted over the marker and didn't fix the problem He was back in a half hour with a hammer. They fixed the spots and everything else after that.”

“Lot's of luck. I helped two extended family members build the house themselves, with some sub-contracted work.

Takes mucho el-patienc-o!”

“Just a little advice on the furnace which will end up being the heart of your home especially if you intend on having central air.

The furnace that will most likely be suspended from your basement ceiling while the drywall is being taped and sanded is really not supposed to be the final furnace. IF it ends up being the furnace that is eventually installed, then check the Manufacturer's label and see what year it is. If it is two or more years old, do not allow them to install that one. Tell them you want a current model. Reason being is that by one to two years, the Manufacturer's warranty has run out even though you just bought the house. So, I advise checking labels on all major appliances. Also, I don't know where you live but the higher efficency the furnace is, the more problems you will have with it. Stay away from York brand. The heat exchangers in those things crack within the first two years.

Good luck!”

“If you are having a basement, hire your own engineer to check the plans and advise you on what you need in the way of site drainage, gutter layout and even drainage pipes laid on the outside of the floor level of the basement that drain away from the house (to the street or back depending on which way is downhill). Water in the basement can cause very expensive foundation repairs and it is very hard to get a builder to make these repairs. They will say that they don't cover small seeps or "condensation" but these things will undermine your foundation over time. Best to have great drainage right from the start. I had to go to court, get a settlement and have the whole back wall of the basement torn out and rebuilt, and have the drainage put in right. This was after three years of drought. It would have been much worse if the weather had been like this year. The entire wall cracked horizontally and shifted, and then later was a waterfall and the builder tried to get out of fixing it. Because I had records showing a high water table (septic system records) when the house was built, I could prove that the problem was something that the builder should have anticipated. Otherwise I would have lost the case and had to pay $25000 myself. As it was, the legal and engineering fees were $6000. So pay the money up front to an engineer to make sure that you have it built right to protect yourself.”

“Be careful about who you hire to do any work. Check them out and ask for references. My sister added another floor and extra rooms to their home and it turned into a huge mess when the contractor walked of the job without finishing.”

“Listen to what LyndyS said about proper drainage. I work for an architecture firm that specializes in historic preservation. I have done several site visits to buildings that we are working on existing conditions assessments on. I would say that about 90% of the damage in these buildings was the result of water seeping in where it isn’t supposed to. Either improper drainage, or improper flashing caused most of it.”

“One thing that I wished I had done was to make the basement a full 8 feet up to anything hanging down.

Also if you are building a stock plan it is very cheap to go 2 feet longer. Example if your house is 28x 36 going to 28 x38 is only a couple grand more. width or depth gets expensive.

When they are finishing up the drywall go in at night with a flashlight and shine it at a low angle on the walls. This will make any problems stick out. I do not recomend the blask marker, I used blue tape.
Nail/screw pops are going to happen just make sure they will come back and fix them. I made my builder come back after the first heating and cooling season and fix the pops.”

“Congrats Dude!
I had my 1st home built 10 years ago.....
All above posts are great advice!
Especailly being the COOL home owner!!

Also,
If possible and the plans are not all set in stone yet.
I had the builder put ALL my appliances at one end of the basement.
Furnance, washer dryer, h20 heater, stairs....bla bla bla.... I also had and extra course of blocks added for height in the basement....
What this allows is a nice tall clear area for a future party room!!!
I also added a crock and plumbing and drainage myself for a future basement toilet for the party room...
I still have not finished mine off yet. but me and my XG's boys had some great roller blade Basement Stanley cup hockey tourny's down there....lol

Also check the roof real good when they finish. climb up and look real good at it and have a gallon of roof tar ready for the first big rain storm....ye never now... I had a small leak, it was around the furnace exhust pipe.
Lastly,
Make sure you get ALL the paper work for all your apliances....
I put a box on the counter marked extra paperwork for all fixtures and stuff the dudes where cool and put it in for me. I had everything when I needed it.....

Enjoy your home!!”

“LOL....
LT ya beat me to it, on the full basement....”

“PS
When is the House warming PARTY !!!!!”

“I'm in the early stages. Right now I'm waiting on the pre-approval. It's our first home. No basement, two story, three bedroom with gameroom and gas fireplace. Closing if all goes well should be in late June or early July. Thanks for all the advice, I sure do appreciate it. I'll finally have room to store all my gear!!!!!”

“One word of caution on the gas fireplace.

Carbon monoxide...okay, two words. If you are going to have one of these, I would suggest getting one that is electronic ignition rather than a standing pilot one. Standing pilots tend to just soot up the fake logs and eventually, the burner ports get clogged. This can cause CO to be produced. If you have to get a standing pilot one, get it cleaned each season.

Last but not least, make sure there is a way to turn the damn thing on so that you don't have to have your head close to the flames that may WHOOSH out at you if there is an unforseen problem with the burner/burner ports. I have seen this happen and it was not pretty.

Just be careful.”

“Speaking as a contractor for ... well now.... 27 years!!! I may have some advice worth heeding.

First, DO NOT come out as an uptight over every little thing, every time you visit. If you do, you will soon be branded as impossible to please and they will not even try to please you. They'll just try to get out of there as fast as possible and that could well mean cutting every corner possible. As the job super, it is very difficult to have the subs perform well for an irrational owner. Much better to have a non-adversarial relationship. Be honest, be polite. But don't be a limp noodle either. You are entitled to have your home built to your specifications.

Watch the budget and save what you don't need. But bear in mind many things are much more economically installed as part of the building process. Going back after the fact can get expensive.

At the completion of your home, and you are moving in........THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT..... Call him immediately ONLY if there is something that you absolutely must have done right now. Such as no water, or the sewer is backed up. No heat, or the door won't stay latched. If you call him for every little thing and demand immediate action about a speck of paint or the cabinet doors aren't properly aligned, and call him back repeatedly for every little thing.......

The thing to remember is that the contractor runs a business. The first reason to be in business is to earn a profit. Relieve this contractor of his profit, and he's no longer in business. Then what do you do.

Anyways, It is reasonable to expect immediate results for major emergencies. Anything that can wait, start a list and wait 1 month and present it to him and ask him how soon he can resolve the deficiencies. After a month, you'll likely have found everything, and by presenting a clear list, he can better line up the subcontractors to complete the punchlist. Then there is the year end punchlist. At 11 months, present a punchlist of items to be corrected.

All lumber shrinks quite a bit in the first year of occupency. Doors stick and rub. This is only natural. Many contractors will come back and give a day to adjust things.

Now, you have to be up front with him, before any papers are signed, about punchlist work. I think you'll find him agreeable to it, if you discuss it and sign for it before hand. Don't try to have it thrown in without him having the ability to figure it into his cost. Yes, it costs money, and he's entitled to know about it and figure it in. Some places, they are not required to, or don't for whatever reason. Be very clear about it. COMMUNICATION.

Also do not use punchlist work as an opportunity to have him repaint the kids bedroom after they trash it. You are buying a home, not a home maintenance contract. You can ask him how much to repaint the kids room while he is here. It is probably the cheapest opportunity to get it done, and if the relationship has been good, you may well get a cut rate or freebie out of him.

All that being said, you are in the home building process for yourself, and you do have to watch out for yourself. And what can help is a clear expectation with the contractor.

Good luck, and enjoy your new castle!!!!”

“Good advice. I'll take it to heart. Thanks.”

“Engineers - avoid the temptation to try and tell the contractor how to do something "better"...Trust me on this one, I've heard so many horror stories from my contractor friends on this one.”

“Buy your doors and windows from someone who buys them from me!

NOT from Walkindude, his windows are shiitty

:)”

“(CBS) When Mary Cohn tried to sue the company that built her home for producing a house filled with defects, she didn't exactly find a welcome mat at the courthouse.

"Our home was infiltrated with mold and water. It made my children ill living in this home," Cohn says.

Unknown to Cohn, there was a waiver included in her closing papers which forfeited her right to file a lawsuit, reports CBS News Correspondent Jim Acosta.

"It's a rigged poker game," she says.

The dispute had to be settled through binding arbitration.

"This is the finest consumer defect case that I've seen in my career and you're going to lose it," Jim Moriarty, a consumer fraud attorney, told Cohn.

Consumer advocates claim arbitration rules are designed to protect business. Instead of a courtroom, cases are tried in a private conference room. Instead of a judge and jury, there's an arbitrator whose decisions are almost always final.

After finding structural flaws in their home, Lynda and Jerry Reier faced arbitration with their builder. "The whole house was crooked," says Lynda Reier.

The Reiers didn't win their arbitration and were told they had to pay the builder. The builder's award would have been $53,000, but the Reiers say they were able to prove their arbitrator had not disclosed a prior relationship with the builder's attorney. A court agreed and tossed out the award.

Big business defends arbitration clauses, which are showing up in the fine print of all sorts of contracts from credit cards to long distance phone service.

"They've become common because the courts have become clogged and litigation has become extremely expensive," says Stephen Bokat, general counsel at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The American Arbitration Association insists in its system most consumers win.

"It's very very difficult for an individual to take on a corporation in a lawsuit," says Rich Naimark of the American Arbitration Association. "They'll outlast you. They'll outspend you. They'll drive you into the ground if they choose to do that," he says.

Unable to sue and opposed to arbitration, Mary Cohn instead put a sign on her house blasting her home builder. Now, the builder is suing her.”

“Every now and then, you can see a program on Discovery Channel showing houses that lost their roofs in one huge gust of wind in a hurricane, while the one next to it just loses some shingles. Some homes have minor damage and others are a total loss. How many have said "That's what insurance is for"?

Insurance is not there for incompetence, yet that is how it's used. Wonder why the rates go up? Wonder why some builders can't get insurance?

The companies I have worked for, I am proud to say, all used engineered plans. Yes the engineering design work costs extra, and the impementing of the designs costs extra. BUT, if it is done as part of the building process, the cost can be minimal. The homes we have built are solid, so solid that has been a major selling point in many instances. Yes they do cost a little more. But we are selling a properly built home.

I have continually had to deal with subcontractors who did nothing but #&%!$ about the engineer. Mostly it is because of their ignorance, and I have to be diplomatic and forceful at the same time. Most carpenters build from the "seat of their pants". And in all likelyhood, their homes will stand the test of time, but not the test of all time. As you drive down the road, look at how many homes have sagging roofs or windows. If you have never looked for it, it's likely you have never noticed. Yes, they are mostly older homes, 20-40 years or more. "But they were fine when brand new."

You should have heard one customer, and even my engineer had to sympathize with him a bit. That did not, however allow him to put his stamp of approval on it. The customer had a 17 year old house, and wanted us to add some skylights to a roof attic area. The engineer was called. The original builder had 2 by 8's spanning 28 feet, 2 feet on center. It was 100% overstressed!!! But it had stood for 17 years, also. For us to install the skylights, it would have required that we substantially reframe it, to bring it up to code. The costs were staggering. The idea was scrapped. As we have never touched that structure, we could, without liability or responsibility, leave it as is. The previous contractor, who was probably out of business by now, maintained responsibility. The owner was content to leave it as is, when made aware of the deficiencies. Often times, an underbuilt home will stand, but let's think back about that discovery channel program. When a natural disaster strikes, that's when it hits the fan.

Most carpenters are "professionally lazy". I do not mean to denegrate them with this statement. The less they do, the cheaper the costs and the greater the consumer savings. To properly build a home does involve extra cost.

Suppose most would use a triple 2 by 10 header, but it should have a triple 2 by 12 header. Sure the 2 by 12's are gonna cost more. But what can really drive up the cost, is if the builder ignores the plans and lumber take off (list), which we supply from the outset. and uses 2 by 10's for those headers. At engineer inspection time, or daily supervisor visits, it's going to be noticed and they'll have to change it. Now look at the costs: New 2 by 10's have to be bought to replace the ones used in the wrong place. The 2 by 12's have to be found, most likely being used as a staging plank. Then you have to cut out the 2 by 10's, and probably throw them away. Then you have to shorten either the jack studs that support the headers, or the cripple studs above the header. Ever wonder why engineers get a bad name? They will be talked down a lot if they "are not one of the boys and let it go". A good engineer stands up for his design and demands that the home be built as designed and bid upon. Now the builder, who made the mistake, doesn't really know it a mistake (He's a tad ignorant of engineering), has to pay for the rework, and loses time while doing it. If only he had followed the plan supplied him (and that he bid on) and used the proper lumber supplied him from the beginning...... How much would that have cost?

To properly build an engineered building as part of the process, doesn't cost much. To cut corners and build by the seat of yourpants, will cost less, and you'll probably be okay for a long time. But listen to the horror stories. Do you want to take that chance? If they won't build according to engineered plans, where else do they cut a corner? Will it matter? Maybe, maybe not. I reality, everyone has a complaint about their home, but who compliments their home builder? Human nature causes us all to complain, and compliments are few and far between. Even the best builders will have problems, hence the warranty period. There are many facets to building a home, and they are getting more complex.

Only you can choose. You must choose, but choose wisely. (From Indiana Jones)”

“Excellent insight monkeyboy. I'm a structural engineer and love working with PM's and Super's with your attitude. Also, I hate being the engineer that bit referred to. Lots of engineers refuse to allow GC's to make changes to their design. I guess they have the market cornered on good ideas. Your first post hints on our office philosophy which is to let the GC make money. What that means is that if a GC has an idea on how to do a detail differently, and their idea work structurally, then let them do it. If the owner is getting the same quality, but it helps the GC, then more power to it. The GC WILL make money on the job. You can either help him and wind up with a better project or you can hinder him and have a poor quality job. That's not much of a decision is it. As a consequence of this, about 50% of our work is now design build with the GC selecting us. This doesn't mean we're some sort of engineer whore, it just means we'll work with them fairly.


Another tidbit: Make dang sure that any retaining or basement walls are designed by a structural engineer, not a civil engineer, a structural. Most walls in homes don't come even close to meeting the building code. Soil pressure builds up over time and may not get to full pressure for a decade. This is why you commonly see older walls leaning.”