Grace Construction, Inc.

Once you are approved for a home loan and have signed a contract with the builder and made the final selection on the house plan and land – the real fun begins.  Your contractor has been busy getting the necessary permits and scheduling the site preparation work.  The Porta-John has been ordered along with the trash dumpster to be delivered to the job site when needed.  A water meter must be installed with a spigot and a temporary power pole and a power meter.  A surveyor has to lay off the four corners and then footing package ordered.  Now you are ready to get started. 

Footings are dug to plan specifications and your contractor orders the brick, block, mortar, sand, vents, anchor bolts, and misc. items needed depending on whether you have a slab foundation or crawl space.  Your contractor will schedule any inspection required at the point indicated in the building codes so you don’t need to worry about that.  If building a brick home, the first thing will be to pick out the brick, mortar color and style of mortar joint desired.  If planning on vinyl then you need to determine the color, style and trim.  The cost of both brick and vinyl varies based on color and style so make sure you understand what was             

quoted and budgeted.  If you later see a nice white brick with white mortar that you like but the original brick quoted was a regular brick color then the cost will be more and it may take more time to obtain. If the foundation is brick then a mason installs and the contractor orders fill-sand for under house porches and garage.  Garage floor is graded to the specified height and then it’s time to make sure those pesky termites don’t bother you in the future – Garage, porches and under entire house is treated for termites.  For a crawl space foundation the next step is to build the floor joists and sub floor system or the slab is poured depending on your choice of foundation.  Then the garage concrete floor is poured and key-way joints or saw cuts are installed.  

Now it’s your turn as the homeowner to go SHOPPING.  Plumbing fixtures and tubs, showers are selected at this point.  Appliances decisions must be made. Shingles picked out and ordered and exterior doors and windows have to be ordered.  So LOTS of decisions for the homeowner and you need to make sure that you take your time and ensure you don’t rush through this part of the process.  However, you also need to understand the longer you take to make those decisions, the longer before the work will be started.  Building a home is mostly a linear process where each step builds on another.  Think about it this way:  You can’t select you cabinet design until you know the dimensions of your sink and the width and type of range/oven and dimensions of the refrigerator.  Your contractor can advise you and can have vendor partners work with you on the selections. 

The most important piece of information you need prior to shopping is your budget.  The contractor prepared an estimate for you with certain allowances for your selections based on the overall budget you set for your total build.  It is important that you understand the budget and that you will be held to that estimate for selections.  You can, however; select more expensive items but you will be required to pay the difference between the budget allowance and what you selected usually at the time of purchase.  Use caution here since the additional costs can add up quickly and later stage changes are expensive.  If you have signed a cost plus contract you will pay actual costs of materials and labor plus agreed contractor fees regardless of estimate and your contractor will provide the billing documentation for your review.

Stay tuned for the next steps in the process which is framing.

Building a Custom Home – Is it for You? Part 1

Building a custom home is a journey that takes many months of research, decisions and actions.  This process takes a real commitment and is not for the faint of heart.  It requires a lot of personal effort and partnership on the part of the general contractor and the home owners.  Let’s take a look at some of the signs that you and your family are good candidates for this endeavor. 

 Are you good at research?  Willing to make timely decisions and choices?

Researching the general contractor is one of the most important things you will do.  Checking reputation and meeting with them individually to determine if the match is a fit.  It is important to feel comfortable that the contractor listens to what you want yet is also willing to push back if what you want overspends your planned or approved budget.  Good communication is critical so take a test drive to see how quickly they respond to calls, emails, texts, messenger posts, etc. 

Once you have selected a contractor, that person will need to depend on you to communicate changes or concerns quickly and to make choices promptly.  The projected timeline is heavily impacted by how quickly the homeowner responds to questions regarding selections.  For example, the plumber can’t begin installation until the valve model has been selected.  Do you want Delta or Moen faucets?  The roofer can’t order materials until you choose the color of the shingles. The granite countertop can’t be cut and installed until you decide on the type of sink you want.   You get the idea.  Next to weather, the delay in making decisions and the delay in communicating desires to make changes are the most significant reasons for having to push out the timeline.  If you have a construction loan then time is money as you begin to pay interest payments on the loan so the more quickly the process moves along the better.

What about the land?

Researching the land and the house plan is critical.  The land is a very important consideration and a poor choice can add unneeded cost to the project.  It is better to choose a house plan that fits the lot versus making a lot fit a house plan.   Much of the information about land is observable and you should go by any you are considering after it rains to see if water drains easily or if it is still standing after several days which may be a red flag.  Evaluate if the land is sloped or flat and if it is clear or needs to be cleared.  It can be a costly proposition if trees have to be cleared from the land for the home and a septic system.  Another consideration for areas requiring a septic system is what type of system is required.  Does it require a pump or raised system both of which require additional cost and may limit choices of where the home is placed.  Fully understand the covenants or if there is an HOA.  Look for any encroachment by adjoining property owners. Check whether cable and internet is available in the area.  I’ve seen homeowners in the county disappointed when they move in to find there are no service providers for that area.

What aspects of the plan design will impact the cost to build?

Also, make sure you understand the cost associated with the type of plan you choose.  It is more expensive to build a large footprint which requires more foundation and roof than to build up on a smaller footprint.  The following features make one plan more expensive to build than another:

• Shape of the home – Rectangular is the least expensive to build – Think box on top of box where footprint is smaller and plumbing and ventilation are more compact. The more roof angles, corners, gables and pitches the more that it adds to the cost. 
• Complex multilevel roofs and multiple covered porches add cost as well.
• The depth of the home impacts the cost and design of the trusses. A home deeper than 32 feet will cost more for this reason.
• Vaulted ceilings, changes in wall heights, architectural details and insets and unique features all increase the complexity of the build and the cost.
• Look at the number and size of windows in a plan. We all love to have lots of natural lighting but the cost of windows adds up quickly.   

There’s definitely a lot to think about when building a custom home and you need to be sure you and family are up for the journey.  I can tell you that the result is well worth the effort.  Stay tuned for the next post in this series on building a custom home.