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I'm looking at building a home as a first time home owner in the next few years. One thing I'm wondering is how many headaches can I avoid if I just choose an e

I'm looking at building a home as a first time home owner in the next few years. One thing I'm wondering is how many headaches can I avoid if I just choose an expensive builder and not try to haggle or save a buck at every turn? I just want a 2-bedroom, 1,000 sq ft bungalow and am willing to pay 60-70% more than the average $/sqft in my city if they do a good job. I'd rather have a nice small place rather than a huge place full of issues and corner cutting. Can I just throw more money at the problem so that I'm less stressed and offload more decisions to the builders?

kilburn 4y ago
We tried this approach and ended up with the same kind and amount of problems that everyone else plus a mark-up on the price. Our conclusion was that you absolutely must be on top of things or you'll end up disappointed.
- carabiner 4y ago
  Ok, I figured. Yeah honestly some of the new homeowner subreddits make me glad to be in an apartment. Apartment isn't perfect but it basically works and I never have to think about maintenance, vs. some noobs where it becomes 5-10 hours of work per week.
chubs 4y ago
I've done this twice by hiring a family friend as the builder once, and hiring a one-man builder another time, both times it worked out for me, was mostly headache-free, they both had excellent worksmanship. I built with a big company once and it was a nightmare. There are always headaches though, you need to expect them so you don't go crazy when it inevitably arrives. Good luck! :)
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
galenko 4y ago
No. That’s still a lottery and you are basically saying I’m paying more, so I expect a better service. This does not guarantee results. At all. What you want is a third party. Someone who understands the trade and the codes and will check in on the building site daily and will make sure everything is being done correctly. And if it’s not, will stop work and put everyone in their place. I frankly have no idea what the term for that is in America, but we call them freelance foremen where I’m from. Current going rate per month is roughly 1.5x minimum wage in my country. May sound like a lot of money for someone just doing checking, but that’s only until you find out how expensive lack of oversight can be. Ask around, many building companies offer these services, so company a builds the house, and an inspector from unrelated company b does the daily inspection. But ideally you’d find a one man band man, who’s really gonna be on your side.
- poutine 4y ago
  This is what a builder would do in North America, they're the general contractor and will generally budget for you, manage the project and the trades. They'll ensure quality and be your point of contact. Typically where I'm at they charge 15% of the total time and materials of the build.
  - masklinn 4y ago
    The builder / GC is in charge of the construction, so when incentives diverge they’re not on the side of the owner. They’re the second party. That’s why you need a construction supervisor, a third party that’s on your side (if you don’t have the skills, knowledge, or time, to be the supe).
  - maxerickson 4y ago
    My expectation is that the general contractor's attitude towards quality would be completely random. Some are gonna be great and some are gonna cut every corner they think they can hide from you. And then the buy side of the market isn't sophisticated enough for it to be easy to identify which is which. And like for renovations, lots will bid the easy project and do it as fast as they can vs ensuring that anything that comes up is addressed well.
poutine 4y ago
You might have trouble finding good builders for such a small job. Depends on the market I suppose. Also you'll run in to restrictions on some land, some areas will not let you build really small places that are out of proportion to the neighbourhood. Depends how fancy you're talking. But doing a really nice small space is a great strategy for saving money. You can use nice materials since you dont have a lot. Doing a lot of quality built-ins (cabinetry and the like) also will make a huge difference -- and is a necessity when going small.
- trgn 4y ago
  Small but bespoke. It's the only way. Stuff, the actual materials things, they have their own designs. Better to shape them in your image, than have them shape you in theirs.
- carabiner 4y ago
  Thanks! Do you have thoughts on kit homes like First Day Cottage? This one FDC looks incredible: https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/sibihx/first_day_cottage_99_complete/ https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/sibihx/first_d...
  - poutine 4y ago
    I've only built two houses for myself that are large custom builds. Dont really know about kit homes. From what I hear that they dont really solve a ton of money as people always overestimate the cost of the structure and underestimate site prep and finishing which are the same whether your house is custom or pre fabricated.
qbasic_forever 4y ago
1000 square feet is so small there isn't much to do and only so many ways to design it. IMHO you could easily find a small bungalow of that size, have the interior ripped out and taken down to studs, then totally rebuilt to exactly the layout you want and still be way under the cost of commissioning an architect to design something from scratch.
- bruce511 4y ago
  I'm intrigued to see that you consider 1000 sq feet (100 sq m) to be "so small". It's twice the size of the first house I owned (which was also 2 bed, and pretty typical starter size here) [1] To me 1000 sq feet for 2 bedrooms sounds fantastic. So many ways you can use that space creatively. So many different layout options and shapes. My recommendation would be to start with an architect. Given a good budget and defined parameters you should get something really good. And (at least here, don't know about there) architects like to be project manager as well to make sure their baby is executed well. [1] starter apartments here can be under 200 sq feet. Not sure who wants that (they are typically quite expensive) but someone is buying them.
  - poutine 4y ago
    If you built a 1000sf detached home in North America you'd have a hell of a time selling it later on outside of some very specific conditions as it'll not be much cheaper than a 1500-2000sf home. Home costs do not scale proportionately with their square footage. For example you still have one refrigerator in most homes regardless of size, one front door, pay base flat fees for services and trades just to show up, permitting fees, etc.
    - anthomtb 4y ago
      Along the same lines, adding bedrooms is basically free in terms of additional maintenance. Especially if you are not actively using them. All you will need to do is vacuum/sweep and dust in there once a month, maybe less often than that. The only marginal financial cost will be energy required to heat and cool the space. Seeing as the original commenter is in the SeaTac area, with a temperate climate, one would think total energy costs tend to be low (I do not live there so I could be wrong).
a9h74j 4y ago
I recommend a look at https://healthyhomebuilders.com/ https://healthyhomebuilders.com/ and reading their book, in particular. They explicitly use closed-cell foam and appear to use ZIP-system outer sheathing. The methods they advocate seem in agreement with high-performance building, with extra attention to indoor health. They claim the latter can be done with reasonable extra cost. The book is very informative. I found it at the library when I went specifically to look for Pretty Good House.
bradly 4y ago
If you want to throw money at the problem here are my suggestions. Find a good architect that knows the building codes and is at least educated in structural engineering. Second, you can hire someone to manage the quality of the work. This can cost between 8-12% of the project bid. They make sure work is being done to a proper standard and will can deal with the contractor if something is lacking. It is just going to take time. You can't build until you have permits. You can't get permits without a structural engineer drawings. You can't get a structural engineer until you have architect drawings. It all just takes time. Not to mention Our contractor was a year out. Also, availability is still difficult on a lot of items. The windows we wanted were 26 weeks out. Our tile unavailable. If you like off the shelf junk from Home Depot, then you can avoid some of that waiting, but otherwise you have to simply wait. Good luck!
pilingual 4y ago
Sometimes the builders are also the carpenters. I would go with one of those because they will do arguably the most important part right, and they will likely have worked with the foundation team before. Electricians and plumbers often have to be certified so there is less concern there. Getting educated so you can ask questions and observe that they properly seal the house for air and moisture is a good idea. PGH is a good resource and so is Matt Risingers channel (Build Show). Consider tapping networks. If you find an architect you like they may know a good builder and vice versa.
- dmckeon 4y ago
  Matt's channel seems to focus on innovative technology. For a slightly more traditional approach to a "spec" (speculative) house-building process, see the "Essential Craftsman" series of 150 videos by Scott and Nate Wadsworth https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRZePj70B4IwyNn1ABhJWmBPeX1hGhyLi https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRZePj70B4IwyNn1ABhJW... Scott is the builder, and Nate, his son, the videographer and editor. The subject matter is clearly and honestly explained, and the video, sound, and editing is generally professional quality. From survey and site prep all the through to finish and completion, I would recommend it to anyone in the US considering a bespoke or custom home.
- thorin 4y ago
  This is probably true in the US, but in UK/Europe most buildings are made of brick/stone. People seem to think builders are dumb, but it's a very complicated job really if you are working on lots of different types of housing.
georgeoliver 4y ago
IMO, yes. I'm probably biased because this is basically our business. Key is finding a good build team (this could be independent architect and builder, a design-build firm, etc.), and critical that they have good trade partners (plumbers, HVAC, electrical, etc.). Do not shirk checking references and doing the legwork, but the good builders are out there.
simonebrunozzi 4y ago
Invest 40-50 hours of your time, and do the following: 1) interview 5-6 contractors/builders; then, go look at 2-3 houses that they finished - you pick them, don't let them pick. Try to observe bad issues - here's a funny video about "snagging" [0]. 2) pick one. Ask a lawyer to draw a contract and have them sign it. The lawyer should be experienced in construction contracts. A good contractor/builder will be comfortable signing a fair contract. 3) find a friend (architect, civil engineer) who will, for a modest amount, be your sounding board, and help you through the various phases of the project. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqdRiBF9HLQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqdRiBF9HLQ
- itsoktocry 4y ago
  >go look at 2-3 houses that they finished - you pick them, don't let them pick. Does this work in practice? How can you "pick them" without the builder telling you which houses they built? Do you expect people living in the houses to let you wander around their homes looking for contractor flaws?
  - orthoxerox 4y ago
    You ask them for the last X houses they've built and pick randomly. People are generally happy to do this: this proves to them their house is good enough for their contractor to show to others and most people don't move into a finished house right away anyway.
    - simonebrunozzi 4y ago
      Exactly.
Keyframe 4y ago
Not sure where you are, but prefabs, especially panelized ones are popular choice recent years in europe. Customizable layouts, fast to build, affordable, great on energy consumption, better in earthquakes etc. Downsides would be that foundations and roof are built the same as traditional build, have to be careful what you nail through the walls (US people will be familiar with it since drywalls..), and statics-wise it's what you build initially (so if you want more floors, do it initially) and that's it whereas with traditional brick and mortar you can usually (usually provisioned) build another floor.
- checkyoursudo 4y ago
  > fast to build Although, note, the final time to turnkey may not always be much faster, depending on the market conditions. The traditional builders told us about 24 months at current lead times. The modular builders told us 15-20 months, but two separate modular builders told us that anyone claiming less than 18 months is probably lying and reality is closer to 24 months even for modular.
  - jaclaz 4y ago
    Only to confirm that anything between 18 and 24 months for building a house is plausible, anything less is usually "wishful thinking", there may be some particular exceptions, of course, but my (close to 40 years) experience in the field tells me that whenever someone tells you 12 months or so they are forgetting half of the things needed or they are overly optimistic. And, to respect an 18 months timeline, you need a supervisor and accurate site and construction planning and a bit of luck, if any of these lack, it is going to take 24 months +.
danans 4y ago
> Can I just throw more money at the problem so that I'm less stressed and offload more decisions to the builders? The most important (and often stressful) decisions you will have to make are ones that the contractor can't make for you. Like: do you want an airtight house? do you want a 30 year or 100 year roof? do you want high indoor air quality? These are as much about personal priorities as they are about money.
toast0 4y ago
Unfortunately, if you want it done right, you really have to be involved. Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it. Which also means you need to know enough about construction to ask the right questions to figure out what's right or not. It's very hard to effectively contract that out. If you can date/marry someone in construction/architecture, and let them supervise, it helps. You can just pay more and get probably more quality materials, but not necessarily get better workmanship. Saving time by taking shortcuts is just going to happen unless you call them on it a lot. One thing to keep in mind though, it's good to know what you want, but also be flexible, for example, if you can adjust a bit and get a standard size window instead of your specific window, it will reduce the cost now and probably in the future (unless standards change), doorways are similar... if you get a standard sized door, it makes life much easier.
- danmur 4y ago
  This sounds so familiar :P
- jonasdegendt 4y ago
  > Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it. Isn't this partially what you pay your architect for? If you're willing to pay top dollar you should be able to find one that's very hands on and coordinates the whole building process as your representative.
  - samtho 4y ago
    I’ve worked in construction. For independent Architects, you get plan and some schematics, but that’s it. An architectural firm may provide the white glove treatment by managing the build, getting engineers involved, and basically making sure it’s done right. It is not cheap and most certainly not accessible to the average home builder.
  - nordsieck 4y ago
    >> Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it. > Isn't this partially what you pay your architect for? There simply isn't a way to eliminate the principal-agent problem.
nicpottier 4y ago
Get a really good architect and use a builder they recommend. It's that easy.
ropable 4y ago
What you want is a good building site supervisor, who is experienced in the construction industry in general, the scale of the building under construction in particular and the local region and any peculiarities involved, as well as being fastidious and quality-focused. That's AFTER you've obtained a good, site-appropriate, well-specified design from a good architect. Having all aspects of a bespoke residential build go well takes a lot of effort, planning, attention, money and luck. I wish you well!
dejv 4y ago
I am just about to start construction of 750 sqft home this year. We decided to go with cross laminated timber building. Manufacturer builds walls inside their factory, bring it to construction site and put it together within day or two. The main disadvantage is that it just a "bit" more expensive.
- carabiner 4y ago
  Where are you located?
  - dejv 4y ago
    Czech Republic
Spooky23 4y ago
Ever deal with an IT contractor? Construction guys are worse. You need to watch everything. You want them always watching their back and being dissatisfied, but not enough to walk off the job. Happy contractors are usually trouble.
- itsoktocry 4y ago
  >You want them always watching their back and being dissatisfied Ah yes, don't let the proles be happy. You sound horrible to work for. Of course, if your boss did this to you at work, there would be endless complaints.
  - literallycancer 4y ago
    There's no reason not to want things to be done properly. Make your own build a charity project if it makes you feel better.
  - wiradikusuma 4y ago
    I tend to agree with his suggestion (to a degree). For construction work, you're paying with your hard earned money, and you can't Undo, Delete, or Git Revert.
yourapostasy 4y ago
No. You kind of have to know what to look for and still spend lots of time with the selected general contractor. My current gold standard of a good general contractor is Hammer & Hand out in the US Pacific Northwest [1]. Their attention to detail is more than what you see in the industry. [1] https://youtube.com/@HammerAndHand https://youtube.com/@HammerAndHand
sdbbp 4y ago
Consider a separate architect to design the place with you. They can help find a general contractor to be the "builder", but also serve as an owner's representative to oversee construction intent. They want the design done well, as well.
max51 4y ago
>Can I just throw more money at the problem so that I'm less stressed and offload more decisions to the builders? Yes you can. It requires two things: 1) you need to hire a builder who has experience with commercial and/or industrial construction. Hire the same type of builder that you wanted to build a small dental clinic. Tell them explicitly that you want everything to build built with the same standards as their commercial clients. Even if they are well intentioned, you don't want to be the beta tester for a builder trying to expand in a new type of construction. Most of the work will also be done by subcontractors, so you want to hire someone with a list of contacts filled with companies who typically do high quality work for highly demanding client. 2) Hire a structural engineer and architect to check their work. If you can only hire one, the engineer is more important, a shitty finish material or bad interior lightning is easier to fix than a cracked foundation. The engineer needs to be on site to check the work at the critical moments to make sure it's done right (eg. before pouring concrete). He needs to have the authority to stop work if it's bad and/or force them to redo it. they also need to approve the plans and the product that will be installed. It is common practice in government contracts that the builder has to submit for approval the spec sheet for most of the products that they want to install. Basically, you want to follow the same procedure a large city would use but skip some of the red tape that don't apply to you. The contract is very important, I would recommend copying it from whatever is the most used one in your region for public work. It's probably gonna be a >200 page monster but it will cover every single situation you could possibly imagine and provide a fair way to resolve the situation.
- fblp 4y ago
  Do you know anyone who has actually done this? I think this advice isn't just throwing money at the problem, your suggestion sinks time into creating a mini-bureaucracy to ensure quality decision making. That mini-bureaucracy may in itself may make it hard to source/retain the various contractors you're suggesting. For example I imagine it would be quite hard to source a small dental clinic builder who does high quality work and is also willing to sign a 200-page city level government procurement contracts without significant negotiation or persuasion.
  - 4y ago
dirtyid 4y ago
Get a good architect or prefab. Hard to really control for better build quailty unless someone with knowledge inspecting on site, has connection with good crew, or adverse conditions of building in open controlled.
braingenious 4y ago
No.
onion2k 4y ago
Can I just throw more money at the problem so that I'm less stressed and offload more decisions to the builders? Do you think that would work with paying someone to write some code for you? Do you think that the highest paid consultants write the best code? Of course not. There's a high probability that you'll just pay more for a badly written app. You need someone who you know cares about the product, who comes recommended by people you trust, and ultimately someone who you can check on and verify that they're actually doing a good job. Builders are the same.
mywacaday 4y ago
I haven't build myself but two friends have had to go legal on the builder and architect. A few lessons from these. Don't hire friends or family. Make sure the builder is registered and isn't a director of other companies that have defaulted. Have a signed contract or agreement in place. If doing payment in stages make sure that what you are paying for has been completed and has been signed off by your engineer. Take as many photos and videos as you can as often as you can, use a drone to get to awkward unsafe areas and record video. Include all major structural and sealing work. Even good builders/window installers etc make genuine mistakes, photos of what was done make inside a wall make it easier to attribute liability if there is an issue. These are some key points from two terrible cases, don't let them scare you and enjoy it.
specproc 4y ago
A key component is project management, which is a job which requires a considerable amount of engagement, technical understanding, people skills and financial savvy. I was effectively the PM for our renovation, and it turns out I suck at enough of this to never want to do it again, and this was on a pretty small place. If you've got additional cash to spend, I'd invest in having a good plan (architect) and management (ideally not you/partner or the architect). It's like a big software project, right? You can have the best coders in the world, but if they're poorly managed and just making it up as they go along, then you're not going to get it done as fast and well as otherwise.
JohnAaronNelson 4y ago
In my experience, price is not correlated to value with tradespeople. Price is usually correlated to honesty. It’s easy to get quotes for jobs that have a huge range in price and it’s often the least expensive that will do the work right. They don’t quote you what their rate is. They quote you what they think they can get out of you. The price is correlated to how much money you have. The quality is correlated to how much you know and pay attention.
ArchitectAnon 4y ago
Hire an architect. Find the directory of registered architects in your state or country, browse through the listings and chose a few that are within a hour or so of your location that do work that you like. For each architect, choose some houses on the architect’s website and ask if they will put you in touch with the owners and if they would be happy to show you around one of them. Ask the architect what went wrong and how they dealt with it. (Something goes wrong on every project). You should get a good feel for if the architect is someone you can work with from this process, you will be in a relationship with them for at least a year and a half and building is expensive and stressful. If you hire an architect for a full service they will also take care things like permits, sourcing some reliable contractors to choose from, quality control for the build process. Ask your architect to show you visuals of what the house will be like, I guarantee you you can’t read plans like we can. They don’t need to be hyper expensive realtime ray traced renderings, if your architect works in 3D you can sit with them a look at the computer model we work with day to day, that’s enough to understand what it will be like. Designing a house with an absolutely fixed budget is only possible if you are building a new build house on a flat serviced site and you give a minimal brief and don’t change it after the outline design and you allow a contingency. This practically never happens. After giving you a lowball hard limit on how much they have to spend I draw them a small house and pretty much all clients like to make their houses bigger as the project progresses. I always warn clients that they are going over budget because of extra floor area and I warn them not to get bamboozled into choosing insanely expensive kitchens and finishes by salespeople, but it still happens on most projects. Don’t make last minute design changes, someone will make a mistake and it will cause a cascade of changes that will cost you more or compromise the design. Don’t base your idea of what a decent budget in $/sqft is on what your neighbour self built 15 years ago, or what someone on a TV program about building houses said; the neighbour typically omits lots of costs when telling them how much their build cost e.g. groundworks, services connections, etc. Likewise the budgets people say on TV are usually absolute bullshit. Also remember that your architect doesn’t have total control over the price; what you get quoted by the contractor is what they think the market will bear and this can change considerably over the course of the 6-12 months it will take to get your permissions and finalise the detailed design.
mihaaly 4y ago
I believe the key is finding a generic contractor (supervisor) who is reliable and scrupulous, responsible and at the same time experienced in the construction industry practices, not afraid of quarrel and confrontation with shady contractors. Money helps as motivator and allows not to rush things through but alone is not a guarantee. Lots of independent and diverse professionals and groups with own agenda and attitude need to act in symphony to produce a satisfactory result. Not an easy feast, despite of the collective wisdom accumulated throughout the centuries construction quality suffers in most cases, to a varying degree, occupants need to get used to and ignore troubles avoidable for long long time in theory (and in practice too with the proper care).
pbronez 4y ago
It’s hard. We just tried that with a design-build firm and they managed some very impressive fuck ups. If I was gonna do it again, I would: 1) hire a separate, independent architect 2) spend more money on lawyers to review contracts up front It’s not about haggling over pennies. It’s about catching the big fuckups while they’re little fuck ups. Also double-checking everyone’s math and putting eyes on the work every single day.
goodpoint 4y ago
> 1,000 sq ft bungalow And you call that a bungalow!?
- rfrey 4y ago
  In the US and Canada, any one-story house is often called a bungalow.
sgt101 4y ago
My tip is get yourself an experienced independent agent/manager to supervise the build - or treat it as one semester of a college course on how to build houses, and accept the costs that you would expect (with the full realisation that you are going to have to do two more to "graduate"). When I first did projects I got caught repeatedly with items that were not on the spec sheets or costings - but were 100% required. This is one of the ways that builders manage price competition with the inexperienced. They 100% know what the rate that is likely to get quoted will be, if they want the work they will quote lower than that and will use overruns to make back to the market or somewhat above (because by then you are stuck). An experienced project manager will catch 95% of these issues some will sneak through but they will also have the contacts to get these sorted if the builders are unreasonable. You will pay out a chunk to employ this person - sure - but this will pay you back just with the cost overrun issue (in my experience) and at the same time you will have much less day to day work on your plate. So, it's basically a "free" assistant. Also, what's a good job? You have ideas... but experienced builders (and your manager) will know where it's really smart to spend your money.
hasbot 4y ago
I'm not sure what you're trying to avoid. After the plan is finalized, there is a discussion between the builder and owner about materials and furnishing (e.g. flooring, countertops, cabinet style, siding, roofing, HVAC, lights, paint, etc). But once those decisions are made, it's (hopefully) off to the races. That's the way it'll be with a budget builder or a luxury builder. The actual construction is what is crucial. All builders and their subcontractors will be in a hurry to get the job done so they can move on to the next job. I expect most are professionals and care about doing a good job, but there are plenty who are OK with a shoddy job. They'll be most likely gone when the problems in their workmanship is done. Hang out in /r/HomeImprovement for a while and you'll see all sorts of contractor fuckups. Getting a good builder and subcontractors is a crap shoot. My wealthy neighbors a few years ago wanted to build their dream/final home. The builder left halfway through. They found a new builder and eventually completed the project but way past the original date. They finally moved in and had to deal with so many issues that it was hurting their marriage. After about a year, they decided to sell the house. The new owners were still dealing with construction issues (for example, the crawlspace wasn't properly waterproofed and had significant water intrusion). If you want to be hands off, buy an existing house and hire a really good inspector to tell you what kind of shape it's in. Some inspectors don't do a very good job either, so...
literallycancer 4y ago
If you want to do things properly: you ("the investor") get a "investor's supervisor" which is a person that goes to the building site daily and checks that everything is done properly. For example every time there is something that's going to be covered up and not possible to inspect later, the contractor's crew has to wait for approval of the investor's supervisor before covering it up and continuing the work (simple example -- pouring foundations). If they don't call your guy to sign off on it, he makes them redo that part. This is the only way to be sure they didn't just throw some garbage there or quickly covered up some shoddy work or usage of cheaper materials than agreed. Note that you can't rely on the builder's supervisor for this, it has to be your guy. Some architects can come check the site and supervise a bit, however this is not enough and you still need an actual supervisor. So you can kind of throw more money at it, but you still need to know what you're doing. Perhaps the closest to what you are saying is finding an architect that has reliable contractors in their rolodex. It won't save you from having to run the project properly, but there are going to be fewer issues.
orthoxerox 4y ago
Short answer: no Long answer: you need someone experienced you can trust. In my case it was a neighbor who owned a construction company that had built his own house. We just told him to build ours to the same spec. Caveat one: it's more expensive. I don't own a construction company, so our spending budgets were different. Caveat two: you will still find things you wish you had done differently. Either because you have different priorities or because your circumstances are different. In my case, he routed all the wiring through the walls with no convenient way to access or replace them. When you have electricians and drywall installers literally at your beck and call, it's not a problem: you finish up early one day, drive the guys home with some sheets of drywall in the bed, they rip up the wall, replace or add another cable, fix the drywall and go home. When you're a homeowner with a cordless drill and a hammer, you'll want everything done with maintenance in mind. Even if you find a person you can trust to oversee the construction, you'll still want to learn enough to understand (!) and communicate your requirements to him.
dkarl 4y ago
If you're willing to pay more for a better result, one option is a design-build architect, or an architect who has built houses locally and can hook you up with good contractors to get bids from. Some of the things you pay for when you hire the most expensive builders may or may not have value for you. Expensive builders invest a lot in communication with clients. You'll have a point of contact and possibly even a web portal to help you follow the progress of construction and keep an eye on expenses, just like on a big commercial project. The amount of money you pay to get that might be better spent on better design or better materials. If you just want the house to be built well, you don't necessarily need to go that high-end, but it's a good idea to work with somebody experienced who can help you pick the right contractor and be your representative in dealing with them through the build process.
throw0101a 4y ago
> I'm looking at building a home as a first time home owner in the next few years. One thing I'm wondering is how many headaches can I avoid if I just choose an expensive builder and not try to haggle or save a buck at every turn? Look for architects and builders that have certifications or at least interests in Passiv house (PH) designs. You don't need to go all the way to that level (which may cost more), but the folks interested in it will be more atuned to building science and the little details needed to achieve results. The Pretty Good House folks created the book and 'movement' because they felt that PH was "too much" for a lot of people (builders, owners), but wanted something better than 'just' code. The PGH folks run a podcast called BS and Beer: BS = building science. They encourage folks to hold local gatherings of builders on the topic of BS, which is how their podcast started. You may wish to see if there are any folks that hold such meetings in your area.
acjohnson55 4y ago
I'd suggest buying something that's already built, if at all possible. I'm going through a custom build myself right now, and I would definitely not recommend it unless it's the only option to get what you want and you're prepared to get very hands on.

kilburn 4y ago

We tried this approach and ended up with the same kind and amount of problems that everyone else plus a mark-up on the price. Our conclusion was that you absolutely must be on top of things or you'll end up disappointed.

carabiner 4y ago
Ok, I figured. Yeah honestly some of the new homeowner subreddits make me glad to be in an apartment. Apartment isn't perfect but it basically works and I never have to think about maintenance, vs. some noobs where it becomes 5-10 hours of work per week.

chubs 4y ago

I've done this twice by hiring a family friend as the builder once, and hiring a one-man builder another time, both times it worked out for me, was mostly headache-free, they both had excellent worksmanship. I built with a big company once and it was a nightmare. There are always headaches though, you need to expect them so you don't go crazy when it inevitably arrives. Good luck! :)

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

galenko 4y ago

No. That’s still a lottery and you are basically saying I’m paying more, so I expect a better service. This does not guarantee results. At all. What you want is a third party. Someone who understands the trade and the codes and will check in on the building site daily and will make sure everything is being done correctly. And if it’s not, will stop work and put everyone in their place. I frankly have no idea what the term for that is in America, but we call them freelance foremen where I’m from. Current going rate per month is roughly 1.5x minimum wage in my country. May sound like a lot of money for someone just doing checking, but that’s only until you find out how expensive lack of oversight can be. Ask around, many building companies offer these services, so company a builds the house, and an inspector from unrelated company b does the daily inspection. But ideally you’d find a one man band man, who’s really gonna be on your side.

poutine 4y ago
This is what a builder would do in North America, they're the general contractor and will generally budget for you, manage the project and the trades. They'll ensure quality and be your point of contact. Typically where I'm at they charge 15% of the total time and materials of the build.
- masklinn 4y ago
  The builder / GC is in charge of the construction, so when incentives diverge they’re not on the side of the owner. They’re the second party. That’s why you need a construction supervisor, a third party that’s on your side (if you don’t have the skills, knowledge, or time, to be the supe).
- maxerickson 4y ago
  My expectation is that the general contractor's attitude towards quality would be completely random. Some are gonna be great and some are gonna cut every corner they think they can hide from you. And then the buy side of the market isn't sophisticated enough for it to be easy to identify which is which. And like for renovations, lots will bid the easy project and do it as fast as they can vs ensuring that anything that comes up is addressed well.

poutine 4y ago

You might have trouble finding good builders for such a small job. Depends on the market I suppose. Also you'll run in to restrictions on some land, some areas will not let you build really small places that are out of proportion to the neighbourhood. Depends how fancy you're talking. But doing a really nice small space is a great strategy for saving money. You can use nice materials since you dont have a lot. Doing a lot of quality built-ins (cabinetry and the like) also will make a huge difference -- and is a necessity when going small.

trgn 4y ago
Small but bespoke. It's the only way. Stuff, the actual materials things, they have their own designs. Better to shape them in your image, than have them shape you in theirs.
carabiner 4y ago
Thanks! Do you have thoughts on kit homes like First Day Cottage? This one FDC looks incredible: https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/sibihx/first_day_cottage_99_complete/ https://www.reddit.com/r/woodworking/comments/sibihx/first_d...
- poutine 4y ago
  I've only built two houses for myself that are large custom builds. Dont really know about kit homes. From what I hear that they dont really solve a ton of money as people always overestimate the cost of the structure and underestimate site prep and finishing which are the same whether your house is custom or pre fabricated.

qbasic_forever 4y ago

1000 square feet is so small there isn't much to do and only so many ways to design it. IMHO you could easily find a small bungalow of that size, have the interior ripped out and taken down to studs, then totally rebuilt to exactly the layout you want and still be way under the cost of commissioning an architect to design something from scratch.

bruce511 4y ago
I'm intrigued to see that you consider 1000 sq feet (100 sq m) to be "so small". It's twice the size of the first house I owned (which was also 2 bed, and pretty typical starter size here) [1] To me 1000 sq feet for 2 bedrooms sounds fantastic. So many ways you can use that space creatively. So many different layout options and shapes. My recommendation would be to start with an architect. Given a good budget and defined parameters you should get something really good. And (at least here, don't know about there) architects like to be project manager as well to make sure their baby is executed well. [1] starter apartments here can be under 200 sq feet. Not sure who wants that (they are typically quite expensive) but someone is buying them.
- poutine 4y ago
  If you built a 1000sf detached home in North America you'd have a hell of a time selling it later on outside of some very specific conditions as it'll not be much cheaper than a 1500-2000sf home. Home costs do not scale proportionately with their square footage. For example you still have one refrigerator in most homes regardless of size, one front door, pay base flat fees for services and trades just to show up, permitting fees, etc.
  - anthomtb 4y ago
    Along the same lines, adding bedrooms is basically free in terms of additional maintenance. Especially if you are not actively using them. All you will need to do is vacuum/sweep and dust in there once a month, maybe less often than that. The only marginal financial cost will be energy required to heat and cool the space. Seeing as the original commenter is in the SeaTac area, with a temperate climate, one would think total energy costs tend to be low (I do not live there so I could be wrong).

a9h74j 4y ago

I recommend a look at https://healthyhomebuilders.com/ https://healthyhomebuilders.com/ and reading their book, in particular. They explicitly use closed-cell foam and appear to use ZIP-system outer sheathing. The methods they advocate seem in agreement with high-performance building, with extra attention to indoor health. They claim the latter can be done with reasonable extra cost. The book is very informative. I found it at the library when I went specifically to look for Pretty Good House.

bradly 4y ago

If you want to throw money at the problem here are my suggestions. Find a good architect that knows the building codes and is at least educated in structural engineering. Second, you can hire someone to manage the quality of the work. This can cost between 8-12% of the project bid. They make sure work is being done to a proper standard and will can deal with the contractor if something is lacking. It is just going to take time. You can't build until you have permits. You can't get permits without a structural engineer drawings. You can't get a structural engineer until you have architect drawings. It all just takes time. Not to mention Our contractor was a year out. Also, availability is still difficult on a lot of items. The windows we wanted were 26 weeks out. Our tile unavailable. If you like off the shelf junk from Home Depot, then you can avoid some of that waiting, but otherwise you have to simply wait. Good luck!

pilingual 4y ago

Sometimes the builders are also the carpenters. I would go with one of those because they will do arguably the most important part right, and they will likely have worked with the foundation team before. Electricians and plumbers often have to be certified so there is less concern there. Getting educated so you can ask questions and observe that they properly seal the house for air and moisture is a good idea. PGH is a good resource and so is Matt Risingers channel (Build Show). Consider tapping networks. If you find an architect you like they may know a good builder and vice versa.

dmckeon 4y ago
Matt's channel seems to focus on innovative technology. For a slightly more traditional approach to a "spec" (speculative) house-building process, see the "Essential Craftsman" series of 150 videos by Scott and Nate Wadsworth https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRZePj70B4IwyNn1ABhJWmBPeX1hGhyLi https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRZePj70B4IwyNn1ABhJW... Scott is the builder, and Nate, his son, the videographer and editor. The subject matter is clearly and honestly explained, and the video, sound, and editing is generally professional quality. From survey and site prep all the through to finish and completion, I would recommend it to anyone in the US considering a bespoke or custom home.
thorin 4y ago
This is probably true in the US, but in UK/Europe most buildings are made of brick/stone. People seem to think builders are dumb, but it's a very complicated job really if you are working on lots of different types of housing.

georgeoliver 4y ago

IMO, yes. I'm probably biased because this is basically our business. Key is finding a good build team (this could be independent architect and builder, a design-build firm, etc.), and critical that they have good trade partners (plumbers, HVAC, electrical, etc.). Do not shirk checking references and doing the legwork, but the good builders are out there.

simonebrunozzi 4y ago

Invest 40-50 hours of your time, and do the following: 1) interview 5-6 contractors/builders; then, go look at 2-3 houses that they finished - you pick them, don't let them pick. Try to observe bad issues - here's a funny video about "snagging" [0]. 2) pick one. Ask a lawyer to draw a contract and have them sign it. The lawyer should be experienced in construction contracts. A good contractor/builder will be comfortable signing a fair contract. 3) find a friend (architect, civil engineer) who will, for a modest amount, be your sounding board, and help you through the various phases of the project. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqdRiBF9HLQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqdRiBF9HLQ

itsoktocry 4y ago
>go look at 2-3 houses that they finished - you pick them, don't let them pick. Does this work in practice? How can you "pick them" without the builder telling you which houses they built? Do you expect people living in the houses to let you wander around their homes looking for contractor flaws?
- orthoxerox 4y ago
  You ask them for the last X houses they've built and pick randomly. People are generally happy to do this: this proves to them their house is good enough for their contractor to show to others and most people don't move into a finished house right away anyway.
  - simonebrunozzi 4y ago
    Exactly.

Keyframe 4y ago

Not sure where you are, but prefabs, especially panelized ones are popular choice recent years in europe. Customizable layouts, fast to build, affordable, great on energy consumption, better in earthquakes etc. Downsides would be that foundations and roof are built the same as traditional build, have to be careful what you nail through the walls (US people will be familiar with it since drywalls..), and statics-wise it's what you build initially (so if you want more floors, do it initially) and that's it whereas with traditional brick and mortar you can usually (usually provisioned) build another floor.

checkyoursudo 4y ago
> fast to build Although, note, the final time to turnkey may not always be much faster, depending on the market conditions. The traditional builders told us about 24 months at current lead times. The modular builders told us 15-20 months, but two separate modular builders told us that anyone claiming less than 18 months is probably lying and reality is closer to 24 months even for modular.
- jaclaz 4y ago
  Only to confirm that anything between 18 and 24 months for building a house is plausible, anything less is usually "wishful thinking", there may be some particular exceptions, of course, but my (close to 40 years) experience in the field tells me that whenever someone tells you 12 months or so they are forgetting half of the things needed or they are overly optimistic. And, to respect an 18 months timeline, you need a supervisor and accurate site and construction planning and a bit of luck, if any of these lack, it is going to take 24 months +.

danans 4y ago

> Can I just throw more money at the problem so that I'm less stressed and offload more decisions to the builders? The most important (and often stressful) decisions you will have to make are ones that the contractor can't make for you. Like: do you want an airtight house? do you want a 30 year or 100 year roof? do you want high indoor air quality? These are as much about personal priorities as they are about money.

toast0 4y ago

Unfortunately, if you want it done right, you really have to be involved. Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it. Which also means you need to know enough about construction to ask the right questions to figure out what's right or not. It's very hard to effectively contract that out. If you can date/marry someone in construction/architecture, and let them supervise, it helps. You can just pay more and get probably more quality materials, but not necessarily get better workmanship. Saving time by taking shortcuts is just going to happen unless you call them on it a lot. One thing to keep in mind though, it's good to know what you want, but also be flexible, for example, if you can adjust a bit and get a standard size window instead of your specific window, it will reduce the cost now and probably in the future (unless standards change), doorways are similar... if you get a standard sized door, it makes life much easier.

danmur 4y ago
This sounds so familiar :P
jonasdegendt 4y ago
> Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it. Isn't this partially what you pay your architect for? If you're willing to pay top dollar you should be able to find one that's very hands on and coordinates the whole building process as your representative.
- samtho 4y ago
  I’ve worked in construction. For independent Architects, you get plan and some schematics, but that’s it. An architectural firm may provide the white glove treatment by managing the build, getting engineers involved, and basically making sure it’s done right. It is not cheap and most certainly not accessible to the average home builder.
- nordsieck 4y ago
  >> Frequent checking on the work and hounding the people to fix it. > Isn't this partially what you pay your architect for? There simply isn't a way to eliminate the principal-agent problem.

nicpottier 4y ago

Get a really good architect and use a builder they recommend. It's that easy.

ropable 4y ago

What you want is a good building site supervisor, who is experienced in the construction industry in general, the scale of the building under construction in particular and the local region and any peculiarities involved, as well as being fastidious and quality-focused. That's AFTER you've obtained a good, site-appropriate, well-specified design from a good architect. Having all aspects of a bespoke residential build go well takes a lot of effort, planning, attention, money and luck. I wish you well!

dejv 4y ago

I am just about to start construction of 750 sqft home this year. We decided to go with cross laminated timber building. Manufacturer builds walls inside their factory, bring it to construction site and put it together within day or two. The main disadvantage is that it just a "bit" more expensive.

carabiner 4y ago
Where are you located?
- dejv 4y ago
  Czech Republic

Spooky23 4y ago

Ever deal with an IT contractor? Construction guys are worse. You need to watch everything. You want them always watching their back and being dissatisfied, but not enough to walk off the job. Happy contractors are usually trouble.

itsoktocry 4y ago
>You want them always watching their back and being dissatisfied Ah yes, don't let the proles be happy. You sound horrible to work for. Of course, if your boss did this to you at work, there would be endless complaints.
- literallycancer 4y ago
  There's no reason not to want things to be done properly. Make your own build a charity project if it makes you feel better.
- wiradikusuma 4y ago
  I tend to agree with his suggestion (to a degree). For construction work, you're paying with your hard earned money, and you can't Undo, Delete, or Git Revert.

yourapostasy 4y ago

No. You kind of have to know what to look for and still spend lots of time with the selected general contractor. My current gold standard of a good general contractor is Hammer & Hand out in the US Pacific Northwest [1]. Their attention to detail is more than what you see in the industry. [1] https://youtube.com/@HammerAndHand https://youtube.com/@HammerAndHand

sdbbp 4y ago

Consider a separate architect to design the place with you. They can help find a general contractor to be the "builder", but also serve as an owner's representative to oversee construction intent. They want the design done well, as well.

max51 4y ago

>Can I just throw more money at the problem so that I'm less stressed and offload more decisions to the builders? Yes you can. It requires two things: 1) you need to hire a builder who has experience with commercial and/or industrial construction. Hire the same type of builder that you wanted to build a small dental clinic. Tell them explicitly that you want everything to build built with the same standards as their commercial clients. Even if they are well intentioned, you don't want to be the beta tester for a builder trying to expand in a new type of construction. Most of the work will also be done by subcontractors, so you want to hire someone with a list of contacts filled with companies who typically do high quality work for highly demanding client. 2) Hire a structural engineer and architect to check their work. If you can only hire one, the engineer is more important, a shitty finish material or bad interior lightning is easier to fix than a cracked foundation. The engineer needs to be on site to check the work at the critical moments to make sure it's done right (eg. before pouring concrete). He needs to have the authority to stop work if it's bad and/or force them to redo it. they also need to approve the plans and the product that will be installed. It is common practice in government contracts that the builder has to submit for approval the spec sheet for most of the products that they want to install. Basically, you want to follow the same procedure a large city would use but skip some of the red tape that don't apply to you. The contract is very important, I would recommend copying it from whatever is the most used one in your region for public work. It's probably gonna be a >200 page monster but it will cover every single situation you could possibly imagine and provide a fair way to resolve the situation.

fblp 4y ago
Do you know anyone who has actually done this? I think this advice isn't just throwing money at the problem, your suggestion sinks time into creating a mini-bureaucracy to ensure quality decision making. That mini-bureaucracy may in itself may make it hard to source/retain the various contractors you're suggesting. For example I imagine it would be quite hard to source a small dental clinic builder who does high quality work and is also willing to sign a 200-page city level government procurement contracts without significant negotiation or persuasion.
- 4y ago

dirtyid 4y ago

Get a good architect or prefab. Hard to really control for better build quailty unless someone with knowledge inspecting on site, has connection with good crew, or adverse conditions of building in open controlled.

braingenious 4y ago

No.

onion2k 4y ago

Can I just throw more money at the problem so that I'm less stressed and offload more decisions to the builders? Do you think that would work with paying someone to write some code for you? Do you think that the highest paid consultants write the best code? Of course not. There's a high probability that you'll just pay more for a badly written app. You need someone who you know cares about the product, who comes recommended by people you trust, and ultimately someone who you can check on and verify that they're actually doing a good job. Builders are the same.

mywacaday 4y ago

I haven't build myself but two friends have had to go legal on the builder and architect. A few lessons from these. Don't hire friends or family. Make sure the builder is registered and isn't a director of other companies that have defaulted. Have a signed contract or agreement in place. If doing payment in stages make sure that what you are paying for has been completed and has been signed off by your engineer. Take as many photos and videos as you can as often as you can, use a drone to get to awkward unsafe areas and record video. Include all major structural and sealing work. Even good builders/window installers etc make genuine mistakes, photos of what was done make inside a wall make it easier to attribute liability if there is an issue. These are some key points from two terrible cases, don't let them scare you and enjoy it.

specproc 4y ago

A key component is project management, which is a job which requires a considerable amount of engagement, technical understanding, people skills and financial savvy. I was effectively the PM for our renovation, and it turns out I suck at enough of this to never want to do it again, and this was on a pretty small place. If you've got additional cash to spend, I'd invest in having a good plan (architect) and management (ideally not you/partner or the architect). It's like a big software project, right? You can have the best coders in the world, but if they're poorly managed and just making it up as they go along, then you're not going to get it done as fast and well as otherwise.

JohnAaronNelson 4y ago

In my experience, price is not correlated to value with tradespeople. Price is usually correlated to honesty. It’s easy to get quotes for jobs that have a huge range in price and it’s often the least expensive that will do the work right. They don’t quote you what their rate is. They quote you what they think they can get out of you. The price is correlated to how much money you have. The quality is correlated to how much you know and pay attention.

ArchitectAnon 4y ago

Hire an architect. Find the directory of registered architects in your state or country, browse through the listings and chose a few that are within a hour or so of your location that do work that you like. For each architect, choose some houses on the architect’s website and ask if they will put you in touch with the owners and if they would be happy to show you around one of them. Ask the architect what went wrong and how they dealt with it. (Something goes wrong on every project). You should get a good feel for if the architect is someone you can work with from this process, you will be in a relationship with them for at least a year and a half and building is expensive and stressful. If you hire an architect for a full service they will also take care things like permits, sourcing some reliable contractors to choose from, quality control for the build process. Ask your architect to show you visuals of what the house will be like, I guarantee you you can’t read plans like we can. They don’t need to be hyper expensive realtime ray traced renderings, if your architect works in 3D you can sit with them a look at the computer model we work with day to day, that’s enough to understand what it will be like. Designing a house with an absolutely fixed budget is only possible if you are building a new build house on a flat serviced site and you give a minimal brief and don’t change it after the outline design and you allow a contingency. This practically never happens. After giving you a lowball hard limit on how much they have to spend I draw them a small house and pretty much all clients like to make their houses bigger as the project progresses. I always warn clients that they are going over budget because of extra floor area and I warn them not to get bamboozled into choosing insanely expensive kitchens and finishes by salespeople, but it still happens on most projects. Don’t make last minute design changes, someone will make a mistake and it will cause a cascade of changes that will cost you more or compromise the design. Don’t base your idea of what a decent budget in $/sqft is on what your neighbour self built 15 years ago, or what someone on a TV program about building houses said; the neighbour typically omits lots of costs when telling them how much their build cost e.g. groundworks, services connections, etc. Likewise the budgets people say on TV are usually absolute bullshit. Also remember that your architect doesn’t have total control over the price; what you get quoted by the contractor is what they think the market will bear and this can change considerably over the course of the 6-12 months it will take to get your permissions and finalise the detailed design.

mihaaly 4y ago

I believe the key is finding a generic contractor (supervisor) who is reliable and scrupulous, responsible and at the same time experienced in the construction industry practices, not afraid of quarrel and confrontation with shady contractors. Money helps as motivator and allows not to rush things through but alone is not a guarantee. Lots of independent and diverse professionals and groups with own agenda and attitude need to act in symphony to produce a satisfactory result. Not an easy feast, despite of the collective wisdom accumulated throughout the centuries construction quality suffers in most cases, to a varying degree, occupants need to get used to and ignore troubles avoidable for long long time in theory (and in practice too with the proper care).

pbronez 4y ago

It’s hard. We just tried that with a design-build firm and they managed some very impressive fuck ups. If I was gonna do it again, I would: 1) hire a separate, independent architect 2) spend more money on lawyers to review contracts up front It’s not about haggling over pennies. It’s about catching the big fuckups while they’re little fuck ups. Also double-checking everyone’s math and putting eyes on the work every single day.

goodpoint 4y ago

> 1,000 sq ft bungalow And you call that a bungalow!?

rfrey 4y ago
In the US and Canada, any one-story house is often called a bungalow.

sgt101 4y ago

My tip is get yourself an experienced independent agent/manager to supervise the build - or treat it as one semester of a college course on how to build houses, and accept the costs that you would expect (with the full realisation that you are going to have to do two more to "graduate"). When I first did projects I got caught repeatedly with items that were not on the spec sheets or costings - but were 100% required. This is one of the ways that builders manage price competition with the inexperienced. They 100% know what the rate that is likely to get quoted will be, if they want the work they will quote lower than that and will use overruns to make back to the market or somewhat above (because by then you are stuck). An experienced project manager will catch 95% of these issues some will sneak through but they will also have the contacts to get these sorted if the builders are unreasonable. You will pay out a chunk to employ this person - sure - but this will pay you back just with the cost overrun issue (in my experience) and at the same time you will have much less day to day work on your plate. So, it's basically a "free" assistant. Also, what's a good job? You have ideas... but experienced builders (and your manager) will know where it's really smart to spend your money.

hasbot 4y ago

I'm not sure what you're trying to avoid. After the plan is finalized, there is a discussion between the builder and owner about materials and furnishing (e.g. flooring, countertops, cabinet style, siding, roofing, HVAC, lights, paint, etc). But once those decisions are made, it's (hopefully) off to the races. That's the way it'll be with a budget builder or a luxury builder. The actual construction is what is crucial. All builders and their subcontractors will be in a hurry to get the job done so they can move on to the next job. I expect most are professionals and care about doing a good job, but there are plenty who are OK with a shoddy job. They'll be most likely gone when the problems in their workmanship is done. Hang out in /r/HomeImprovement for a while and you'll see all sorts of contractor fuckups. Getting a good builder and subcontractors is a crap shoot. My wealthy neighbors a few years ago wanted to build their dream/final home. The builder left halfway through. They found a new builder and eventually completed the project but way past the original date. They finally moved in and had to deal with so many issues that it was hurting their marriage. After about a year, they decided to sell the house. The new owners were still dealing with construction issues (for example, the crawlspace wasn't properly waterproofed and had significant water intrusion). If you want to be hands off, buy an existing house and hire a really good inspector to tell you what kind of shape it's in. Some inspectors don't do a very good job either, so...

literallycancer 4y ago

If you want to do things properly: you ("the investor") get a "investor's supervisor" which is a person that goes to the building site daily and checks that everything is done properly. For example every time there is something that's going to be covered up and not possible to inspect later, the contractor's crew has to wait for approval of the investor's supervisor before covering it up and continuing the work (simple example -- pouring foundations). If they don't call your guy to sign off on it, he makes them redo that part. This is the only way to be sure they didn't just throw some garbage there or quickly covered up some shoddy work or usage of cheaper materials than agreed. Note that you can't rely on the builder's supervisor for this, it has to be your guy. Some architects can come check the site and supervise a bit, however this is not enough and you still need an actual supervisor. So you can kind of throw more money at it, but you still need to know what you're doing. Perhaps the closest to what you are saying is finding an architect that has reliable contractors in their rolodex. It won't save you from having to run the project properly, but there are going to be fewer issues.

orthoxerox 4y ago

Short answer: no Long answer: you need someone experienced you can trust. In my case it was a neighbor who owned a construction company that had built his own house. We just told him to build ours to the same spec. Caveat one: it's more expensive. I don't own a construction company, so our spending budgets were different. Caveat two: you will still find things you wish you had done differently. Either because you have different priorities or because your circumstances are different. In my case, he routed all the wiring through the walls with no convenient way to access or replace them. When you have electricians and drywall installers literally at your beck and call, it's not a problem: you finish up early one day, drive the guys home with some sheets of drywall in the bed, they rip up the wall, replace or add another cable, fix the drywall and go home. When you're a homeowner with a cordless drill and a hammer, you'll want everything done with maintenance in mind. Even if you find a person you can trust to oversee the construction, you'll still want to learn enough to understand (!) and communicate your requirements to him.

dkarl 4y ago

If you're willing to pay more for a better result, one option is a design-build architect, or an architect who has built houses locally and can hook you up with good contractors to get bids from. Some of the things you pay for when you hire the most expensive builders may or may not have value for you. Expensive builders invest a lot in communication with clients. You'll have a point of contact and possibly even a web portal to help you follow the progress of construction and keep an eye on expenses, just like on a big commercial project. The amount of money you pay to get that might be better spent on better design or better materials. If you just want the house to be built well, you don't necessarily need to go that high-end, but it's a good idea to work with somebody experienced who can help you pick the right contractor and be your representative in dealing with them through the build process.

throw0101a 4y ago

> I'm looking at building a home as a first time home owner in the next few years. One thing I'm wondering is how many headaches can I avoid if I just choose an expensive builder and not try to haggle or save a buck at every turn? Look for architects and builders that have certifications or at least interests in Passiv house (PH) designs. You don't need to go all the way to that level (which may cost more), but the folks interested in it will be more atuned to building science and the little details needed to achieve results. The Pretty Good House folks created the book and 'movement' because they felt that PH was "too much" for a lot of people (builders, owners), but wanted something better than 'just' code. The PGH folks run a podcast called BS and Beer: BS = building science. They encourage folks to hold local gatherings of builders on the topic of BS, which is how their podcast started. You may wish to see if there are any folks that hold such meetings in your area.

acjohnson55 4y ago

I'd suggest buying something that's already built, if at all possible. I'm going through a custom build myself right now, and I would definitely not recommend it unless it's the only option to get what you want and you're prepared to get very hands on.