Build or Buy?

[BoxCar_Willie]

Has anyone ever built their own home or hired someone to do it?

How big of a pain in the ass was it?
Did it run over budget?
Did you have probs with the blueprints/plans coming out right?
Are you happy with the home?
Would you do it again? If so what would you do different?

We're thinking about building and I need some input.

 

[coastalbuck]

It's all about the General Contractor. If he's good, he'll employ good subs and things will go rather smoothly. If he's not, the subs will be a constant problem.

 

[exhawg]

Has anyone ever built their own home or hired someone to do it?

How big of a pain in the ass was it?
Did it run over budget?
Did you have probs with the blueprints/plans coming out right?
Are you happy with the home?
Would you do it again? If so what would you do different?

We're thinking about building and I need some input.

My parents built their home. If you can find the right lot for the right price it is a good way to go. I don't know if you're handy around the house, but you can save money buy doing some things yourself. My dad put in ceiling electrical boxes and ran the electric wire over to one of the wall outlets so that we could have ceiling fans, The builder also wanted $40 each for lights in all of the closets that my dad did himself for much less. I think he also painted the house himself and hired the carpet out rather than letting the builder contract it. I'm sure he knows much more about it than me so PM me if you would like to get in touch with him to get his perspective. I know when I was looking for a house he tried to talk me into building rather than buying. If I could have found a good lot at the right price I would have. I think you get better value and exactly what you want if you build the house.

 

[AKAK]

Has anyone ever built their own home or hired someone to do it?

How big of a pain in the ass was it?
Did it run over budget?
Did you have probs with the blueprints/plans coming out right?
Are you happy with the home?
Would you do it again? If so what would you do different?

We're thinking about building and I need some input.

Most of the people I've talked to who build, have said that it is a gigantic pain in the ass...

They are split 50/50 on the result.

I think this is more a question of evaluating yuorself, rather than evaluating the process...

The clincher for me not to build was this perspective:

At some point ou will move into a "finished" house, either way.Let's say you are trying to set up your furniture- or whatever- and realize there is no outlet for your lamp. If you built your house, this is your fault. If you bought your house, its someone else's.

Amplify that concept over any number of decisions/details that go into building your home... and I decided that I didn't want that kind of responsibilty. Point being that, I'm pretty handy, and I can cahnge almost anything after the fact... but I'm also pretty hard on myself, so it easier for me to blame the last guy, rather than being mad at myself for not thinking 5 years down the road. If that makes any sense.

The other point of course is Hawg's, that you can have "exactly" what you want. Coupel ways to look at that, First, what if you want something you haven't thought of yet (And maybe someone selling their existing house, has ) and second... depending on what kind of builder you use, how much is "what you want" really going to cost you?

Anyway, I urge you to actually shop for an existing home before you decide. That will probably answer the question for you. Either you'll look at homes you can afford and say, Wow, this is great, or you'll hate them all. Then you'll know.

 

[NorthShoreBuck]

Are you talking about doing the work yourself or being the contractor?

I have two people here at work that built a substantial part of their homes themselves. One bulit a McMansion. They said they would not do it again. The other is a little financially strapped and they are still working on it. They seem to be a little more happy with the progress.

My ex wife and I designed the house I live in now. If I had to do it all over again I would buy an existing home.

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

2 years ago, my wife and I faced a decision - whether to add-on to our 800 square foot house, or buy a 'new' house. After getting some preliminary architectural plans drawn up, and getting them priced out, we thought we would look around for another house that would run us about the same amount of money. The planned 'addition' was quite extensive, and included adding a second story and popping out the side and adding a garage. We ended up buying another house and selling the old one. It ended up being a great decision for several reasons. 1) we ended up in a much better location 2) we got more house than the addition would have given us and 3) we didn't have to live in a construction zone for 6 months.

We never considered building a new house from the ground up because we like the old part of town. Buying a place was the best solution for us and we couldn't be happier with our decision.

 

[Buck Nasty]

I think it all comes down to the old "you get what you pay for" adage.

I have built two "mass builder" homes. One was a starter ranch by MI, the other was a high end Dominion home. My personal feelings, and what I have heard from several others is that Dominion sucks and I would never do business with them again. MI on the other hand was easy to deal with, and I have never had a problem with them.

That being said, most people I know who have built have had a much better experience when they built a custom home with a specific contractor. They hire better subs, pay them better, and get better quality results. The cheaper the home, the less they pay their subs and the less quality you get.

You will go over budget. Probably not because of the contractor though. You will just decide during the process, that you want better things in your house. More lights, better cabinetry, carpets, better materials overall.

I don't know what type of house you are considering, or your budget, but my opinion is if you are going to spend a lot of money for a really nice home, you might as well build it and get exactly what you want. If not, just buy an existing home.

 

[BoxCar_Willie]

I'd have to contract out someone or get a builder, not looking to do this for probably another year or two. I plan far in advance.

I'm worthless when it comes to this stuff and even if I wasn't I don't have the time.
We're looking around a bit and think we found an area we like but I'm not so happy with design of the houses. I want bigger second, and third, maybe fourth bedrooms. I've been scrounging around online at homeplans.com and found a floorplan I like but where the hell do I find a house like that? Looks like it might be a building time. We'll see, I just don't know where to start.

 

[scooter1369]

Nasty -
Just the opposite for our family. My wife's folks built a Dominion and loved the experience. We almost built an MI, only to find through some careful research that they were quoting us a price too low. Once we did the math ourselves and ran it past a friend who does mortgages, we found we couldn't really afford the house and would have lost it in a year. When I confronted the MI sales person, she looked appalled that we had checked her numbers. She copped a 'tude and literally threw the envelope with our check in it at my wife.

 

[jimotis4heisman]

Nasty -
Just the opposite for our family. My wife's folks built a Dominion and loved the experience. We almost built an MI, only to find through some careful research that they were quoting us a price too low. Once we did the math ourselves and ran it past a friend who does mortgages, we found we couldn't really afford the house and would have lost it in a year. When I confronted the MI sales person, she looked appalled that we had checked her numbers. She copped a 'tude and literally threw the envelope with our check in it at my wife.

maybe this is why MI is having a ton of legal problems...

 

[exhawg]

This is the closest I could find at Wayne Homes.

http://www.waynehomes.com/WayneStory.asp?divisionID=1146&stories=3

There are usually other builders who set up shop near Wayne Homes who sell for cheaper.

 

[NorthShoreBuck]

Boxcar

You seem to ahead of the game in time and planning.
Find some local builders via word of mouth and go interview them.
Do you know anyone that is a carpenter, plumber, electrician or sells bricks or othe home parts? They will give a true scoop on a builder.
Take your plans with you. Make sure you have in mind the size of the house.

That is how I had my present home built.

 

[BuckBackHome]

Boxcar

You seem to ahead of the game in time and planning.
Find some local builders via word of mouth and go interview them.
Do you know anyone that is a carpenter, plumber, electrician or sells bricks or othe home parts? They will give a true scoop on a builder.
Take your plans with you. Make sure you have in mind the size of the house.

That is how I had my present home built.

I'd add to that list to talk to some local building officials. They can provide a lot of insight as to who does good work.

 

[sandgk]

Do you know anyone that is a carpenter, plumber, electrician or sells bricks or othe home parts? They will give a true scoop on a builder.

That kind of second-tier referral is critical.

Good builders will have good credit and payment history with their suppliers.

Because they are not getting customers in over their heads, so the cash pipeline remains flush; not stiffing suppliers and thus getting deliveries on time. That all ends up with the project running more smoothly, weather permitting.

Brother-in-law is himself an architect so deals with those issues as the de facto facilitator between GC, supplier and customer on residential builds. Good credentials for the GC are golden.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

I'd add to that list to talk to some local building officials. They can provide a lot of insight as to who does good work.

wreaks with sense... IMO.. winner... winner...

Ask the guys that do the inspecting.... good thing I've been lucky...

same exact philosophy works so often...
wanna know who the best dentists are... ask an orthodontist...