Building from the ground up? Come on in!

[mamax2]

Where do we go from here? Who makes these modifications for us, and how do we find them? When should we contact builders (we actually have a family friend in mind, but of course we'll get a few bids)? How many bids should we seek out?

futuremrslp ~ First of all, congratulations! Isn't it exciting to find a plan you love (mostly)?! I'll try to help answer some of your questions as well...

1) I'm not from TX, so now aware of the laws there, but you are going to need a set of plans and they will need to meet your local building codes. You may need a locally (as in state) registered architect to 'seal' your drawing to verify they meet code. Ask your FSIL, she'll be able to guide you on this.

2) As for who to find first, the builder vs. the architect. It's sort of like the chicken and the egg. Since you have a basic plan and know what modifications you intend to make, you could meet with builders now and they could refer you to an architect to modify your plans (unless your FSIL can help you, which would be ideal!) You could of course meet with an architect first and go from there. In my area, that's more common when people are doing completely custom homes, as in, they go to the architect and say I want this, this and this - create something. In your case, you're part way there already. FWIW, I did essentially the same thing you're doing - found a set of plans online, purchased a reproducible set with rights which allowed me to own the prints, have my architect make any changes and have the prints copied without running into copyright issues. This is probably a good idea for you as well.

3) Again, this could be regional, but in my area, residential builders don't typically bid work. They bid commercial work, but not residential. Basically, what it comes down to, in large part, is their fee structure. Is it cost plus (meaning cost to build the home, plus builder's profit & overhead at either a certain percentage or a flat rate) or is it square footage with allowances (you pay $X per sq. ft. which includes a list of basic features and gives you either an allowance to spend on other areas or a list of upgrades, etc.) Your home isn't huge, but I don't know what you plan on putting in it, so that's the trick in getting accurate price estimates on custom homes.

4) If you want to break ground next spring, start now! I obviously don't know the permitting procedures for your area, but I can tell you that we bought our plans and started working with the architect about last June and broke ground in January and moved in last week.

[MrsBeckyLP]

I'm not from TX, so now aware of the laws there, but you are going to need a set of plans and they will need to meet your local building codes. You may need a locally (as in state) registered architect to 'seal' your drawing to verify they meet code. Ask your FSIL, she'll be able to guide you on this.

I actually live in Wisconsin! I did know this much. I'm a newspaper reporter, so I know a lot about development because that is one of the areas I cover. I know about the developer's process, but not the home/land owners'! I guess FSIL isn't a registered architect. She has her master's, but for some reason isn't able to provide people with a "seal" or stamp of approval. Actually, she's marrying my brother on Saturday, so that's why I'm here asking all these questions! I don't want to bug her, but I want to get going on this! I should probably just wait until they come back from their honeymoon to get the ball rolling. She probably will be a nice asset for us, but they live 1 1/2 hours away, so she won't be too convenient!

I did essentially the same thing you're doing - found a set of plans online, purchased a reproducible set with rights which allowed me to own the prints, have my architect make any changes and have the prints copied without running into copyright issues. This is probably a good idea for you as well.

I noticed yesterday on the Web site I found the plans on that this was a possibility, and it's a definite option I will look into! If you wouldn't mind sharing, how costly was that? I know there's a one-time purchase price for those prints, but how much did you have to pay an architect to make those changes? It is also a possibility that FSIL makes the modifications for us and then has someone in her office stamp them certified (or whatever you call it).

Again, this could be regional, but in my area, residential builders don't typically bid work.

I should have used the word "estimate" instead of "bid." I must have been in reporter mode when I wrote that. I'm so used to saying "bid." What I meant is that obviously we're going to talk to a few different builders to get estimates. I can't see us picking a builder just because we like them and agree on a price - I'd want to see what else is out there. Did you checkk out a few different builders, or how did you handle that situation?

I'm sorry for all the questions - I may sound a little dumb here, but we've obviously never done this before! I worry about stuff like this! I don't want to start making phone calls before I know more about how the process typically goes.

[katmg]

I guess FSIL isn't a registered architect. She has her master's, but for some reason isn't able to provide people with a "seal" or stamp of approval.

You have to take a registration exam in order to sign and seal drawings and to call yourself a registered Architect. Actually no one can call themselves an Architect or what they practice, Architecture unless they are registered - it's against the law.

HTH!

[mamax2]

futuremrslp ~ Sorry about the TX snafu - I have no idea where that came from. I must have been looking at someone else's little profile spot when I was typing to you. At any rate, same info. applies, but looks like you already knew that.

Let me see if I can answer some of your other questions...

Cost of plans: I want to say this was around $1300
Cost of modifications with a RA: about $2500. However, if you read in my earlier posts, you'll see that this was ONLY for specific modifications we requested, the RA (registered architect) did NOT value-add, make add'l suggestions, meet with us to go over functional aspects, etc. In retrospect, I wish we'd spent a little more for an architect who would have given us some insight and opinion and maybe pointed out a few things. You truly get what you pay for though.

As far as selecting a builder, my step-father is a general contractor, so I pretty much had that one in the bag. Were that not the case, I probably couldn't have afforded to build a custom home. I would have had to go with a planned neighborhood situation where there's one builder providing a set # of plans, options, upgrades, etc. Then again, I may not even have gone that route so it's hard to say. I guess if my Dad weren't a builder and I had the $$$, I would have met with 2-3 builders who came under recommendation, asked them about their building process/philosophy, fee structure and how they handle: change orders, payment/draws/deposits and I would have checked references to see how other clients ranked their follow-through in the long-term.

I do want to re-emphasize that it could be *really* difficult to get accurate price estimates unless you go into this knowing what you want (i.e.: type of flooring, cabinets, countertop materials, mechanical systems, etc.) There's a lot of research to be done and there are so many choices. I'm not trying to scare you, but that's the nature of building a custom home. Maintaing a financial balance and staying on budget was by far the hardest part, because the sky truly is the limit when you're selecting everything yourself! Good luck!

[MrsBeckyLP]

katmg

You have to take a registration exam in order to sign and seal drawings and to call yourself a registered Architect. Actually no one can call themselves an Architect or what they practice, Architecture unless they are registered - it's against the law.

Thanks for that! She explained that to me once, but I couldn't remember what she said! I'm pretty sure her business card doesn't say "architect" on it, it's just easier for me to think of her as one since that's what she went to school for and that's pretty much what she does ;) I think she plans on taking the exam at some point, I'm just not sure when!

mamax2
I do want to re-emphasize that it could be *really* difficult to get accurate price estimates unless you go into this knowing what you want (i.e.: type of flooring, cabinets, countertop materials, mechanical systems, etc.)

Great point. I was actually taking photos for the newspaper at a Parade of Condos recently, and I sat and talked to the builder for about two hours because there really wasn't anybody there (it was the only condo in the parade within 15 miles, so not too many people came that far). He was really nice and gave me a lot of info. Of course, he was trying to sell himself to me, but he did explain the process they go through. It's also a design firm, and he said all those little details are included in his estimate. He told me that's something a lot of builders don't do, so people are often surprised with the "extra" costs. Thanks for all your help!

[suzubeane]

Now I'm the one who is confused. Why would you not expect a firm price (bid - not estimate) from a home builder if you provide a complete set of plans? If the project is documented properly (not just finishes and equipment but all the construction details) everything is known up front. (well ... practically everything.) If you don't know the exact finishes, then the price can include allowances, but with a complete set of plans, there should be very few unknowns for the builder.

I know about the developer's process, but not the home/land owners'! Please don't take this the wrong way, but it seems like you are taking what you know (the developer's process) and trying to apply it to your situation. Someone who contracts in a development approaches the project from a different angle than you would. They can take certain details for granted; and by "details" I don't mean line items on a list, I mean actual built architectural details. In a builder's development where the homes are reproduced, those have already been worked out and the homeowner concentrates on equipment, fixtures and finishes.

Instead in your case, even if you start with a plan you like from a website or catalog, the details of your project cannot be taken for granted. That's job one - before flooring, cabinets, counter top materials, etc.) and that's where an architect or designer comes in.

After they get back from their honeymoon, I'd sit down with your SIL and get her take on it. If she's in residential architecture, she can show you examples of what I'm talking about. There are many, many ways to construct the same house; that's why documentation (in the form of construction drawings and written sepcs) ahead of time is key. It's very hard to consider every aspect of a new home, but more planning upfront will result in fewer surprises, fewer things decided on site, and could mean a lower cost for you.

[pride&prejudice]

L&D Nurse~ I love that countertop!


We have 1 more week before we settle on our house. Our pre-settlement walkthrough is Monday. Because of some issues we've had with the project manager we are doing that early, and walking through again Friday morning before we go to settlement in the afternoon. All the flooring is in, so its just the small touch ups. We are getting our appliances in on Thursday.

Now to just finish packing up our townhouse. :)

[MrsBeckyLP]

Now I'm the one who is confused. Why would you not expect a firm price (bid - not estimate) from a home builder if you provide a complete set of plans? If the project is documented properly (not just finishes and equipment but all the construction details) everything is known up front. (well ... practically everything.) If you don't know the exact finishes, then the price can include allowances, but with a complete set of plans, there should be very few unknowns for the builder.

I never exactly said that, but it was just a point someone else brought up and something I said I'd make sure to look into. Like I said before, I've never gone through this process and I'M LEARNING.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but it seems like you are taking what you know (the developer's process) and trying to apply it to your situation. Someone who contracts in a development approaches the project from a different angle than you would. They can take certain details for granted; and by "details" I don't mean line items on a list, I mean actual built architectural details. In a builder's development where the homes are reproduced, those have already been worked out and the homeowner concentrates on equipment, fixtures and finishes.


I must be taking it the wrong way, because that seemed pretty snotty to me. I am definitely not trying to take what I know about developers' processes and apply it to my situation, that's why I said,

I know about the developer's process, but not the home/land owners'!

I'm saying I know what a developer (commercial or residential) goes through at the town, village or city level to get the ball rolling on a development and to have it approved, not how they actually build houses.

The only reason I came here was to ask questions, not be ridiculed or "spoken" to in a condescending manner. I wanted information from people who have built houses, and it's clear that not everyone goes about it the same way because of the different responses I've received. Not all of us are experts, so please be patient and watch you tone. I'd suggest punctuation like exclamation points or emoticons to get your point across, because it's very hard to read someone's intentions via the Internet. I really do welcome your opinion or expertise, I just wish you'd go about it in a more polite way.

*********

In other news, I was coming here to say that the union DH works for may be going on strike. He learns more next week and will vote the week after. We talked last night, and if they don't go on strike, we're going to start the building process right away. I'm really excited for this! Keep your fingers crossed that they don't go on strike! (And not just so we can build a house...so he gets to keep his pension too.)

[suzubeane]

futuremrslp - I'm sorry ... When I wrote "Why would you not expect a firm price .. " I didn't mean YOU, I meant "general you." As in "why would anyone expect this?" There were a few references made to "estimates" from home builders, so my comments are a result of those. I actually meant "general you" pretty much every time I wrote "you" in that whole first paragraph! I should have been more clear. I think that might have made the tone of the rest of my post more tolerable for you - even without emoticons. Looking at the rest of my post, I still think my points about construction details hold true, and I hope you can get something from them now that you know how I mean my opening comment.

Best of luck.

eta: Consider showing the comments you've gotten here to your SIL when you sit down to discuss your project with her.

[MrsBeckyLP]

suzubeane- Thanks for the clarification. I was in a pretty crabby mood last week when I was reading this. Someone could have probably told me I am the smartest, most brilliant person in the world and I would have taken it the wrong way! I talked to (now) SIL at the rehearsal dinner Friday night about this very briefly, and she's really excited to sit down with us when they get back from their HM. Thanks for all your help, really!

[k&b05]

We have our final plans and also got our electrical plans over the weekend!!!!! It's all really, really becoming real at this point. :D We need to go through the electrical and really think about what we want there. There's sooooo much! This will be somewhat of a challenge. It's inevitable that we'll miss something, but hopefully this will be something very minimal and an easy (read inexpensive) change.

The land is to be surveyed this week (hopefully by Thursday) and also some fill dirt to be brought in to build the lot up somewhat. I can't wait to start seeing some progress.

Oh, and they'll also stake the four corners of the house so we can see where it's sitting on the lot. That will be a really cool thing. We have an idea of where it's going to sit, but until we really see it we don't know for sure 100%. We'll have to also figure out which trees we can keep and move the house accordingly. Luckily all of our really big mature trees are on the perimeter of the lot and so we won't lose any that are really valuable. There are some small trees who look to be dying. We're in Texas and the lack of rain and constant heat we're having is taking a major toll. We really hope to not lose some of our trees, but there's nothing we can do. We just desperately need some rain.

[MrsBeckyLP]

k&b05- Congrats! I'm envious that you have large, mature trees. That's the one thing I miss. The house we live in now is only 5 years old and the subdivision it's in is only about 7. The subdivision we're going to build in is not even a year old, and there aren't any trees planted.

eta: take pictures!

[k&b05]

We have some pictures, so I'll definitely have to post. I'm also going to see if I can put our floorplan (a pdf file) onto a photo website so I can post that too. I don't know if that's possible though.

The pictures are on my DH's camera, so I'll have to have him email them to me or something.

We're soooo excited about having larger trees. They're sooo beautiful. It was definitely a huge factor in why we chose this particular lot.

[k&b05]

I've got pictures! No new developments on the survey and staking of the house. I guess they'll do that next week. Hopefully early in the week.

Here's our lot. :D It's really hard to tell from this picture alone where the lot really is. It goes pretty much straight back on the right side. The left though goes way far over which you can't see in the picture. The dirt driveway that is there now won't actually be where our driveway is at all. Where the dirt drive goes will actually be more like the center of the house. All these beautiful trees are ours! It's difficult to see in the picture the oaks we have in the back, but they're wonderful!! This picture was taken in March or April

http://render2.snapfish.com/render2/is=Yup6aQQ%7C%3Dup6%3DzqH%3AxxqUD7qRUrKxzX7BHpUUKx gXPPG%3F87KR6xqpxQQPoxG00xaPoxv8uOc5xQQQPaQ0alQoe0 qpfVtB%3F*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXPPG%7CRup6lQQ%7C/of=50,590,442

And a picture in May. It's so overgrown. It's been mowed down so it's nothing like this now. Plus, it's a LOT more brown, unfortunately.
(and that's me there in the picture)
http://render2.snapfish.com/render2/is=Yup6aQQ%7C%3Dup6%3DzqH%3AxxqUD7qRUrKxzX7BHpUUKx gXPoG%3F87KR6xqpxQQPoxG00xaPoxv8uOc5xQQQPaQ0alQoeG qpfVtB%3F*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXPoG%7CRup6lQQ%7C/of=50,590,442


Anyone know why my pictures aren't showing up? I posted these in my LJ and they came up fine. Nothing's changed from the LJ to here. hmph!

[MrsBeckyLP]

k&b05- I might have missed this, but where do you live? I'm not sure what's up with your photos. I'm going to try posting to see if mine work, since I use Snapfish too.

http://images1.snapfish.com/347975464%7Ffp344%3Enu%3D3278%3E799%3E5%3C4%3EWSNR CG%3D3233794755944nu0mrj

http://render2.snapfish.com/render2/is=Yup60Pe%7C%3Dup6%3DzqH%3AxxqUD7qRUrKxzX7BHpUUKx gXPoJ%3F87KR6xqpxQQJlxGlex0noxv8uOc5xQQQPe0o0noQnl qpfVtB%3F*KUp7BHSHqqy7XH6gXPoJ%7CRup6JaQ%7C/of=50,292,443

[MrsBeckyLP]

OK, so here's the only thing I can figure out. The fist pic I posted was digital, and the second was scanned. In the properties, the scanned photo has "render2" as a part of it, and the digital one doesn't. I know Snapfish can distinguish between scanned and digital photos because when you order prints, it will say, "It looks like (insert number here) of your photos were digital. Would you like to print them at the digital ratio size?" (Or something like that.) Now I don't know exactly what that means, but it must have something to do with scanned photos. Sorry I can't be more help!


eta...so much for my explanation. I just found this thread. It just so happens that the most recent photos I uploaded to snapfish were scanned.
http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24086

[eponymous]

It's fantastic to hear about how everyone's plans are progressing! We're working in a subdivision, with no flexibility in floor plans, so I have no advice (other than to wish luck!) to those building custom.

Here's our floorplan:
http://static.flickr.com/67/224640032_7a7498efbc.jpg

The dining room is open on two sides to the "great room," and the second L of the kitchen counter is only waist-high, so the kitchen is essentially open to the rest of the living space. I'm really excited about the floor plan - perfect for us - but getting nervous about committing to our decorating choices TOMORROW!

Any advice, either on how to be certain about your choices or about which choices (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22941) to make would be really appreciated!

[k&b05]

Aww shoot... Why do they keep messing with the picture websites like that? Oh well... I'll try photobucket or flickr. I'll repost the pictures this weekend. Stinkers... the reason I even went to snapfish was because I knew it worked with this website. So much for that....

Thank you futuremrslp for the info and the link! I appreciate it. I thought I was doing something wrong.

We live in Texas. We're in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Boy is it hot! I hope to see some clouds like that in your picture you posted. That is one nasty looking storm, but we'll take any rain we can get here.

What a beautiful view you have. Is that a golf course right behind you? Is that your house where the picture is? Are you building there too?

[philnikki]

I was going to mention about the storm as well! Craziness :D

So, we finally have progress! I should be able to get some pictures on Monday of our footers being poured! I have been waiting FOREVER for the excavation to start! Ack! I told my builder that there better be a hole in the ground when DH and I check it out on Sunday!

Good luck everyone!!! Can't wait to see more progress pics!!

Anyone else still selling their current home? We are in the process, and are praying for Fall to be a better time to try and sell. House has been on the market for 82 days and counting.....

[k&b05]

philnikki - Good luck on selling your home. I hope the fall brings some homebuyers to you.

We sold our house in May this year. We did the for sale by owner thing and ended up going under contract in 6 days! Amazing! We were so happy to not have to pay realtor fees. We wondered later on if maybe we had asked too low of a price since it went so quickly. Our builder is also a realtor, so he did a market survey for our neighborhood. We asked $5k more than the top end # of the maret analysis. I think the analysis he did was a bit inaccurate or something. We got our money out of it though and are happy with the price. I guess that's just one of those things that you'll always wonder, one way or another, if you could have asked more, or less, for the house.

We're now apartment dwellers. hmph! It's okay, but it was a nightmare at the beginning. We ended up having to move twice in 6 days! Truly a nightmare.

Hope all of you are having a good weekend.

Update - I drove by our lot yesterday and we officially have a sold sign!! Wow! That was really cool to see. I loved it! I also saw that the lot has been surveyed. I walked through the lot and found all of the stakes (some are really hidden because it's so wooded). The new stakes are exactly the same location as the old stakes, so that was great news. We were somewhat worried (not a lot) that someone could have moved them or something. Not the case. All is good.

One thing I noticed when I pulled up to the lot was that there was 15 or so bottles completely shattered and broken to pieces right in the street in front of our lot. There had to have been at least 10 more as I drove past our house. Our lot is in a back corner and the street is sort of a semi cul-de-sac. I don't know what's going on over there, but it looks like someone was screwing around over there and decided to break a lot of glass. Also in the very back of our lot there is a huge pile of construction trash, as well as three very, very old nasty looking couches. The couches have been there since February, but the construction trash has grown considerably. Even with the padlocked link chain in the front of the property, someone is still going back there and dumping their crap. It's getting annoying. And, it just makes you wonder what people are doing there when no one is around. What are they going to do when our house is being built? Our contract specifically states that if windows get broken out or something similar that it is not our reponsibility to pay for the replacement, but rather the builder's responsibility. I was glad to know that, but still you just hope nothing like that ever happens.

Has anyone ever had any trouble with their lot being trashed on or anything weird happening while their house is under construction?

Weird thing is that there are neighbors just a few houses down and across the street. You'd think they might notice something going on, but maybe not. Also, the town police does patrol the area, but we may call and ask them to do some late night drive throughs to make sure nothing else is going on, if they're not doing so already.

[Sandie78]

Kitlyn I really like your floorplan.

[philnikki]

So how about NOTHING happened ALL weekend while we were gone? Our house arrives exactly two weeks from today. (We are building a custom, high-end modular) We have to have a foundation to put it on! HMMPH! I am so frustrated!!!!!!

k&b05 - That's great yours sold so fast. its strange. In some areas it seems like housing is going like crazy and in ours its SO slow. Its not just our house either. Its the market in general. If it hasn't sold by 10/1 we are going to put it up for rent and wait out this market sluggishness. *sigh*

[L&D Nurse]

We are closing today! I am so nervous...I have been having bad dreams the past few nights. DH said he's been "nervous eating" all week...ha, ha I can't relate, when I am nervous I tend not to eat. Anyways, once we get the house for real, then the real work starts...it is a blank slate - literally, no landscaping, no paint, no furniture...we're even sleeping on the floor tonight because our new bed won't be delivered until tomorrow. I hope it all goes smoothly today...BBL!

[mgmhmj]

I'll be joining the ranks of this thread hopefully very soon...BF/FF and I found a house this weekend that they've just begun framing, so we're not TOTALLY ground up, but I figure it's close enough that it counts! This is a first house for both of us, so it's kind of the blind leading the blind. But my dad is involved in the industry, and is about to start building (though nothing in our price range! :rolleyes:) so fortunately I have him to go to for advice. We're meeting with the mortgage company this week, and if everything goes according to plan, this is our new floorplan:

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g295/hmjarvis/redwood1.gif

[MrsBeckyLP]

k&b05- That storm pic was actually from early June, and it's at our current house. It's a retirement condo community in our back yard, not a golf course! That's DH running down the stairs on the deck. The golf course we're building on is about 15 miles away. We actually had crazy storms just like the one pictured last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Our grass went from brown, brown, brown to bright green in about a day!

[philnikki]

So we FINALLY have officially started construction! Yay!!!

Here are a few pics of my dirt :D :

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/philnikki/Ava%20Pics/August%202006/100_6125.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/philnikki/Ava%20Pics/August%202006/100_6128.jpg

[MrsBeckyLP]

Nice dirt! ;) You must be so excited!

[k&b05]

Yay philnikki!!! That is some real nice looking dirt you got there. :) lol... I'm about to be seeing the very same thing!


I just got a call from our builder that the stakes for the house are in!! yay!!! :D I'm soooooo excited. Right after work I'll be making a mad dash to Lowe's to buy some blue electrical type tape stuff so that we can mark the trees of which ones we want to save!!

We'll head out there tonight to look at where the house is sitting and see if we want to move it any. Then, of course pick out our trees! We actually won't have to tear down many as the majority of the trees are on the perimeter of the lot. There are a few here and there though that are in the middle that may have to come down. We'll see.

I'm just too excited! :D :D :D


Dirt will start being pushed and trees trimmed up (they'll trim trees up to 6-8ft) next week! :D

[philnikki]

Framing for the footers is up! I know they poured the concrete yesterday, so I will have those pics on Monday!

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/philnikki/The%20House/100_6168.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/philnikki/The%20House/100_6167.jpg

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/philnikki/The%20House/100_6169.jpg

I think you guys are the only people that this impresses other than us ;)

k&b05 Can't wait to see your dirt! :) Are you getting a tree service for your trees? We just had the excavators take care of the trees where the house is going to go, but we are having a tree service remove everything else.

[k&b05]

Hey philnikki!! How exciting that your foundation is already poured! It's amazing how quick things happen when they start! I know I'm sooooo excited about seeing our lot (and dirt!!) transform!

I will try to get pictures moved from snapfish to another photo site sometime soon. It won't be until mid-next week though since I'm headed out of town this evening for the holiday weekend. I'll be sure and post pictures... don't worry! :)

Our builder has an excavation guy that he uses. He's going to remove the trees that are where the house is going to sit (there aren't that many), plus all the other trees that we want/need to get rid of as well. All the tree work will be done now.

Update
We went to the lot on Tuesday night and picked out our trees. At first when we got there we didn't see any of the stakes for the house. We were like "did they really stake the house?" Shortly after my DH found one stake and then we found the rest. It was kind of like an easter egg hunt. One stake was nestled, and kind of hiding, by a tree. Two others were in some thick brush and trees, and the last one was pretty easy to find. When we looked at the stakes though we were so surprised how far apart they were. Technically the stakes were for the "building envelope" which at the time we didn't know exactly what that meant. We tied survey ribbons onto the trees that we wanted to save. We were out there for about 90 minutes just checking things out. I was sooooo incredibly thankful that the temperatures this week have been nice and so we weren't completely sweltering out there in the heat. There was a nice breeze the whole time and just generally a really nice evening. We're in Texas, so this is a welcome break of the 100*+ temperatures.

We went home to our apartment and looked at the lot plan with our house drawn onto it. We really couldn't figure out which corners the staked exactly. We had an idea of where it was and could choose which out of two points it likely was, but we weren't for sure. One of the points in particular was somewhat crucial because there is a nice couple of trees right there which we'd like to save.

We met our builder out at the lot yesterday evening and walked it with him. He made a few recommendations for the trees to save and which to take down (there are a few dead trees) and then also showed us exactly on the lot plan drawing where the stakes had been set. It was a bit warm out last night, so we didn't quite have the nice weather we'd had two days earlier. Oh well...

We're really, really happy with the lot and what trees that we will be saving. We're saving a lot of trees, so that makes us really happy.

Work should officially begin next week, I presume. The tree guy should be out there as well as the guys that will work on grading the lot. Apparently we're having $2,000 worth of dirt being brought in to build up our house some, but mostly just to make our lot flat. The lot has a few slopes to it that are very, very gradual and are hard to see from our pictures, but they're definitely there. There's already quite a bit of fill dirt on the lot from when the subdivision was being designed and built. The subdivision has a pond feature when you first drive in for drainage purposes mostly, as opposed to aesthetic features, so the dirt that was dug out to build the pond was put over on our lot. So we have all that dirt, plus the new dirt that is being brought in.

I think we'll see a bit of some changes happening next week. I'm really so excited and can't wait to see what they'll be doing. After seeing the lot so much in it's current state, I'm so excited to see it where our house will be and starting to take shape. Already though the lot just itself feels so incredibly much like home. We've felt that almost from the very beginning. It's just so "us" and just home. Even my DH said to me one night when we were out there, "we'll have our babies here!" It was cute.

Hope you all have a great weekend. We're headed up to Colorado this weekend, but I'll be back next week with hopefully more updates, and PICTURES! :)

[eponymous]

Philnikki Oooh, dirt! It's amazingly exciting, isn't it?

k&b05 Oooh, dirt! And more dirt! And awfully expensive dirt. It's great that you've got so many mature trees on your lot. We've got a few behind where our house will be, but none around the house. Hopefully in ten years. :)

No progress over here, except that we've paid them more money. :) It's a bit scary how much money we've paid - most of our savings - even though we'll get most of it back at closing. We paid a deposit for our lot, for the house, and a rate lock on the mortgage. Ick! I want a dig date, at least, in exchange for our money!

We did make our final decorating decisions, and I think we're really pleased with them. Or at least we are now: ask me again when they install them, and again in ten years!

[philnikki]

Thanks for the compliments on my dirt everyone :D

Here are the latest pics!

Yay a concrete footer!
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/philnikki/The%20House/100_6263.jpg

And I totally didn't take any pictures of where the footers were just by themselves, but here is a pictures of my family in front of what will be our new house! You can make out some of the footers in the background:

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/philnikki/The%20House/100_6268a.jpg

They *should* be putting up the block today, so I will have pictures of that as soon as I can get them here :)

Have a great day!

[MrsBeckyLP]

Great pics, philnikki!

************

I just thought I'd drop off a little info here.

DH's union votes on another contract proposal today, and if it passes we get to start the building process ASAP! (Because that means they won't be going on strike, so he will continue to get a paycheck.)

...however, the contract passing means no more pension for new employees, though his pension will still be intact. It's complicated and I'll spare you the details, but DH is voting "no" on the contract. We want to build, but this is an important issue for his union. While I want to build NOW, I know it's important for our future that this contract doesn't pass. But like I said, if it does, we're building soon! (I really have mixed emotions on this whole deal!)

[k&b05]

eponymous - I hope you guys start seeing progress soon! We've had a pretty penny down for a little while too and are ready to see the rewards of it. ;)

Lookin' good philnikki!!!

futuremrslp - That sounds like a tough situation. I hope it all works out for the best!


Update
I just got back from a long weekend in Colorado last night. I got home after dark, so I didn't go by the property to see if anything had been done since I wouldn't really have been able to see anything. My mom stopped by though on Monday and said she didn't see anyone out there working and no progress, that she could see, on our lot. I figured that maybe someone would have been out there yesterday, or even today, so I went today at lunch to see what was going on. Nothing, nada, zilch! No work being done. I did see our builder driving by, but I didn't stop to talk to him. I don't want to harass them and ask when the work will start. I'm sure they are as anxious as us to get going as we are. I probably won't go back out there until Friday evening. That's all here... wish I had more to report.

[philnikki]

futuremrslp Yikes! I can see where you would have mixed emotions. Let us know what happens!

k&b05 Don't I know what that feels like! Ugh, I *hate* when nothing is happening. I know its to be expected, but it doesn't mean I have to like it :p

Ok, so I drove past the lot last night and the block is going up for the foundation! YAY!

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/philnikki/The%20House/100_6299.jpg

[MrsBeckyLP]

philnikki Yay...a foundation! I don't know much about building in your area, but why do you have a concrete block foundation? Here we have concrete poured...just curious!

DH's union rejected the company's final contract offer last night, 188-44. That's good for the union that they're sticking together, but bad for the house building situation. DH said he's not sure what's going to happen now. Maybe another offer from the company - even though they said it was going to be their last - or maybe a strike.

I really hate waiting. We go out and drive by our lot all the time and we get so excited, but we absolutely can't make this type of monetary commitment when DH may be going on strike (they don't get strike pay). We've owned our lot for a year now, and I want to build! Luckily, there are no covenants that say we need to build by a certain date.

[eponymous]

We've owned our lot for a year now, and I want to build!

I can totally understand your frustration, but I wanted to express admiration for your DH and his union standing up for their yet-unhired future colleagues. It's so easy to care more about one's self than those that come after, and it's something I really admire about unions - they won't sell each other out. So stay strong and hopefully the strike won't last very long!

[philnikki]

futremrslp - Well, we are having a basement. Does that make a difference? I never thought to ask about it before!

[suzubeane]

Nikki, unless you are building in an area with special codes for hurricane, earthquake or flooding, the kind of foundation can vary. In my area, most will use poured concrete because once the forms are built, it goes in a lot faster. But reinforced concrete block can be just as strong.

I suspect some builders prefer concrete block because the poured concrete they need for the footings and for the reinforcing can be mixed on site; instead when a foundation is poured, a truck need to be scheduled, and the whole thing is very time and climate sensitive. (If it rains, or if it's threatening to rain when the foundation should be curing, it can set back a whole schedule.)

At this point you should have seen (or you will see) reinforcing rods placed down into the holes of your block walls, and concrete added.

[MrsBeckyLP]

So basically the foundation material is a preference thing, huh? I guess I was just curious, because I think most basements around here are poured!

[suzubeane]

Unless the code dictates otherwise because of regional environmental factors, it's mostly a preference thing. (And I'm trying to think what the environmental factors in Pittsburgh might be, if there are any in Nikki's case ... water table?) Some of the choices might depend on cost, and some depend on grade; IIRC, I think they're also done where the portion that is below grade is poured, and then the part that is above grade is block. I've never worked on a residential project with a block foundation. The one and only time I worked with one, it was a commercial building and the block went all the way up. (i.e. the building walls were block, too.) Where I live, poured is the standard, too.

[MrsBeckyLP]

DH got this e-mail last night:

"At 11:10 PM the Union and the Company reached a tentative agreement on a new three year Labor Agreement. A statement signed by the Union’s Bargaining Committee states; “We tentatively agree to this package recognizing that it is worthy of a membership vote. We will provide an honest and objective depiction of this total package and let the members decide.” This was a long debated and difficult decision for the committee to make. With the rejection of the last contract by a 188 to 44 margin, the membership sent their Bargaining Committee back to the table to address three major problems in the Company’s last offer; we needed to protect the retirement benefits for current workers, protect or improve the retirement benefits for future workers, and address the “steerage” issue in the health insurance.

The Company and the Union reached some unprecedented language to protect current workers’ benefits, made only slight improvements in the Company’s 401(k) proposal for new hires, and made slight improvements in the “steerage” issue for those who are “out of network”. The rest of the package’s the wages (3.5%, 3.0% plus market adjustments, and 3.5%) and benefits remained the same. Back pay to April 24th, 2006 is part of the package.

There will be a vote scheduled for the week of September 18th and the contract has been extended until Friday the 22nd of September. A detailed summary of the changes in the tentative agreement will be provided no later than early next week."

Basically, what it means is that the union and company have come to an agreement on a contract. The union workers still have to vote on it, but if the union board supports it, so will the workers (in essence). So, what that means for us is: No more wondering, and WE GET TO BUILD OUR HOUSE! Matt and I have discussed that as soon as we know that he won't be going on strike, we will begin the building process. We'll know for sure after next week! Yay!

[k&b05]

I've got updates!!! No pictures yet. Bad k&b05. :p

DH and I went out to the property on Saturday afternoon. On the way over we were both willing to bet money that no work had taken place yet. He had been there on Wednesday and nothing was done. While he was there he saw our builder and he said he'd call if something was to get started. So, we had no reason to believe anything had taken place since we hadn't gotten a phone call. We make the turn in our subdivision where we get first sight of our property and wow, there had been A LOT of work done. And, some that we really are not happy with, AT ALL. :mad:

Let me give you a little bit of some back story. We fell in love with this lot on first sight. It's 1.3 and change acres. It's also got a LOT of beautiful trees on the lot. Fortunately the very mature trees seem to mostly be on the perimeter of the property. We went out to the property three weeks ago and tied ribbons on trees in specific colors. Blue and white to save the trees (we ran out of blue tape, so we changed to white tape) and Red tape to get rid of the trees. There were a couple we knew we didn't want and at least one that was really going to be in the way of the house, so we tied red ribbons on those. There were also two obviously dead trees up close to the front of the property and we marked those red too. We tied a lot of ribbons on other trees marking to save.

The next day we met our builder out there (he's kind of the sales guy as he isn't the one who oversees the work per se, but he's also part owner of the company). We discussed the "building envelope" and how it seemed so big to us and what was really going on. We figured out that there were some nice cedar trees as well as some others that we could save if we moved the house over 5-10 feet to the right. He agreed that that would work. We wanted the really big cedar tree.

We pull up on Saturday and apparently the discussion we had with our builder on that evening a couple weeks ago never took place. The stakes were not moved 5-10 feet to the right. The big beautiful cedar tree was gone. :( And, the two dead trees up front that are obviously tied with red ribbons are still THERE!!! Hello.... what's the freakin' deal?? :eek:

We were really upset. We also had asked that if some trees were to be taken down that we hadn't specifically discussed before, that they needed to call us. No phone call. No phone call also to tell us that work had been started. This is not a cheap house. This is more than half a million dollars. This is supposed to be a "luxury" builder and "luxury" house.

We haven't spoken to the builders yet, as we're trying to cool down from everything. There's nothing we can do at this point. The trees are gone. Maybe they'll comp us and plant a tree or two for us for no charge.

All the dirt seems to be in and is in the process of getting graded and flattened out. There were two different big tractors out there rolling over the dirt. So, we have less trees and a huge a$$ load of dirt now. It's amazing how different the property looks. I miss the way it used to look kind of. It was so beautiful in its natural state. It'll be beautiful again once the house is being built, and ultimately finished, but right now it's kind of taken over looking.

It's possible that those trees needed to come down for purposes that we're not aware of. (drainage maybe???) We're not builders, nor claim to be. However, we'd like to be kept in the loop of these decisions instead of them being made on our behalf. We wish we could be out there at all times and hours while they're working on our house, but that is absolutely not possible. Nor should we feel that way.

I understand now why people say that building a house is hard. It is hard. It's stressful. Things are not always in our control and that's really hard when you're paying so much for the house. And, there is a premium price tag on our lot too because of the size (it's > 1 acre) and because of all the beautiful trees. Well, now some of those beautiful trees are gone and yet we're still paying the same price tag.

I think my DH is going to call the builder today and we may meet with them at some point this week, for sure this weekend.

We have a lot of question marks in our head and our confidence in the work the builder does has taken a little bit of a hit. We still trust him and his work, but just can't help but be a little frustrated with the service we're getting when we're paying so much.

All will work out and we know that 110%... we're keeping that at the front of our minds. :)

[MrsBeckyLP]

Wow. I don't know what to say but "THAT REALLY SUCKS." I'm glad you are keeping an open mind about it It's possible that those trees needed to come down for purposes that we're not aware of. because that could be the case, but I don't blame you for being mad. The fact that you told them to call you when they started work, and they didn't, should upset you. Regardless of the reasons for cutting down the trees, you should have been notified. I know everything will work out for you, but that must be so disappointing.

[MrsBeckyLP]

DH's union passed the company's contract offer last night, so after six months of uncertainty, we now know that we can begin to build our house!

*******************

Two weeks ago we got a letter in the mail from the guy who owns the lot next to us. There is a drainage ditch between our properties, and only a portion of it is underground. The rest is exposed and is basically a ditch with rocks in it. The guy who owns the lot is a builder, and he's put a spec home up on it. He's also kind of a family friend. Anway, he wants to put in another 60 linear feet of pipe - or whatever - underground and close up the ditch. This would be great because when we have kids, I won't have to worry about them getting hurt playing back there. There would be no ditch dividing our lots anymore, just nice, green grass. He said he was going to talk to the city and the developer to see about paying for it. Matt told him we don't have the money for it right now, but he can go ahead and do whatever he wants. The letter he wrote kind of sounded like he just wanted permission to do it, and it didn't seem like he was asking us to pay for a portion of it. I read the letter to my dad and he agreed. The guy said he'd look into it and get back to us to let us know what's going on.

Anyway, when DH was on the phone with the builder, he asked when we plan to build. DH told him we'd like to start digging in spring, and that we were planning on calling him. He said, "Oh, good!" Now that we know what's up with DH's contract and that he isn't going on strike, when he calls back about the drainage ditch we're going to get the ball rolling! DH didn't tell me all of this until a few days after he talked to the guy because he said I'd "get too excited."

Now I'm pumped. It sounds like things are really going to start moving. I'll probably know more after this weekend!

[eponymous]

Well, now some of those beautiful trees are gone and yet we're still paying the same price tag.

Yuck. :( I'm sure that was a big shock when you pulled up. Were you able to get any answers or compensation from your GC?

Now I'm pumped. It sounds like things are really going to start moving. I'll probably know more after this weekend!

Yeah! That's very exciting, and good news that your neighbor might be filling in the ditch without you having to pay.

No news from us. The permits have been applied for, but we haven't heard back yet. Our house isn't on the market yet, because I got sick again and wasn't able to finish our pre-sale tasks... :( The house looks terrible right now; I'm painting all the walls, so the furniture is in the middle of the room, with stuff all over the floor. It looks like a huge step backwards, even though I know it will look really good when it's finished.

[k&b05]

Things are much, much better. After going back to the lot this last weekend and then walking it with both our builders, we're a-ok. The one big cedar tree I mentioned was taken down because of a drainage and grading issue. There were some other trees taken down that didn't necessarily need to be taken down, but their gone now and there's not a whole lot we can do about it. We've pointed those out to the builder and he was willing to comp us back on some of it. We'll see...

We also met my FIL out at the property on Sunday and he pointed out a few things and some trees that we specifically did not need to save. My DH was thinking of possibly transplanting some of these really small trees at a later time, but his dad advised against that. That particular type of tree just does not transplant well and ends up dying after the transplant. One tree is 3 feet tall, so it's just a tiny little one. It felt good to get FIL's blessing. He is a biologist and also knows a TON about trees. So, to get his okay about taking a couple trees down in this one area was okay with us.

We spent some time Sunday afternoon marking more trees to be taken down or to be saved. I think now that we've got our builder's attention somewhat they'll really be keeping an eye on things.

We also found out on Saturday that they need to bring our build area up 11 more inches. To do that they're bringing in 40 more truckloads of dirt!! We're happy though that the process of building up the lot is being done right. They're watering it thoroughly and pushing it around in such a way that the moisture levels are even throughout. We're happy with the work and are so glad we're putting in piers and then the slab for our foundation. (texas soil is infamous for settling and causing home foundation problems)

We got our build permit and so everything is really ready to go. It will probably take a little while for the dirt to get done (at least this whole week) and then maybe they'll start doing foundation prep work next week. I really have no idea.

We're meeting with our builder on Saturday to have our pre-construction meeting, which I am sooooo excited about. We'll get to talk about a lot of things. DH and I are doing some work on our end to prepare for the meeting and to be as organized as possible.

We also spent a good bit of time this last Saturday working on electrical plans. Man it's kind of confusing. We got some of it down, but we have a long ways to go. We're going to try and finish it up before the meeting Saturday morning.

DH and I are sooooo excited about the house. I even woke up in the middle of the night last night hearing DH talking in his sleep. He was talking about the house. It was sooo stinkin' funny. I can't tell you what he said as I just recognized that he was talking in his sleep and I fell right back asleep too. It was just a hoot though. Apparently he's so excited he's dreaming about the house. :p

Thanks for checking in. Just one of those little bumps in the road. As many have told us, building a house is stressful and a lot of work. Yup!!

[eponymous]

We have a dig date! Next week. Soon we'll have our own little hole in the mud. :)

Time to get cracking on selling this current house!

[suzubeane]

We also found out on Saturday that they need to bring our build area up 11 more inches. Do you happen to know why? I'm just curious; it might have to do with height restrictions from "average grade." They might want to raise up the level of what constitutes average grade to insure the ridge of your house does not go over limit.

[MrsBeckyLP]

I'm glad to hear you're more happy with your builder and things have been explained to you, k&b05!

eponymous- Congrats on the dig date! I'm soooooooo envious of you! Good luck painting and whatnot. I'm really scared to put our house on the market because of the declining home values and poor market right now. It's all over the news, and here we are wanting to sell houses! That's just my luck. We didn't learn too much about building over the weekend because our family friends weren't around much. He did tell us that building is slowing down in the area too, so we could probably get a great deal if we got started now. I'm going to talk to DH tomorrow about when we're going to get our plans drawn up so we can get the ball rolling.

[k&b05]

suzubeane - It's my understanding that the reason they have to build it up is for drainage reasons. The engineer stated that the build area for the house should be the same height as the street. Our lot kind of dipped down right in the front and then gradually had an uphill (we're talking very, very small grade) out to the back. It was almost hard to even see from the naked eye. Also, the lot when looking at it from the road had two slight grades to it. It sloped up ever so slightly straight towards the back. There was also a slope going from essentially where the house will sit slightly up to the left. I hope that makes sense. I don't know anything about average grade.

Update - We now have power to our lot! There's a pole thing in the front that has electrical now. I guess it's more or less so the builder people can have some electrical power for their tools and stuff. Pretty neat though. :) We're excited.

[MrsBeckyLP]

How is everyone's house-building process going?

DH and I are meeting with my SIL this weekend to discuss floor plans and stuff. I'll let you know how it goes!

[mamax2]

k&b ~ We had to bring in a lot of dirt too - 100 loads! :eek: It added an extra 20k+ to our costs, which was unexpected and really stunk. We also had to totally clear everything on our lot. We look kind of bizarre since our neighbors all have woods and we don't. We are planning to landscape once we get a little money saved up again. Anyway, our dirt (which started out being 10 loads, then 20 more, then 50 more, etc.) was also for drainage reasons. We live in a coastal area and so it's imperative to get the grade right so water can drain. Obviously, everyone wants their property to drain, but in our case since we're so close to tidal water, we're especially prone to flooding. Which brings me to my next point. My neighbor bought his house as a spec and it was NOT graded properly. His house & garage sit lower than street level and now that we've built our house and he can't drain on to our land anymore, his garage floods out every time we get a big rain. Anyway, you'll be so thankful in the end to have a properly drained lot that doesn't flood you out!

[k&b05]

Hey all! mamax2 - I hear ya on the drainage. It's good to hear about your experience. We know that our builder is doing this the right way and our lot will drain well. We're not in a coastal area, but if we ever get a big rain, we could have had big problems had the dirt not all been brought in. It's definitely worth it to do it right now. I think our builder has brought in something like 65 loads. And, come to find out, we need about 30-50 more!!! :eek:

Luckily, we signed a contract for the price on the house, so all this extra dirt that's coming in isn't coming out of our pockets. Well, it is somewhat indirectly, it's more coming out of the builder's profits.

Last week was interesting. I tried calling and calling our decorator. I'd leave messages with her and she'd never return my call. After waiting, I decided to email our builder and tell them the experience I've gone through trying to get in touch with her. The next morning after that email I had an email in my inbox from her. We finally set up our first meeting with her for November 3. At first thought we were so disappointed that we were going to have to wait so long. And, we were concerned that our house would be delayed because of this long time before the first meeting. DH and I were somewhat upset with it and upset with the decorator at their inflexibility with our work schedules (they will only meet with us during the week, not on weekends). Anyway, we went out to the house the next day and spoke with our builder in person. He let us know that we were still ahead of schedule with the design process, even if we weren't meeting until November 3. He then told us that our lot, where the house will sit specifically, will need to be built up more. I think they're going to bring it up another foot. It doesn't sound like much, but man do they have to bring in lots of dirt to do that.

We felt much better about the design process after talking with the builder and are sticking with our November 3 appointment. It's all working out just fine. :)

After the meeting DH and I went to the lot and worked on trimming the trees and doing some clearing ourselves. It's starting to look real good! We were pulling brambles down and all that good stuff. It was a nice morning with fairly cool temps, so we had a good time. I had a great time petting the horses that share our back fence line. They are soooo cute! And, big!! One couple came out to fetch their horse and he just started running away from them. DH and I watched and kind of got a chuckle. It reminded us of our days of riding and having to fetch a horse that didn't want to be fetched. We got back to work and then all the sudden we hear these hooves pounding on the ground running. The horse was running back towards us. It was just darn funny. The couple finally caught the horse, but it gave us some amusement. ;)

I went out to the house Wednesday night and still there's no more dirt back there. pooohh!!! I wish they'd get to work on it. I know though that they're as anxious as we are since the builder owns the lot and is having to carry all the costs associated with it (ie. interest). My DH was out there Monday morning working on the trees and trimming them back, pulling brambles down, etc. He saw our builder and the builder said that he's so ready to get working our house. But, it's imperative that the dirt be done properly. It makes us pretty nervous to have the lot built up with dirt brought in. I know it's not super great for the foundation. We're piering the foundation though and putting a post-tension slab on top of the piers. There's not a lot else we can do outside of that for our foundation. Texas is just notorious for having foundations go bad because of the soil here. We'll just hope and pray that the foundation engineer keeps with his record of not having one failed foundation in 21 years.

Maybe some work has been done on the lot since Wednesday night. I hope so! We're supposed to get some good rain Saturday night and Sunday here, so that would be good for the dirt that they bring in. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

DH and my FIL are going out to the lot in the morning to do some more work on the trees. It's been great for them. They've had some good father-son bonding time. :) And, it's getting some work done on our lot too. :) yay!! I hope to come back next week with some good updates!

[mamax2]

Luckily, we signed a contract for the price on the house, so all this extra dirt that's coming in isn't coming out of our pockets. Well, it is somewhat indirectly, it's more coming out of the builder's profits.

That's very lucky for you. We built our house cost plus (well, really, just cost since my step-dad was the builder), so all the extras and little things hit us directly. I think its sooooo cool that you'll be able to see/visit horses from your property - but not actually have to own/care for them :p ) It's like the best of both worlds :D

[k&b05]

I have good news!!! :D

Saturday morning came and my DH got up kinda early to head out to our lot and work more on the trees and pulling down brambles/briars. I hung out at home and did a little around there before heading out to see how the progress was coming along that DH was doing and just say hello. I get to the neighborhood, turn the corner where I can get the first sight of our lot, and lo and behold we have foundation forms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek: :D :D

I pull up and go find DH and talk to him about it. I said, "so what happened with building up the house site another 12 inches?" He didn't know either. Last we had heard was that more dirt was going to be brought in and packed.

We walked around and were kind of surprised at a few things. Most notably was how big it is! Granted, the forms also include the 4-car garage, but dang!!! We could see where everything is. DH's office, our bedroom, the master bath, the utility room, the guest bedroom, our back porch. It was really oh so cool. Also within the forms are lots of pegs marking where all the piers are. There's about 40-50! They're all evenly spaced out. It looks pretty good!

So, we decided to walk down to talk to our builder and find out the scoop about the forms and apparently not needing to build the lot up. He said that the engineer, the grading guy and our builder all met and determined that once the foundation is in that the house will be built up 12" due to the foundation, so they deemed it not necessary to bring in more dirt for drainage purposes. More dirt will be brought in for another location that's far separate from the house, but that's not an issue at this point.

So we have foundation forms and markings for where the piers will go. yippeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It looks really, really good and is really feeling a lot like home. We've gotten lots of rain here from Saturday night on through this morning. Lots and lots of rain yesterday. It wasn't any gully washers, but just good solid rain for the soil. Here in Texas we need this rain sooooo badly!! Our lakes are way down (some 17-25 feet below normal levels!). But, this is super, super good for our dirt that will be under the foundation. It will help it settle more and just be better all around for our house. This rain is also sooooo good for our trees. My DH and FIL have been working lots and lots on the trees at our lot (we have approximately 85-100 trees on our lot) and doing some trimming back and such. So, getting this rain will help the trees get some good watering and lessen the shock they've gone through these last couple weeks getting trimmed and whatnot.

It's really, really awesome!

I was out doing errands Saturday afternoon and stopped at Pottery Barn. I couldn't help but buy a photo album there where I plan to put all of our pictures of the process of building our house in and have it all documented in there. I think it will be a great keepsake.

DH and I went out to the house yesterday to watch the drainage and things are looking gooooooddd!! :) Driving up there I told DH "we're going home."

We stopped at another subdivision and checked out a couple new construction open houses that were there. We got some GREAT ideas from one especially with regard to the color cabinetry and granite we like. It was nice seeing it all together like we have been wanting. It looks really pretty! We also got some good ideas for neat things for the cabinets in the bathroom and around the cooktop. It's cool. We were really glad we went out and checked out the homes to get some good ideas.

It was a fun weekend with the house!! We're excited! I'm not sure when the digging for the piers will happen, but I'm sure it will take place in the next week or two.

We're meeting with the guy who will do all our wiring and entertainment type stuff for our house this Saturday morning. We're excited, DH probably more than me because he really gets in to this kind of stuff. Boys and all their toys. ;)

[MrsBeckyLP]

That's really exciting news!!!

******************************
I have news that I think is exciting, but not nearly as cool as yours!

Over the weekend, DH and I met with my SIL, who is an architect. She works for a planning and design firm, but she really loves designing houses, which she doesn't get to do in her line of work. Anyway, she said she will be able to draw up our plans for us! I'm so pumped. The nice thing about that is that I won't be afraid to ask her stupid questions I might be hesitant to ask a draftsman or other architect. Plus, we know she'll give us her honest opinion and won't try to screw us over! Anyway, we went over all the covenants and building information we got when we closed on our lot. She said from the looks of it, we shouldn't have a tough time getting anything approved. Plus, the builder we're looking at has already put up two spec homes in our subdivision.

Anyway, on Oct. 28 we're going to my brother and SIL's house to go over plans. She said it will be much easier from her house since she has CAD right there on her computer. We're going to spend the day drafting our house!

So, on Sunday DH and I were inspired to check out a bunch of local open houses to get some ideas. We walked through about seven or eight houses, and actually fell in love with one. We want to combine the kitchen/dining/great room area of this house:

http://images1.snapfish.com/348427436%7Ffp33%3B%3Enu%3D3278%3E799%3E5%3C4%3EWS NRCG%3D32338%3A%3A3677%3B7nu0mrj

with the bedroom end of this house (the one we fell in love with Sunday):

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/floorplan.jpg

We're going for about a 2,000 square-foot above grade home with a walkout basement. At this time we don't plan on finishing the basement, but we'll see. Finishing it would add about 1,000 more square feet, and we'd probably do that in five years or so.

Here are a few photos of the actual house:

[IMG]http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/Picture032.jpg

Remember, our house will have a walkout basement, so it will look a bit different from the back:
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/Picture033.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/1396085cx.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/1396085bx.jpg

...posting...

[MrsBeckyLP]

We want dark hardwood floors and dark cabinets with white trim and doors. I just love that look (a few houses we toured):

[IMG]http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/Picture023.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/Picture024.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/Picture029.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/Picture025.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/Picture027.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/Picture021.jpg


In the meantime, SIL told me to contact a few builders and explain to them what we're doing. We have to have all plans done - including colors, materials and landscaping - before we can get our building permit.

[eponymous]

Yeah for having a plan and a sister-in-law to help make it real! All of the pictures that you've posted look wonderful. I am particularly in love with the backsplash from the second (darker) kitchen. Very nice!

We have a basement, waiting for backfill and then the framers. I wish they'd slow down, however, because we've only been on the market for five days!

[MrsBeckyLP]

Yeah, I loved that backsplash too!

I'm crossing my fingers for you. I'm so nervous to put our house on the market. How did you decide when to do it?

[eponymous]

I'm crossing my fingers for you. I'm so nervous to put our house on the market. How did you decide when to do it?

We did it basically as soon as we could do it. We weren't planning on moving :) and had only a week to sign our contract with the builder before they removed some of the incentives. We wanted to paint and declutter before putting it on the market - to increase our chances of selling - but I hurt my back and then got sick, and it took us nearly two months to be ready. If you can wait until after January 1st, I've heard that things typically pick up then. At the same time, the market is so slow that sooner might be better. I'd be perfectly happy living in a hotel or trying to rent an apartment, even if it made our commute crazier than it is, just to know that our current house was sold.

Apparently, our basement is inspected and backfilled, but no frame yet, thank goodness! I owe y'all some pictures, but I just haven't had time to download them yet!

[eponymous]

Here's the promised pictures!

[pictures removed]

It would all be very exciting if only I had any confidence that our house was going to sell! Our neighbors have decided to close on their new build even though they haven't sold their old place yet. What a scary concept! (That we couldn't do anyway.)

[momama]

I am subscribing to this thread. We are in the very preliminary stages of building. We are still looking at lots and building packages. We are getting quotes on both modular and "stick builts". :)

Its exhausting and we haven't even started yet!

[MrsBeckyLP]

welcome, momama!

eponymous - my fingers are still crossed for you! thanks for the photo update. i just love seeing holes in the ground! ;) maybe i'm jealous because i won't have one until spring!

[eponymous]

Welcome to the insanity, Momma!

eponymous - my fingers are still crossed for you! thanks for the photo update. i just love seeing holes in the ground! ;) maybe i'm jealous because i won't have one until spring!

Thanks for the crossed fingers; I think we need them! We were supposed to have our first showing last week, but they never showed up; the realtor claimed that she couldn't find the street. Umm, there were directions in our MLS listing, we live in a subdivision, so it's not like it's hard to find, she could have used her cell phone to call either her office or our realtor's office - UGH. Anyway, you can live vicarious through my pain :) this winter, and just think of how much time you have to plan, which may be one of the best parts!

Oh, and pictures!
[pictures remove]

This is the living room/dining room/kitchen. The large support beam forms the fourth corner of the dining room. The fireplace is visible in the back, as is the frame for the kitchen island/L. We have windows, but no doors: you can see that the kitchen slider isn't there yet!

It's all very exciting, and yet very scary too. We adore this house and being able to walk around it, see all the rooms, picture ourselves living there has reminded me of how perfect this house is for us. But none of that matters if we can't sell our current house...

[MrsBeckyLP]

I love the open concept!!! How exciting.
________

We e-mailed a builder last night and we're going to set up a meeting with him soon. I think I want to talk to about three or four different companies. SIL has been working on our concept plan this week, and she's going to e-mail me a PDF when she gets closer to finishing it. We need to go to the bank(s) soon and see how much $$$$$$$$ they'll give us so we know exactly what our budget is before we meet with any builders.

[momama]

Eponymous - your house looks awesome! I love the open floor plan. What is your ECD?

~

We are meeting with two builders this week to show them our plans and get prices. We got a great price back from Excel Homes (modular). So, I guess we'll have decisions to make soon! So exciting.

Its already November, so we aren't looking to start until spring. I'm dreading putting our house on the market. We sold a house a couple of years ago and its so stressful.


The weird part about all this building stuff is that its just like planning a wedding or being pg - nobody is quite as excited or wants to hear every little detail that you want to share.

[MrsBeckyLP]

The weird part about all this building stuff is that its just like planning a wedding or being pg - nobody is quite as excited or wants to hear every little detail that you want to share.

So true. I give my friend/co-worker updates all the time, and I can tell she's never really listening!

[momama]

I'm a thread killer! ;)

We made our decision, we chose a floor plan & a builder! We've made modifications and upgrades to the plan and got our estimated building cost!

Now, we will get a contract from the builder, have a lawyer review it and we are ready to begin! The builder said he'll break ground whenever we are ready (provided the ground isn't frozen). I think we'll wait until early next year - we don't want to put our current house on the market just yet.

SO exciting!!!!

[MrsBeckyLP]

Congrats, momama! Now you need to post your floor plan for us! Where do you guys live?

You're not a thread-killer! This one kind of goes in spurts!
________________________

Well, we're going to the bank tomorrow to see about a construction loan. We already have our mortgage and lot loan through one bank, and that's where we're going. However, I want to check rates at a few other places. What we're doing now is mostly getting numbers so we have a more definitive budget. We also need to find out when we'll actually take out the loan. We're not building until the ground thaws in spring, but I'm sure there will be plenty to start paying for before then???? (correct me if I'm wrong!)

Then, we're meeting with a builder on Sunday and another one on Wednesday. I'm sooooo excited for this!

I hope everyone else's plans and building are going well. Have a great weekend!

[suzubeane]

Then, we're meeting with a builder on Sunday and another one on Wednesday. I'm sooooo excited for this! Did your SIL give you plans already?

[MrsBeckyLP]

Did your SIL give you plans already?

We met with her a few weeks ago, and she's been working on a concept plan for us. She's going to e-mail me a PDF of the plan so we at least have something to show the builders we meet with. She's not completely done, though. We still have to tweak a few things.

[momama]

futuremrslp - I *think* you need a floor plan and spec sheet and estimates from builders before securing a construction loan. I *think*. (I'm still brand new at this so I'm very fuzzy with the details.)

Are you looking to get the loan or just get rates and ideas & stuff?


ETA - my floor plans aren't online. Maybe I'll have my DH scan them and I can post them that way.

[ManteoChik]

Hey ladies. I hope to be joining you all somewhat soon here in the building thread. SO and I are moving back to our hometown in December. We've been watching the MLS for about a year and seriously for the past 6-8 months in preperation for our move. We had one house that we loved but someone beat us to an offer and it was accepted. We continued to look but last week we sat down and talked about it some more. We decided that with the crazy housing costs in our area its smarter to build and get what we want for instead of buy and change things.

I've been searching online over thousands of house plans and have yet to find something that I absolutely love. How long did you look at houseplans before you found "the one"? Did anyone design their own house plan? What was your experience with that? I've heard that there are computer programs that we could buy to play around with ourselves to get a general idea...any recs??

[MrsBeckyLP]

Momama

futuremrslp - I *think* you need a floor plan and spec sheet and estimates from builders before securing a construction loan. I *think*. (I'm still brand new at this so I'm very fuzzy with the details.)

Are you looking to get the loan or just get rates and ideas & stuff?


We were basically getting ideas for our budget so we know what to tell the builders when we meet with them. However, our loan officer never mentioned what you said. She said we would have been pre-approved for $100,000 more than we want to take out. She also told us she could write a pre-approval letter for us if we wanted it, but we said we'd wait for that until we decided on a builder. She seemed to agree that was the best idea!

****Scan your plans, scan your plans!!!!!!
___________________________________________

Manteochik- Welcome! I don't know how much you've read, but we're in the process of designing our home. We found plans online (www.house-of-the-week.com (http://www.house-of-the-week.com)), but we also found a plan we liked by going to open houses on new construction homes. We're combining aspects of the two homes and turning them into one, custom home. We've been looking at floor plans for about a year now, just because we bought our lot a year ago and weren't planning on building right away.
___________________________

So, that plan my SIL was working on for us??? IT'S GONE. Her computer crashed on Thursday night, and she didn't have the file backed up. Her laptop is five years old, so it was bound to die sooner or later. I'm so disappointed. I don't think she was very far, but this sets us back a alot. I think it might be smarter to just use a draftsman. It's almost like we're starting at square one again.

We meet with builder No. 1 tomorrow. I can't wait!!!

[suzubeane]

futuremrslp - Since you're doing a custom home, you might want to ask the builders you interview what they require in the way of plans and specs. Builders who work off their own sets of plans know exactly what information they'll have on those construction docs - information that you (as a layperson) might not be aware they'll need. This way you'll have a list to give to SIL (when she gets up and running again. Ouch!)

[MrsBeckyLP]

futuremrslp - Since you're doing a custom home, you might want to ask the builders you interview what they require in the way of plans and specs. Builders who work off their own sets of plans know exactly what information they'll have on those construction docs - information that you (as a layperson) might not be aware they'll need. This way you'll have a list to give to SIL (when she gets up and running again. Ouch!)

Yep, we realize that. She was just working on a concept plan for us (I thought I wrote that in here recently, but I might not have. I might have just written about it in my journal). She explained to us a while ago that it would be difficult for her to draw up the final plans for us without meeting with the builder several times, and she doesn't live close enough to do that. We'll see what happens when we meet with the builders this week!

[suzubeane]

You did write "concept plan" above, but I didn't realize she wouldn't be doing a full set of construction documents for you. Honestly, I'm not entirely clear on how how it works when you select a builder first, but when I do a set of residential plans, they are at least 90% done before any builder sees them for bidding. Would your SIL be able to just hook you up with a bid set for you to shop around to different builders? You'd be choosing a builder later, but this would give SIL more freedom with the details, and meetings wouldn't be an issue. Plus you wouldn't have to find someone else to do the construction documents.

[MrsBeckyLP]

Would your SIL be able to just hook you up with a bid set for you to shop around to different builders?

That was the original plan, but she's been slacking, quite honestly. She said she was happy to help, but now I'm thinking she doesn't want to. We went there two weeks ago to go over the plans with her, but she still hasn't produced any more than what we worked on that night. I think she's looking at it as more of a hassle now. I asked her if she still wanted to do it, and she said yes, but I don't really believe her.

I think that as of now we're just going to take what we have (the two plans we like) with us to the builders, and see what they say.

DH is bugging me to get going...I'll be back with more tomorrow.

[suzubeane]

Well, in all honesty, it's a lot of work to produce a whole set. She might not have thought about that at first. If it turns out that you'll have to pay someone to do it, maybe you can offer to pay her a fee (if you haven't done so already.) OTOH, you might just want to work with someone who didn't just marry into your family. :)

[MrsBeckyLP]

Well, in all honesty, it's a lot of work to produce a whole set. She might not have thought about that at first. If it turns out that you'll have to pay someone to do it, maybe you can offer to pay her a fee (if you haven't done so already.) OTOH, you might just want to work with someone who didn't just marry into your family.

I have a feeling that's what happened. She thought it would be a good idea at the time, then realized how much time and work it would take. We did offer payment in the beginning, but declined to accept it, of course. I think she's just having second thoughts and is afraid to say it.

We're leaving in about 20 minutes to meet with builder option No. 1.

[momama]

How'd the meeting go, FutureMrs?

~

We should be getting a contract from the builder today!!!! Weeeee! :D

[MrsBeckyLP]

OK, I posted this in my LJ:

Well, we met with two builders this week. The first one sucked. I wasn't impressed with his personality, or lack thereof.

The guy we met with tonight (the guy who is kind of a family friend) was much better. We discussed plans, cost and every initial detail I could think of. I'm starting to realize that I have very expensive taste when it comes to my home. I can control spending on myself - clothes and accessories - but I want a gourmet kitchen, gorgeous hardwoods and an exquisite master suite, custom shower and all.

We need to cut back on our square footage a bit (which I figured was the case). The bank will give us $100,000 more than we want to take. If we would take out that much, I'd have to continue to work full-time when we have kids. Now, I'm hoping to just work part-time. We're realistic and know we'd probably rack up credit card debt (we have none) if we took out a loan for as much as the bank is willing to give us. We obviously don't want to do that, so we're hoping we can still build the house we want within our budget. The good thing is the cost of lumber is down right now, and the builder estimated it will save us $10,000 to $15,000!

SIL did end up getting a plan together for us that is close to what we want. We shared it with the builder we talked to tonight, and he gave us the number for the draftsman he uses. I'm going to call him within the next few days to set up an appointment!

Here's SIL's plan:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/house.jpg

[momama]

I'm not sure what area you are in, but if you can go two stories rather than one it will save you money. One story homes cost more because the foundation is larger as is the roof line.

I'm with you, though, I'm spending the bulk of my house cost on a nice kitchen and hardwood floors. But I'm not as interested in the bathrooms, so those will get cultured marble and regular ol' toilets. ;)

[MrsBeckyLP]

I'm not sure what area you are in, but if you can go two stories rather than one it will save you money. One story homes cost more because the foundation is larger as is the roof line.

Thanks for the idea, and we did know that. However, that's not an option for us!!! Ranch homes are traditionally better for resale in our area (I'm not saying we're going to want to sell or anything), and we've always have our hearts set on a ranch. I like the idea of having everything on the same floor - no stairs needed. We're going to have a lower-level walkout and finish the basement (maybe not right away), so we will have two levels of liveable space. Plus, we're on a golf course, and every house in the subdivision is a ranch. We're also on a considerable slope, so if we went with a two-story home, it would look like we had a three-story home from the back side because of the exposed basement. (I'm not sure where you're from and I know not all areas have basements, so this might not make sense to you! If you don't get it, I could post some photos!) I hope that makes sense!

[suzubeane]

Becky, you'll save a ton of money if you have one stairway down to the basement, and just arrange it so you can get to the top landing from both the inside and from the garage. The stairs in the garage would be very expensive to build because of the way the foundation and slab would have to be poured. Put the stairs on the inside of your foundation and you'll save some money.

Also, I don't know if your builder mentioned it, but you've got some huge clear spans; bigger beams and larger trusses cost more money. Maybe the builder can help you figure out how to do this more cheaply. I can't figure out from looking at your floor plan how the roof will go.

[MrsBeckyLP]

Thanks.

We don't have a plan for what the outside will look like yet, so I can't help you there; we'll have to wait for the draftsman I guess. We know the great room/dining/gathering area has a lot of extra space, and we will probably end up rearranging the whole kitchen/dining area so there isn't so much open space, and we'll be able to cut back on square footage. Do you have any ideas how we could rearrange that area. I guess we could just knock off that dining area and move our kitchen table into the area between the great room and the kitchen. FYI - I don't like that little wall that divides the great room and dining area, and I'm not going to have that little island lip off the kitchen counter. We'd rather have an island (in the same shape) in the center of the kitchen. That would probably make more room for the table if cut off that dining nook. UGGH! I don't want to have to cut costs!!! Why can't we win the lottery??? ;)

I really have my heart set on stairs from the garage to the basement! (it is going to be so hard for me to cut costs!!!) When Matt comes home from work, he's usually pretty dirty. We would both love it if he could come in the garage, go downstairs, shower and be clean when he enters the living space! I'm not quite sure what you mean about arranging it so we can have the top landing from both the inside and from the garage, so I would appreciate another explanation! :) I appreciate the idea, so hopefully I'll be able to understand it!

[momama]

I'm in New England so I absolutely know what you mean about the basement. Basements are the norm around here. Actually if we had bought one of the lots we were seriously considering, we would have had a walk-out, too.

I was visiting a friend in FL last year and totally fell in love with contemporary ranch style homes!! They are not common here at all unless we are talking a one bedroom 1000 sf type deal or they are in a 55 and over community.

Anyway, all that rambling to say I understand what you mean about the basement and that I love ranches, too! :)

[suzubeane]

We don't have a plan for what the outside will look like yet, so I can't help you there.

Here's the thing: Buildings need to be designed in 3D. I know that with all the diagrams of houseplans available for purchase, it's easy to start to think that the plan is the most important thing. But keep in mind that the diagrams of houses (on sites like e-plans, or given out by developers) are really for presentation purposes. The drawings you don't see (the building sections, roof plans, framing, foundation plans) are equally if not more important. And I don't mean just for building the thing - I know everyone gets that - but the geometry of the building is more important than the plan during the design process too, because it affects everything else.

To get an idea of what I mean, Becky, think about what would happen if I said you needed a column in the middle of your great room? Or if you needed a humongous beam was going to drop down below ceiling level to separate your dining room from your living room? Or that the roof you'd need to cap this thing off would need to pitch so high, it would look like a party hat from the street?

I'm not being critical - I don't expect people who don't work in the building trades to know this stuff, and I think that availability of plans that I mentioned above makes it easy to think that any 2D plan can be fashioned into a house. (I also blame the home improvemnt shows that make things look so easy!) Would you believe, though, that I have spent the last two weeks full time coordinating a house plan between plan section and elevation, and I'm still not done? (Granted, it's a 4 story town house with a crow's nest and a complicated roof.)

This is why I think that anyone who wants to design her own home but does not want to use an architect or designer (you, too, ManteoChik) should use a site like e-plan, and make changes that stay within the building envelope. You don't like brick? Fine - use clapboard or siding. You want to change a non-bearing wall? No problem. You don't like the bathroom interior? Change it. Occasionally you can even enlarge the footprint of the house (as long as the structual/roof design allows it) but at least that way you know you're starting with something buildable. It has a roof and columns and framing that works - no need to reinvent the wheel. That's the stuff it's just too hard to do on your own w/out a lot of design or construction knowledge.

The house plan catalogs and sites provide you with a full set of construction documents, and some of them will sell you the set in electronic format that a draft person can tweak. The areas where they are typically lacking is in the finish details, but that's the stuff you seem pretty sure about anyway, Becky.

I went to e-plans and entered as criteria 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 car garage, and one story. I hope you're not offended, but I don't' see a substantial difference between a lot of these plans and what your SIL drew, and a few of them could have a basement stair accessible from the garage by adding an extra door between garage and house:

House Plan # HWEPL03581

http://www.eplans.com/content-images/common/plans/images/AHA0/AHA032/AHA032-0000-F1-LG.GIF

http://www.eplans.com/content-images/common/plans/images/AHA0/AHA032/AHA032-FR-RE-CO-MD.JPG

House Plan # HWEPL04627

This one would be sweet on the golf course; see the little covered porch? And look - add a door from the garage to the entry hall, make sure the stairs aren't carpeted, and hubby scoots down the stairs without making a mess!

http://www.eplans.com/content-images/common/plans/images/AHA0/AHA333/AHA333-0000-F1-LG.GIF

http://www.eplans.com/content-images/common/plans/images/AHA0/AHA333/AHA333-0000-FP-MD.GIF

House Plan # HWEPL10684

Side entry garages are much nicer looking IMO if your site allows the space (which reminds me - do you know what your size limitations are on the site?) This one already has a stair that is commonly accessible from the house and garage:

http://www.eplans.com/content-images/common/plans/images/NHA0/NHA005/NHA005-0000-F1-MD.GIF

http://www.eplans.com/content-images/common/plans/images/NHA0/NHA005/NHA005-0000-FPCR-LG.JPG

Anyway, you get the point. I hope this helps. I could start making all kinds of recommendations about the plan your SIL put together, but ultimately, I don't think I'd be genuinely helpful if I didn't state my opinion that you're going about this process out of order, and that you could be asking for problems down the road.

[Mickey&B]

Joining back in :D
after finally getting our plans and dealing with another builder that was going to charge us way to much to build, we have finally found another builder that can work in out price range, he is a friend of the family and said that at his high end price he would only charge $150 a sqft, while our other wanted to charge $180. So right off the top he shaved $100,000 off of our previous estimate!!!:D I still have to call a few banks and look into a construction loan, to see if we can really swing this. But I am getting so excited and at the same time feeling so overwhelmed at the thought of having to go out and shop for what I want in this house, that I don't even know where to start!

[k&b05]

Checking in....

Lots going on at our house today. I went out there during my lunchtime and our foundation was being poured! Soooooo exciting!! It was awesome to see it all happening. Truly amazing!

And, the cool thing is that they're pouring our foundation on the 17th. We were married on the 17th of September. awwww... one year and two months after our wedding day. :)

We had our final meeting with our interior decorator on Monday. We have our selections picked out for our tile, carpet, cabinetry, paint and trim colors etc etc. It was a lot to choose, but we're so glad to be done.

Happy weekend everyone!

[momama]

K&B05 - congrats on the foundation & selecting all the tile, etc. I can't wait to pick out all that stuff!

~~

I'm very excited because DH met the builder yesterday an picked up our contract!! We'll have our lawyer review it, make any necessary changes and sign!!

Of course, its now starting to get chilly, I was kinda hoping this would be a very mild winter so we could break ground in Jan or Feb. Wishful thinkin'... ;)

[momama]

oh, I forgot I had a question for those posting and those lurking...

Anyone use propane to heat their homes? Our builder typically does propane, we can certainly choose oil (no gas lines here) if we want. So, I'm trying to decide between the two. We are definitely not using electric.

Part of me loves the idea of propane as a fuel, but I do not know anyone who uses it. Its considered an alternative fuel and is non-toxic, so I love that. But around here everyone uses oil; its all I know!

[MrsBeckyLP]

momama - Most people who live "out in the country" here use propane. I've never heard anyone complain about it. I've always lived in the city, so I've always had natural gas piped in. (I just asked DH about it - he works for a natural gas company - and he said it's really just a matter of preference.)

suzubeane - thanks for all the info. i really appreciate it. i don't have the energy to really respond right now (I'm really sick), but we'll take everything into consideration. we realize we may need to make some changes - maybe even major ones - to our plan. i spoke with the draftsman, and we have an appointment with him on Dec. 9. Until then, I'm not going to think about it!

[Mickey&B]

I'm hoping for a little direction here :D
Where do I even start to look for stuff to pick out for my new home? besides of course going into a showroom with a pencil and pad, or is that the best way? any website you guys know of for ideas?
So lost I tell ya!

[suzubeane]

What do you mean "stuff?"

[k&b05]

Our house is being framed as I type!!! I'm soooooo excited! :) Everything is really coming along!

They just started framing today. Lumber was delivered yesterday, and another load delivered today. Boy, it is a lot of wood!! They have the walls put up for the study, our bedroom and I guess that's about it at this point. I just heard from my DH who is up there. I'm heading up later this afternoon after I get off work. :)

Mickey&B - What kind of stuff are you looking for? If it's tile, or carpet, or something like that, then yeah, go to a showroom (not Home Depot, but an actual tile store) and see what they have. Also, a lot of it will depend on what your budget is. There are some seriously expensive tiles out there. Same with just about everything. Granite, carpet, etc. You need to have a point of reference in terms of pricing so you know what you can afford or where you will go overbudget.

Good luck!

[k&b05]

Mickey&B - I just read up a little further back. It sounds like you guys haven't gotten started yet on the house (the actual building of the house). Are you doing a custom home? With your builder, what kind of budgets did he give y'all for your "stuff" (ie. granites, tile, carpet, wood floors, cabinetry, appliances, etc.). You said something about a per square foot price. Is all that stuff included in your per square foot price. It sounds like you might need to talk to you builder some about this. And, I wouldn't worry just yet about picking out things for your house. You're still pretty early in the game with respect to that.

My DH and I are building a custom home and we just got our foundation last week and they've started framing today. We just made our selections last week for tile and whatnot.

What we did though early on was we went to a lot of model homes and other custom homes that were open where we could go in and see what it looks like on the inside. We took lots and lots of pictures of things we liked, some things we didn't like, etc. This really helps. You can look at the pictures and start to get a feel for a general theme or feeling that you want the house to look like on the inside. We started seeing similarities in the things we liked from house to house over a period of several months.

This process can be quite overwhelming. To me, it's similar to planning a wedding. It all seems so overwhelming at the start, picking out tiles or colors and whatnot and then over time it eases up and things start getting done.

Good luck!

[Mickey&B]

Our house isn't part of a development so we don't have a list to choose from as far as what goes in the house, it's basically what ever we want.
Our builder hasn't given us our allowances yet, but he did say to go out and price things such as tile, fixtures ect.
The price for footage doesn't include finishing things like tile, counter tops, and all the rest. Basically it's for the demo, foundation, framing, roof, windows, drywall.

[eponymous]

It sounds like things are going well for everyone. I'm so happy for you all!

Things are a little more mixed for us.
GREAT news: at the pre-drywall walk-through, we brought our own inspector to do an inspection. He was very impressed with the job that the builders are doing, both big things and little things (for example, there are mesh squares over the open ductwork, to keep as much construction dust as possible out of the ducts). His only suggestion was to make sure that flashing was installed behind the siding, which it has been.
TERRIBLE news: nothing is selling around here, no one came to our open house, and it's starting to look like it doesn't matter what we do; we're definitely not going to sell before January 1st, and we're trying to figure out what to do then. Do we drop the price of our current house $10,000 (losing $5,000), or close on the new house and be willing to pay two mortgages for a few months ($1200/month). Ick, ick, ick. I'm starting to have a terrible feeling about whether we'll get to live in this lovely new house!

[MrsBeckyLP]

eponymous- I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, I really am. I'm so nervous about putting our house on the market. I think we're going to wait until after the holidays. Yikes.

[suzubeane]

Our builder hasn't given us our allowances yet, but he did say to go out and price things such as tile, fixtures ect.
The price for footage doesn't include finishing things like tile, counter tops, and all the rest. Basically it's for the demo, foundation, framing, roof, windows, drywall.It seems to me that if the Square Footage price does not include your finishes and fixtures, you're on your own as far as they're concerned. Someone can correct me here, but why would your builder give you allowances if he didn't factor those things in to your price?

I guess my other question is, are there any finishes or fixtures already specified on your plans? Does your builder's price include any electrical or plumbing/heating/cooling? What about the exterior? (siding, etc.) Are you responsible for that, too?

Anyway, I'd make a list room by room and start looking online for ideas. I'd actually make a spreadsheet and cross reference by item. For example, a bathroom has fixtures (toilet, sink, bath, shower) finishes (tile, wainscot, paint, flooring) it might have casegoods (vanity, cabinets) hardware (faucets, knobs, pulls, towel bars) and electrical (lighting, fan.) But you also have fixtures, finishes, casegoods, hardware and electrical in other rooms. By categorizing these things, you'll be able to search and shop more effectively than just room by room.

Pay careful attention to finish transitions. For example, where does the tile stop and the wood start? How high up does a backsplash go? How deep are the cabinets around the appliances? If you have an open space plan, where does one finish stop and another one start? If you have built-ins, how do they fit with the molding and trim?

If you have a little money for an interior designer, I'd highly recommend one. If that's not in the budget, you mind fine a student or recent grad from an interior design program in your area who can help you think about all this stuff.

[Mickey&B]

I guess my other question is, are there any finishes or fixtures already specified on your plans? Does your builder's price include any electrical or plumbing/heating/cooling? What about the exterior? (siding, etc.) Are you responsible for that, too?

They don't show specific fixtures or finishes, that the part that is up to us, like do we want hardwood throughout, cast iron sink, or alimuminum? granite or travertine? What type of tile for bathrooms ect. Plumbing/heating and cooling is included, but we have to pick out which type of unit we want. I figure he can't really tell me my bathroom is going to be $$$ if I decided that I want a tub that costs lets say $3,000 verses one that is only $500, same goes for some of the fixtures I mean those things range from $100 to over $300. I guess he wants to know what we want so that he can give us a better estimate.
I really wish I was better with excel so I could do spreadsheets I really hate them :rolleyes: I just have to suck it up and go into some showrooms and price things out. I have a vision in my head of what I want but have no idea how much those things are going to cost me. I wish I could just look at some model homes and say yup I want that, not that, and definetly that, ya know?

[suzubeane]

I guess he wants to know what we want so that he can give us a better estimate.Sorry, I thought you were further along in the process. I'm still confused because above you say he gave you a price/square foot already?

Anyway, you are correct that if you are supplying the finishes, he doesn't need to know the exact specifications yet. He is probably trying to get a sense of the labor involved. If you want a whirlpool bath as opposed to a regular bathtub, for example ... if YOU'RE supplying the actual fixture, it doesn't matter to him what it costs. What matters to him is that the preparation, installation and finish for a whirlpool bath is much more time consuming and labor intensive (read: costly) than a standard one.

A might be wront - ask you builder to be sure - but I don't think you need to go to showrooms; I think you need to start considering what sorts of amenities you want that might add cost the builder to install over the standard. Range hood, additional sinks in kitchen or bar area, tiled showers, additional wiring for electronics throughout the house, multiple finishes per room, built-ins and/or interesting millwork, type of fireplace, etc.

I really wish I was better with excel so I could do spreadsheets I really hate them :rolleyes: I don't think you need to be really good at it - just be able to make yourself a chart.

[momama]

Mickey&B - that could be why he came in so much cheaper than your other builders ... did they include allowances?

We were given a total price for the house and within that house price we were given X-number of dollars towards cabinetry and X-numbers of dollars towards lighting fixtures, etc.

We increased those allowances to fit everything we want, and we are going to a showroom next week to get more specific #s, just to be sure our allowance is enough.

Once we start building we will go back to that same showroom and order everything we want, they will then deliver it and the builder will install it (check this because some builders charge extra for the installation that may not be in your total cost).

I would ask your builder if he has a salesperson he works with at a home interiors showroom, thats where we got the name & info of the showroom we will be visiting.

[Mickey&B]

Thanks for all your responses ladies, I am starting to understand it all a little more. momama You just reminded me of something :D Our builder did say he worked with a few people at a couple of showrooms, but that he wanted us to shop around (not buy anything) and tell him what we wanted to see if he could get a better price.
Thanks again ladies!

[momama]

Yup, that makes total sense. I'm sure he can get things much, much cheaper than you or I or any regular Joe could.

Thats probably all he needs to get a realistic estimate of costs. Builders usually estimate those allowances. I know we met with several different builders and some of them gave extremely low allowances for cabinetry (so you know right away that you'd be spending more than their bottom line)