Having a House Built

Off Topic
21

[quote]Joe84 wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
So, long story short, for medical reasons my wife and I are considering having a house built with an attached in-law apartment/suite. Her parents will be footing a sizable portion of the bill with the understanding that the house is ours (basically my wife’s inheritance) and we will take care of all house related issues.

That said, I have no idea where to start. We know a realtor whom I am going to contact if and when we decide to do this to find the land. My minimum requirement is 3 acres. Ideally, I’d like 5+.

How do you go about finding a builder? Should I just look in the yellow pages or online? What about testing for well water and things like that? What about estimating the cost? Does anyone know of an online cost calculator or is there kind of standard guide? I realize the particulars will change the price, I’m looking for a general idea. I have a number in mind that we’d like to stay near, I know basically what her parents can put in, and what we can take a loan out for.

Any thoughts or information is welcome. Thanks in advance.

I know inevitably someone is going to say not to do it. Believe me, we’ve talked it through and it’s the best option the family has so, thanks for the advise, but at this point it’s more a matter of time than an if situation.
[/quote]

I just built my first home…I did everything myself from cadding the dwgs for a permit to laying the field bed to electrical to finishing, here’s a few points to consider:

  1. I didn’t originally plan on doing everything myself when I bought my land, and didn’t price anything out, once I started pricing shit out I realized contractors are very expensive, if you’re going to work with Contractors you should get pricing before you purchase any land, it will let you know how much you can spend on the land.

  2. Mortgages are hard to get for construction, you get less money, you get it in installments, and you pay a lawyer for every installment, get your financing in order first

  3. Septic fields - before purchasing the land you should test the soil for drainage, it can impact your field bed in a major way, if the T-time is not good enough you will have to import filter sand and the land area can become quite large, this can become quite costly. Also remember you need certain distances between your well and septic.

  4. Well - you should inquire into well depth, quality, and volume from potential neighbors before buying land, building a house on land with now water is a bad idea, drilling in my area is about 25/foot +15/foot for casing for a point of reference. 1gpm is pretty much the min for a house with a deep well, some people will say you need much more but when you think about it, it’s 1200 gallons per day, most people use 100-150gpd. The problem becomes storage, the lower the production the deeper your well needs to be. I waited to drill my well until I was half finished my house, I got lucky, if I did it again I’d drill it before building anything.

  5. the lay of your land is important, if you build into a side hill with bedrock it will cost much more for your foundation than say building on a flat area with sand, if you need to bring in fill the numbers will climb quickly, it can cost tens of thousands. A good lot is worth another 30-40k, think about where your well, field bed, and house are all going to go, where your driveway is, and where you will connect into power and gas lines. Hydro and gas providers will charge a premium for installing service in certain areas and past certain defined distances. If you need power poles you may end up owning them and footing the bill fr future maintenance.

  6. landscaping - this can represent a major cost, again, tens of thousands depending on what you want to do. put it in your budget.

  7. heavy equipment - I hired out my heavy equipment work, as it was just as cost effective as renting the equipment myself. I priced out a few guys and the best value came from hiring an operator right from a quarry, the guy was good and the quarry gave me contractor pricing on gravel, mantle sand, etc. IF I had of just gone with a general contractor it would’ve cost a fair bit more. Also, make sure you get the right tools for the job, digging a foundation is not a job for a backhoe. When you backfill your house try to have any additional landscaping (such as driveway gravel or topsoil) done at the same time, it will cut down on machine costs.

  8. don’t wait till winter to do your foundation, also try to seed your lawn before winter.

  9. make sure you buy dry lumber, if it drys out significantly after the drywall is on it can cause screws to pop and joints to separate

  10. check all the material you buy and the pricing, Initially I was ordering my material from a building centre, having them deliver it and putting it on a charge account for me. After seeing multiple screwups I had to go elsewhere.

  11. permitting and development fees - depending on where you live permits can represent a significant cost. building permit, plumbing permit, electrical permit, grading plan, check with conservation authorities, flood zone, septic, these are all things that you may need to look into to see if you can go ahead with your project, a building permit does not cover everything you need and the people there can lead you in the wrong direction

  12. allow for a 20% contingency fund for cost over run and surprises

  13. easements - check for registered and unregistered easements, get a decent lawyer

  14. don’t be a jerk off if you hire someone, no one likes someone constantly hovering over them, but at the same time don’t be a pushover, make it clear what you want done and get it in writing.

  15. the most important thing with your foundation is drainage, make sure you do it right, check the water table level.

  16. don’t assume contractors know what they’re talking about, while I did all my own work myself I did get quotes as I went along for various items to see if it would be worth hiring out, many do not know the codes.

  17. some people may disagree with me, but foundation and framing do not need to be that precise. if your footing form swells out 2 inches no one is going to ever know and it won’t affect shit. Same thing if you frame a wall out 1/4", no one is going to notice unless they’re breaking out the level and tape. Finishing work is where you want a high level of detail and effort.

  18. once you have floor down get the roof on as soon as possible, rain and snow will cause subfloors to swell and warp.

  19. even if you’re hiring out work it is much more cost effective to act as your own general contractor, however if you do this be prepared for it to consume alot of your time.

  20. include your wife in your decisions.

  21. don’t spend more building your house than it will be worth. building a house is a stupid idea in areas where housing prices are depressed, if you build a $400k house where everyone around you is selling for $100k your house is worth $100k
    [/quote]

Cliff notes: Buying an existing house is way fucking cheaper and much less of a headache.

22

Thank you all very much for all the info!

23

[quote]browndisaster wrote:
what are your home gym plans?

: )[/quote]
Lol, I don’t know, but the home gym is 100% a requirement for me.

24

[quote]jjackkrash wrote:

[quote]Joe84 wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
So, long story short, for medical reasons my wife and I are considering having a house built with an attached in-law apartment/suite. Her parents will be footing a sizable portion of the bill with the understanding that the house is ours (basically my wife’s inheritance) and we will take care of all house related issues.

That said, I have no idea where to start. We know a realtor whom I am going to contact if and when we decide to do this to find the land. My minimum requirement is 3 acres. Ideally, I’d like 5+.

How do you go about finding a builder? Should I just look in the yellow pages or online? What about testing for well water and things like that? What about estimating the cost? Does anyone know of an online cost calculator or is there kind of standard guide? I realize the particulars will change the price, I’m looking for a general idea. I have a number in mind that we’d like to stay near, I know basically what her parents can put in, and what we can take a loan out for.

Any thoughts or information is welcome. Thanks in advance.

I know inevitably someone is going to say not to do it. Believe me, we’ve talked it through and it’s the best option the family has so, thanks for the advise, but at this point it’s more a matter of time than an if situation.
[/quote]

I just built my first home…I did everything myself from cadding the dwgs for a permit to laying the field bed to electrical to finishing, here’s a few points to consider:

  1. I didn’t originally plan on doing everything myself when I bought my land, and didn’t price anything out, once I started pricing shit out I realized contractors are very expensive, if you’re going to work with Contractors you should get pricing before you purchase any land, it will let you know how much you can spend on the land.

  2. Mortgages are hard to get for construction, you get less money, you get it in installments, and you pay a lawyer for every installment, get your financing in order first

  3. Septic fields - before purchasing the land you should test the soil for drainage, it can impact your field bed in a major way, if the T-time is not good enough you will have to import filter sand and the land area can become quite large, this can become quite costly. Also remember you need certain distances between your well and septic.

  4. Well - you should inquire into well depth, quality, and volume from potential neighbors before buying land, building a house on land with now water is a bad idea, drilling in my area is about 25/foot +15/foot for casing for a point of reference. 1gpm is pretty much the min for a house with a deep well, some people will say you need much more but when you think about it, it’s 1200 gallons per day, most people use 100-150gpd. The problem becomes storage, the lower the production the deeper your well needs to be. I waited to drill my well until I was half finished my house, I got lucky, if I did it again I’d drill it before building anything.

  5. the lay of your land is important, if you build into a side hill with bedrock it will cost much more for your foundation than say building on a flat area with sand, if you need to bring in fill the numbers will climb quickly, it can cost tens of thousands. A good lot is worth another 30-40k, think about where your well, field bed, and house are all going to go, where your driveway is, and where you will connect into power and gas lines. Hydro and gas providers will charge a premium for installing service in certain areas and past certain defined distances. If you need power poles you may end up owning them and footing the bill fr future maintenance.

  6. landscaping - this can represent a major cost, again, tens of thousands depending on what you want to do. put it in your budget.

  7. heavy equipment - I hired out my heavy equipment work, as it was just as cost effective as renting the equipment myself. I priced out a few guys and the best value came from hiring an operator right from a quarry, the guy was good and the quarry gave me contractor pricing on gravel, mantle sand, etc. IF I had of just gone with a general contractor it would’ve cost a fair bit more. Also, make sure you get the right tools for the job, digging a foundation is not a job for a backhoe. When you backfill your house try to have any additional landscaping (such as driveway gravel or topsoil) done at the same time, it will cut down on machine costs.

  8. don’t wait till winter to do your foundation, also try to seed your lawn before winter.

  9. make sure you buy dry lumber, if it drys out significantly after the drywall is on it can cause screws to pop and joints to separate

  10. check all the material you buy and the pricing, Initially I was ordering my material from a building centre, having them deliver it and putting it on a charge account for me. After seeing multiple screwups I had to go elsewhere.

  11. permitting and development fees - depending on where you live permits can represent a significant cost. building permit, plumbing permit, electrical permit, grading plan, check with conservation authorities, flood zone, septic, these are all things that you may need to look into to see if you can go ahead with your project, a building permit does not cover everything you need and the people there can lead you in the wrong direction

  12. allow for a 20% contingency fund for cost over run and surprises

  13. easements - check for registered and unregistered easements, get a decent lawyer

  14. don’t be a jerk off if you hire someone, no one likes someone constantly hovering over them, but at the same time don’t be a pushover, make it clear what you want done and get it in writing.

  15. the most important thing with your foundation is drainage, make sure you do it right, check the water table level.

  16. don’t assume contractors know what they’re talking about, while I did all my own work myself I did get quotes as I went along for various items to see if it would be worth hiring out, many do not know the codes.

  17. some people may disagree with me, but foundation and framing do not need to be that precise. if your footing form swells out 2 inches no one is going to ever know and it won’t affect shit. Same thing if you frame a wall out 1/4", no one is going to notice unless they’re breaking out the level and tape. Finishing work is where you want a high level of detail and effort.

  18. once you have floor down get the roof on as soon as possible, rain and snow will cause subfloors to swell and warp.

  19. even if you’re hiring out work it is much more cost effective to act as your own general contractor, however if you do this be prepared for it to consume alot of your time.

  20. include your wife in your decisions.

  21. don’t spend more building your house than it will be worth. building a house is a stupid idea in areas where housing prices are depressed, if you build a $400k house where everyone around you is selling for $100k your house is worth $100k
    [/quote]

Cliff notes: Buying an existing house is way fucking cheaper and much less of a headache.

[/quote]

Thanks for all the info Joe. I can barely change my oil so I’ll be hiring out for everything. Believe the commander in chief (wife) will be in on all decisions. One thing I do have going for me is my father and brother both work for a civil engineering company so at least that part will be taken care of by people I’ve know for a long time and trust.

Lol, jjack, I will just buy if I can find a house close to what we’re looking for. I think that will be very hard though.

25

This is what you do: Buy your piece of land and build the house on it. When it’s all done assess what went wrong and what went right then buy a second piece of land and have the house built right. Takes a lot longer and could be pretty expensive if you can’t sale the first one for what you put into it but this is the best way to get it done right.

26

[quote]Joe84 wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
So, long story short, for medical reasons my wife and I are considering having a house built with an attached in-law apartment/suite. Her parents will be footing a sizable portion of the bill with the understanding that the house is ours (basically my wife’s inheritance) and we will take care of all house related issues.

That said, I have no idea where to start. We know a realtor whom I am going to contact if and when we decide to do this to find the land. My minimum requirement is 3 acres. Ideally, I’d like 5+.

How do you go about finding a builder? Should I just look in the yellow pages or online? What about testing for well water and things like that? What about estimating the cost? Does anyone know of an online cost calculator or is there kind of standard guide? I realize the particulars will change the price, I’m looking for a general idea. I have a number in mind that we’d like to stay near, I know basically what her parents can put in, and what we can take a loan out for.

Any thoughts or information is welcome. Thanks in advance.

I know inevitably someone is going to say not to do it. Believe me, we’ve talked it through and it’s the best option the family has so, thanks for the advise, but at this point it’s more a matter of time than an if situation.
[/quote]

I just built my first home…I did everything myself from cadding the dwgs for a permit to laying the field bed to electrical to finishing, here’s a few points to consider:

  1. I didn’t originally plan on doing everything myself when I bought my land, and didn’t price anything out, once I started pricing shit out I realized contractors are very expensive, if you’re going to work with Contractors you should get pricing before you purchase any land, it will let you know how much you can spend on the land.

  2. Mortgages are hard to get for construction, you get less money, you get it in installments, and you pay a lawyer for every installment, get your financing in order first

  3. Septic fields - before purchasing the land you should test the soil for drainage, it can impact your field bed in a major way, if the T-time is not good enough you will have to import filter sand and the land area can become quite large, this can become quite costly. Also remember you need certain distances between your well and septic.

  4. Well - you should inquire into well depth, quality, and volume from potential neighbors before buying land, building a house on land with now water is a bad idea, drilling in my area is about 25/foot +15/foot for casing for a point of reference. 1gpm is pretty much the min for a house with a deep well, some people will say you need much more but when you think about it, it’s 1200 gallons per day, most people use 100-150gpd. The problem becomes storage, the lower the production the deeper your well needs to be. I waited to drill my well until I was half finished my house, I got lucky, if I did it again I’d drill it before building anything.

  5. the lay of your land is important, if you build into a side hill with bedrock it will cost much more for your foundation than say building on a flat area with sand, if you need to bring in fill the numbers will climb quickly, it can cost tens of thousands. A good lot is worth another 30-40k, think about where your well, field bed, and house are all going to go, where your driveway is, and where you will connect into power and gas lines. Hydro and gas providers will charge a premium for installing service in certain areas and past certain defined distances. If you need power poles you may end up owning them and footing the bill fr future maintenance.

  6. landscaping - this can represent a major cost, again, tens of thousands depending on what you want to do. put it in your budget.

  7. heavy equipment - I hired out my heavy equipment work, as it was just as cost effective as renting the equipment myself. I priced out a few guys and the best value came from hiring an operator right from a quarry, the guy was good and the quarry gave me contractor pricing on gravel, mantle sand, etc. IF I had of just gone with a general contractor it would’ve cost a fair bit more. Also, make sure you get the right tools for the job, digging a foundation is not a job for a backhoe. When you backfill your house try to have any additional landscaping (such as driveway gravel or topsoil) done at the same time, it will cut down on machine costs.

  8. don’t wait till winter to do your foundation, also try to seed your lawn before winter.

  9. make sure you buy dry lumber, if it drys out significantly after the drywall is on it can cause screws to pop and joints to separate

  10. check all the material you buy and the pricing, Initially I was ordering my material from a building centre, having them deliver it and putting it on a charge account for me. After seeing multiple screwups I had to go elsewhere.

  11. permitting and development fees - depending on where you live permits can represent a significant cost. building permit, plumbing permit, electrical permit, grading plan, check with conservation authorities, flood zone, septic, these are all things that you may need to look into to see if you can go ahead with your project, a building permit does not cover everything you need and the people there can lead you in the wrong direction

  12. allow for a 20% contingency fund for cost over run and surprises

  13. easements - check for registered and unregistered easements, get a decent lawyer

  14. don’t be a jerk off if you hire someone, no one likes someone constantly hovering over them, but at the same time don’t be a pushover, make it clear what you want done and get it in writing.

  15. the most important thing with your foundation is drainage, make sure you do it right, check the water table level.

  16. don’t assume contractors know what they’re talking about, while I did all my own work myself I did get quotes as I went along for various items to see if it would be worth hiring out, many do not know the codes.

  17. some people may disagree with me, but foundation and framing do not need to be that precise. if your footing form swells out 2 inches no one is going to ever know and it won’t affect shit. Same thing if you frame a wall out 1/4", no one is going to notice unless they’re breaking out the level and tape. Finishing work is where you want a high level of detail and effort.

  18. once you have floor down get the roof on as soon as possible, rain and snow will cause subfloors to swell and warp.

  19. even if you’re hiring out work it is much more cost effective to act as your own general contractor, however if you do this be prepared for it to consume alot of your time.

  20. include your wife in your decisions.

  21. don’t spend more building your house than it will be worth. building a house is a stupid idea in areas where housing prices are depressed, if you build a $400k house where everyone around you is selling for $100k your house is worth $100k
    [/quote]

Well spoken my friend. I have 25+ years in the development and building business and those are all good point.

I would like to add that laws are different from state to state. I’m in PA and you can buy a piece of property that is undevelopable because it will not perc. I think MD regs are close to ours so be smart.

Finding an adequate well supply on a lot is never a problem in my area. I would recommend pounding it rather then a drill. Do your research.

There are may factors that go into a home price but in my area the home prices are about $90-$120 a sq. ft.

Here’s a big one; check to see what permits you will need. Some of these permits require professional services from Engineers, Surveyors and Architects. An few examples are; septic design and permit, grading design and permit, full building plans including mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Municipal permits for zoning requirement and setbacks may apply. A typical home in my area will require about 7,000 in permits, not including Architectural fees.

I bought my own property and built/sub my own home. It rewarding and can save about 20% but its a boatload of work.

27

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Well spoken my friend. I have 25+ years in the development and building business and those are all good point.

I would like to add that laws are different from state to state. I’m in PA and you can buy a piece of property that is undevelopable because it will not perc. I think MD regs are close to ours so be smart.

Finding an adequate well supply on a lot is never a problem in my area. I would recommend pounding it rather then a drill. Do your research.

There are may factors that go into a home price but in my area the home prices are about $90-$120 a sq. ft.

Here’s a big one; check to see what permits you will need. Some of these permits require professional services from Engineers, Surveyors and Architects. An few examples are; septic design and permit, grading design and permit, full building plans including mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Municipal permits for zoning requirement and setbacks may apply. A typical home in my area will require about 7,000 in permits, not including Architectural fees.

I bought my own property and built/sub my own home. It rewarding and can save about 20% but its a boatload of work.[/quote]

I will definitely do my research. I might even end up in PA, we are pretty close to the line as it is. I’m about 25 miles from Gettysburg.

It would be nice to save that 20%, but like I said earlier, I can barely change my oil, lol. I’m also not that worried about resale value, yes it is a concern, but the plan (not that really matters) is to make this our home for the next 60+ years. Obviously things happen so I don’t want to put $600k into a house worth $400K, but if there is some disparity it’s no big deal.

28

a few things to think about.

you said medical reason for wanting to build this house. depending on the reasons if you buy an existing home you will probably have to modify it for wheelchair access or a hospital type bed. check your homeowners insurance also as ADA may get a discount.
widen all doors to 32" with 90 deg opening. if affordable I suggest to have them 36" so the person can be moved quickly in an emergency.

modify the bathroom and I’m not just talking about the toilet and shower. wheelchair access vanity for sink, faucet, light use and possible tilted mirror. same type modifications with the kitchen if they are going to use it. make sure that you have enough room around tables and other furniture to move easily.

all light switches to flat rockers and lowered slightly if necessary. lower thermostat controls unless you use a remote.
thresholds between rooms removed. you may want to remove carpet for a hard surface. change the door knobs to lever type. ADA ramp specs are 1:16 to 1:20 preffered rise and you can go to 1:12 but it is harder on the user.

a covered area near the entrance where you can pull a car under so they can be loaded and unloaded in bad weather is nice but not necessary.

here are some modular sites yiu might want to look at.

http://marylandmodularhomes.com/

29

That’s awesome silverblood, thanks!

30

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Well spoken my friend. I have 25+ years in the development and building business and those are all good point.

I would like to add that laws are different from state to state. I’m in PA and you can buy a piece of property that is undevelopable because it will not perc. I think MD regs are close to ours so be smart.

Finding an adequate well supply on a lot is never a problem in my area. I would recommend pounding it rather then a drill. Do your research.

There are may factors that go into a home price but in my area the home prices are about $90-$120 a sq. ft.

Here’s a big one; check to see what permits you will need. Some of these permits require professional services from Engineers, Surveyors and Architects. An few examples are; septic design and permit, grading design and permit, full building plans including mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Municipal permits for zoning requirement and setbacks may apply. A typical home in my area will require about 7,000 in permits, not including Architectural fees.

I bought my own property and built/sub my own home. It rewarding and can save about 20% but its a boatload of work.[/quote]

I will definitely do my research. I might even end up in PA, we are pretty close to the line as it is. I’m about 25 miles from Gettysburg.

It would be nice to save that 20%, but like I said earlier, I can barely change my oil, lol. I’m also not that worried about resale value, yes it is a concern, but the plan (not that really matters) is to make this our home for the next 60+ years. Obviously things happen so I don’t want to put $600k into a house worth $400K, but if there is some disparity it’s no big deal.
[/quote]

I’m working in Allentown but the State laws are State laws. If you end up over the border reach out to me here and I will supply you with as much free advice as you can handle.

31

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:

[quote]doublelung84 wrote:
Well spoken my friend. I have 25+ years in the development and building business and those are all good point.

I would like to add that laws are different from state to state. I’m in PA and you can buy a piece of property that is undevelopable because it will not perc. I think MD regs are close to ours so be smart.

Finding an adequate well supply on a lot is never a problem in my area. I would recommend pounding it rather then a drill. Do your research.

There are may factors that go into a home price but in my area the home prices are about $90-$120 a sq. ft.

Here’s a big one; check to see what permits you will need. Some of these permits require professional services from Engineers, Surveyors and Architects. An few examples are; septic design and permit, grading design and permit, full building plans including mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Municipal permits for zoning requirement and setbacks may apply. A typical home in my area will require about 7,000 in permits, not including Architectural fees.

I bought my own property and built/sub my own home. It rewarding and can save about 20% but its a boatload of work.[/quote]

I will definitely do my research. I might even end up in PA, we are pretty close to the line as it is. I’m about 25 miles from Gettysburg.

It would be nice to save that 20%, but like I said earlier, I can barely change my oil, lol. I’m also not that worried about resale value, yes it is a concern, but the plan (not that really matters) is to make this our home for the next 60+ years. Obviously things happen so I don’t want to put $600k into a house worth $400K, but if there is some disparity it’s no big deal.
[/quote]

I’m working in Allentown but the State laws are State laws. If you end up over the border reach out to me here and I will supply you with as much free advice as you can handle.
[/quote]

Awesome, I really appreciate that!

32

[quote]jjackkrash wrote:
Cliff notes: Buying an existing house is way fucking cheaper and much less of a headache.
[/quote]

Depends on the area, in my particular case I would’ve had to spend an additional 100k-150k to find a comparable home to what I have.

The headache part, i totally agree, even with a contractor, a couple guys i work with have recently built custom homes as well, they had contractors take care of most everything and it was still very stressful for them.

33

[quote]Joe84 wrote:

[quote]jjackkrash wrote:
Cliff notes: Buying an existing house is way fucking cheaper and much less of a headache.
[/quote]

Depends on the area, in my particular case I would’ve had to spend an additional 100k-150k to find a comparable home to what I have.

The headache part, i totally agree, even with a contractor, a couple guys i work with have recently built custom homes as well, they had contractors take care of most everything and it was still very stressful for them. [/quote]

$100k to $150k is nothing to sneeze at, that’s for sure. But it also depends on what class of home you are talking about. If its a house in a development and they can roll in and knock out 20 to 50 homes in a row the savings compared to a one-off custom are substantial, even if you GC it yourself.

34

Hey usmccds423, I dont post much but I noticed a few things that havent been covered already so I thought Id throw my 2 cents worth in with everyone else. Im training to be an architectural technologist so I figure I might have a slightly different perspective than those who’ve already posted.

Try to find a site that allows you to face your house to the south, for better lighting. A flat site will always be cheaper and easier to do this, but careful design will allow you to take advantage of lighting on almost all sites, except those on north facing slopes which will get the least lighting especially in winter (If you find a north facing site with a view that is too good to pass up there are ways to design around this, but it will most probably be more expensive).

Judging by your requirements, you most likely wont be able to buy a house off of a volume house builder. They tend not to build houses with minor dwelling units (granny flats, self contained apartments within the main dwelling) included. To meet your needs satisfactorally you will either need to design the house yourself, or get a designer to do it. A GOOD designer will be able to lay out a house in a way that is practical to use, warm & dry, cheap to run, and more economical to build. If you decide to go down this route, your local architect society website will list designers in your area (hopefully with links to websites so you can browse portfolios). If you can, see if any designers you like can put you in contact with people that they have built houses for. Ask these owners how the house performs (warmth, dryness, power bills, layout etc., etc.) as well as how well the designer accommodated their specific needs.

If you decide to design the house yourself (or just things to make sure your designer is doing):

Locate all your main living spaces & large windows on the south side of your house. This way they will get more sun, which will save you money on ventilation, heating and lighting. If overheating at the height of summer is going to be a problem, shield these windows with a large eave to reduce the amount of sunlight entering the house. Bathrooms, WCs & service rooms should be located on the north side of the house, with smaller windows to allow less heat loss. These rooms will generally be used less, so require less heating & lighting.

Larger houses cost more to build (Yeah, I know I’m stating the obvious here, but sometimes people overlook the most obvious things). They also cost more toheat & ventilate, and furnish (bigger living room = need another sofa & a 80" HD flat screen). If you want the space, make sure you can justify paying for it. Theres no point spending an extra 15-20k for extra floor area that only gets used when you have a whole bunch of people round once a year or less, especially when that money could pay for your kitchen, or bathroom, or… upspeccing your insulation.

…which brings me to my next point: Insulation. IIRC from other treads active at the moment, you live in a cold climate. People, elderly people and children especially stay healthier in warmer dryer homes, and over the lifecycle of a building extra running cost mount up significantly. Extra money spent going beyond you local building requirements for extra insulation, thicker exterior walls and double- or triple-glazing will pay dividends in the long run, especially if electricity and energy costs keep rising, as they surely will. (You can always install a fancy kitchen later, extra batts not so much). Readings about energy efficient homes are easily found online, and well worth reading.

With the seperate apartment for you in-laws, I would make sure its on the ground floor if you plan on having more than one storey (stairs are a pain for the elderly, stating the obvious again, I know) and noise separations in the party walls so that is truly a separate dwelling (double-linings, seperating framing-lines, decoupling any pipe runs in the party wall).

These are just a few of the more major points I could think of, but there are other points I’ll try to address later.

Hope this helps, and my writing isn’t too incoherent for you to get something from this.

35

Thanks Wheels of Steel!

36

[quote]Joe84 wrote:
5. the lay of your land is important, if you build into a side hill with bedrock it will cost much more for your foundation than say building on a flat area with sand, if you need to bring in fill the numbers will climb quickly, it can cost tens of thousands. A good lot is worth another 30-40k.
[/quote]

This is a good point, but if you find a sloping site that you really want there are ways to make things cheaper. If your local building code allows it, you can use a masonry block perimeter wall, timber pile subfloor or platform on pole foundation. These may not be as cheap as a concrete slab on flat ground, but they wont require the earthmoving machinery or engineering that a cut and fill would. The tradeoff to this, tho, is that by using a timber floor you wont have the thermal mass and passive heating that a concrete slab will provide you.

[quote]Joe84 wrote:
9. make sure you buy dry lumber, if it drys out significantly after the drywall is on it can cause screws to pop and joints to separate
[/quote]

Also a good point, one of those things that can catch you out if you dont know. Just wondering tho, do you not have kiln-dried timber over in the States?

37

[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Thanks Wheels of Steel![/quote]

No worries, good luck!

38

[quote]jjackkrash wrote:

Cliff notes: Buying an existing house is way fucking cheaper and much less of a headache.
[/quote]

This is what I did, I bought the worst house on the best block. I definitely poured a ton of money into it over the years. My first big project was expanding the 2nd floor. I got 4 estimates from established builders, 3 of the quotes were within $200 of each other. I went with a local guy and he did a good job, on time with few add-on expanses.

The 2nd big job was to have my kitchen and dining room done over, which included taking down walls installing support headers etc. This guy was local too, did an amazing job, again on time and some added expenses for things that came up.

The last big thing I had done was to enclose an old front porch, do windows and siding. This guy came recommended by neighbors and personal friends… I could not have picked a worse contractor. Everything eventually came out good but he had to come back like 6 times and I had a serious run in with his jackass of a plumber.

All around me, they’re buying up small older houses and either blowing them down and building new, or retaining part of the old structure (even if its one wall) which saves on property taxes. They have one going down my block, which is coming along nicely and they at least tripled their living space. I’d say that’s about a $150k job so far.

Rob

39

[quote]Wheels of Steel wrote:

[quote]Joe84 wrote:
5. the lay of your land is important, if you build into a side hill with bedrock it will cost much more for your foundation than say building on a flat area with sand, if you need to bring in fill the numbers will climb quickly, it can cost tens of thousands. A good lot is worth another 30-40k.
[/quote]

This is a good point, but if you find a sloping site that you really want there are ways to make things cheaper. If your local building code allows it, you can use a masonry block perimeter wall, timber pile subfloor or platform on pole foundation. These may not be as cheap as a concrete slab on flat ground, but they wont require the earthmoving machinery or engineering that a cut and fill would. The tradeoff to this, tho, is that by using a timber floor you wont have the thermal mass and passive heating that a concrete slab will provide you.

[quote]Joe84 wrote:
9. make sure you buy dry lumber, if it drys out significantly after the drywall is on it can cause screws to pop and joints to separate
[/quote]

Also a good point, one of those things that can catch you out if you dont know. Just wondering tho, do you not have kiln-dried timber over in the States?

[/quote]

I’m in Canada and yes we have kiln dried lumber, I’m sure the states does as well. However, alot of the lumber yards are outdoors and the material is exposed to rain and snow.

40

Have you ever thought about looking for a house that’s even just barely close to what you’re looking for and then renovating it? It may end up cheaper, I really have no idea. I just know a cousin of mine wanted to build his own house, but our other cousin who’s an architect recommended that he knock down all but one wall of his existing house and then build the new house around that one wall.

This way, it’s a renovation, and not building an entirely new house. He saved quite a bit of money doing it that way.

There’s a lot of advice in here that’s much better than mine, lol, but something to think about. Good luck man.