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tdegen

Lessons Learned?

tdegen
16 years ago

Any good tips, hints or stories about things you did well - or felt you could have done better pre and post build experience?

I am just starting to look into the build process (hoping to break ground in fall '09) and I would like a little guidence on where my money would be best well spent and perhaps some common pitfalls. I live in Wisconsin where the winters routinely drop below 0 F, and the summers hover in the mid to high 80's with about 90% humidity.

A good example was a fiend of my wife's built a gorgeous home and opted to put in some higher quality carpeting right off the bat. The painters then spilled some paint on the living room carpeting and the carpet had to be replaced. I can't be certain, but I thought I remember her mentioning that some of the replacement cost came out her pocket.

My knee-jerk reaction to this is to put in construction-grade carpeting and then upgrade after all the painting and what-not is complete.

Would that be a waste of time/money?

Comments (15)

  • Ron Natalie
    16 years ago

    Any contractors worth having would cover the carpet and other finished floors if it was in before the construction was complete.

  • vhehn
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    your supposed to install the carpet last after the painting is done.

  • brutuses
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I second vhehs recommendation. I notice a lot of home builders go in and have subs tripping over each other, messing up each other's work. I know people want to get things done in a timely manner, but at what price. I think having a schedule of what order things are to be completed is the best way to go, with less headaches and less damage.

  • lsst
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The carpet is one of the last things to go in. All our painting was done before the carpet was installed. Any baseboard scuffs from the carpet install were touched up as part of the punch list.

  • meldy_nva
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Remember that if it's not in writing, it's not definite. Even if it's in writing, it's still not definite until all affected parties sign agreement. Even if it's in writing and signed, if it involves earth-moving it will never be definite until the job is done.

    Do have a no-smoking on-site rule written into the contract, along with a daily-sweep requirement. Health benefits aside, both are major safety issues.

    Either you or the contractor should provide covers: rugs for flooring, wrap for cabinetry, seals for HVAC vents, etc. Anything that is in a near-to or finished state should be protected from splashes and other accidents. If that carpenting had been covered, it wouldn't have gotten painted. Putting in cheap and replacing later IS a waste of money and effort.

    Start making lists. Today we have wonderful software that can be adapted, but the old-fashioned hardcopy shouldn't be sneered at -- when tromping around sites, you want a paper notebook, not the electronic kind that will die if dropped.

    The more decisions you make in advance, the fewer surprises will whop your wallet. Before you ever sign the first contract, have a 20% oops fund in the bank. This will help cover the trebled-cost of digging the basement, the cabinets stolen from the worksite, and other unexpected expenses. The cost of tweaks should not come from this fund.

    Prevent those expensive tweaks. As soon as you are sure you have the desired houseplan, make (or have made) a 3-D model to-scale. Fill it with to-scale sponge blocks to represent your furniture and study it closely to determine if it really suits your lifestyle -- that means actually going through the motions of your daily/weekly life. My models are a simple 1"=1'; and the me-model has crutches to remind me what it's like when manuevering while on sticks. I take the me-model throughout the model-house, from making the beds, nuking an egg, to taking the trash out and carrying laundry -- to determine if there is sufficient space and correct placement of everything (i.e. consider that you don't want the towel rack 4 feet from the shower). Taking the house-model outside and setting it north-to-south can answer a lot of questions about how rooms will look in the sun -- putting paint chips into the model will prevent surprises re color changes.

    It's a custom house; put your money into the structural details that make it special to you. Carpet, drapes, and wall colors can be changed later -- make your selections but don't panic over them. Steps, cabinets and where the electric switches are, should be determined in advance -- do sweat over them thoroughly now so that they will be what you want later.

    Don't expect anyone to know what you want. Don't expect anyone to *guess* what you want. This goes for the architect, the designer, and the builder and each member of the crew. If you haven't been very specific and detailed, then the choices made will be theirs not yours. That may or may not be okay with you.

  • formula1
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Good ideas from meldy above.

    Research each aspect of the house, including the design stage, and on into foundation, framing, window install, insulation, roofing, plumbing, electrical, etc.) and make specific bid sheets for each one of specifically what you want. The www.buildingscience.com website is a good resource for this.

    You need to be on-site daily, as well as at specific critical times to make sure things are being done properly. As an example, I dropped by just as the basement floor was ready to be poured and they had forgotten the foam insulation that was spec'd around the perimeter. If I hadn't been there, it would never have been corrected and long-term energy costs would have suffered.

    There are too many details to list here that we incorporated to make our house better energy and comfort wise. If I can strut a little bit, towards the end of our build, several contractors that came in to qote jobs commented that our house was the best built that they had ever seen. It's all in the details, the planning and the execution. Send me an e-mail if I can be of more help to you.

  • kats
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Two huge suggestions....

    The first....pay attention to your money....
    We made sure all drafts came from our bank rather than up front from us. It's a huge mistake many people make. Our contractor was required to show proof of completion for each phase.....AND...he was required to have Subs sign-off that they were paid. We are so thankful we did it this way. He did NOT have the same requirements from another home he was building at the same time as ours. The owners have now been hit with huge bills from the cement company (for a 140ft long uphill driveway) and the flooring company (hardwood floors). Just guessing that would be around $100k.... The contractor moved from SoCal and is now building homes in Texas.

    The second suggestion....pay attention to your plans...
    We also had a problem that almost kept us completing our build half way through. Our architect did not include snow-load trusses which are required at our elevation. We live in an unincorporated area that uses another town's zip code. The architect used that zip rather than actual elevation in his planning. No one even in the planning department caught the mistake until the trusses were in. At that point electric, plumping, HVAC were all roughed in. We had to find a way to retrofit or tear down everything and start new (which wouldn't have happened). After a 3 month work stoppage we were able to retrofit using small truss braces plus adding some full trusses to several locations in the house. Expensive mistake that the architect is still paying for.

  • jenanla
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We are owner building and are scheduling contractors at different times so that they are not in each others way. Of course this makes things MUCH slower, but seems to be working for us.

    We are always popping by the site to see how things are going.

    Hot coffee for the crew goes a long way.

    Lastly, it will cost more than you planned for, so try to have more on hand cash for things the bank won't cover.

  • tdegen
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    All great suggestions! I think building a model is a bit... overkill? hokey? maybe a bit on the 'geeky' side?
    -- but that really fits my personality, so I am rather inclined to do that.

    While I am not opposed to being on site constantly (I find the building process fascinating), I thought catching the details was the responsibility of the general contractor? Everything I know about houses I learned from sites like this.

    I think I need to become a lot better educated on the building process before I even start looking for bids.

  • sierraeast
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    " I think I need to become a lot better educated on the building process before I even start looking for bids."

    BINGO!

    That's the most important first step for owner/builders or those that are hiring the services of a builder.

  • chisue
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You can't BE too 'geek-y' when bulding a house! From your posts, you have a LOT of geek-work ahead of you before you get started. LOL A few beginning thoughts to remove the scales from your eyes...

    This is less 'adventure' and more 'agonizing work'. In an ideal world...yes, the GC will take care of everything. HE will be on-site 24/7 and catch every error, even before it happens! -- yeah, sure.

    BTW, the owner can pay the GC in exactly the same way a bank would. YOU get the signed lien releases from subs and suppliers before YOU pay out. Actually YOU are much more likely to know what's been completed and delivered than a bank employee looking at a piece of paper. (That's one reason you ARE on-site daily if possible.)

    Do not take the GC's word for the subs he proposes using. Check them out individually. Ask for references from prior jobs, just as you will talk to the GC's own references.

    Do not agree to a teeny final payment. You will discover that it is like pulling teeth to get anyone back to complete the punch list at the end of the build if you do not owe a goodly sum. (Builders LOVE the big stuff, like pouring concrete and nailing up the frame; they hate the piddly stuff that gives a house its 'finish'.)

    Talk to your municipality before you buy anything. Find out the building code and learn the ropes of getting any inspections, permits, etc. You don't want to buy a lot only to find you can't build what you want, or can't afford to build to code, or that there's a WalMart coming in your back yard.

    Oh my yes, there's a lot to learn -- much less expensive and frustrating to learn on paper (including 3-D models).

  • meldy_nva
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LOL, tedegen... I know making models sound so, so... ah, dollhouse-ish. But the fact is that very very few people are able to look at 2-dimensional lines on paper (or screen) and then visualize them in 3-D with any accuracy. Rarer still are the ones who can then impose the effects of light/shadow onto that visualization or note the details such as is that hall really wide enough to permit carrying a laundry basket. It's much easier to get plenty of foam board and some exacto knives and then make something you can eyeball without getting brain-drain. It's also easier to "tweak" and to try out new ideas when you're cutting cardboard than when sawing wood.

    And I really wish I had added two more things to my original post, although sierraeast and chisue got to them:

    a) learn your local building codes and plan to exceed them -- they are minimal and for safety which leaves a lot of room for improvement when applied to your house.

    b) read, read, read, and read some more. Write down your questions and then try to find at least three answers to each question -- or the answer from three different places. I like GW of course, but a foundational read is more like Taunton's Fine Home Building site, and a good craftsman's read can be found on the "before the architect" site. Both of those sites are not free for the in-depth info and both are worth every penny.

    and of course, it just occurred to me that some things need to said, so

    c) whenever possible, design and execute the plans so as to be fully handicapped accessible. The Great Spirit willing, you will never need to use a wheelchair, but there are no guarantees. And as has been said before by others... a house built to be livably accessible is a quick sell, should you ever need to sell.

  • trubee
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    oh boy did I ever learn a lot while building a house! Here are just those of utmost importance

    #1 spec EVERYTHING down to the door knobs you want -- and give the detailed specs to at least 3 GCs so that they are bidding specifics and not putting in "allowances" for things you would never choose.

    #2 know which subs your GC is intending to use on key parts of your home and check them out before you agree. Have the right to disapprove any sub regardless of how buddy-buddy he is with the GC.

    #3 before you hire your GC, talk to a bunch of people who have used him/her. Not just references he gives you but people you find independently. Find out how he handles problems because problems are inevitable - ask him point blank what the biggest problems he has encountered on jobs are and then independently find out how he handled them.

    #4 make sure you have a contract that has been reviewed by a real estate lawyer in the state in which you are building. Understand your state's laws on how you have to give notice on the punch list - just in case.

    Our beautiful home was finished in 12/06 and we are still dealing with two major issues - the pool leaks (and the GC's sub has left the area) and our gorgeous acid stained concrete floors are peeling because his flooring sub used a new product and didn't realize it required a bonder. Thank goodness we had complied with our state's requirements on notice because the GC took one look at the floors and the pool and is now ducking our calls and emails. He is not a man who deals with issues - he runs.
    And so we are going to be forced to sue, which really goes against our grain. But no choice.

  • carolyn53562
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would be there when they are installing the tile to make sure that they are "mixing" up the tiles like they are supposed to (alternating boxes and turning the tiles so that you don't end up with tiles next to each other that are identical in color or, if they are have a texture that is supposed to be random that you don't have two tiles with the same texture next to them) and also to make sure they do not use tiles that don't look good (i.e., the color is off, etc.).

    I would be there when they lay out and pour the concrete for the driveway to make sure that the expansion joints ( I think that is what you call them) are how you want them to be (from and aesthitic point of view). Even if it seems like there is a standard way to put in the expansion joints, it turns out there isn't and after the driveway is
    poured it's too late to do anything about it.

    I would not let my husband apply the colored paint (we had a paint contractor apply the primer and then paint every wall and ceiling white but then my DH applied the colored paint). He changed the colors of every room from what I had picked out!!!!!!!!

    My husband was out of town when they did the landscaping and he should have been there because he was the person who knew what was supposed to be done.

    If I made a change in some design element, I would go back to the beginning of the design for that element to make sure I reviewed everything else that was affected by the change. For example, moving the dishwasher from the right to the left of the sink changed the location of the seam in the countertop, etc.

  • dan_dhrt
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For something different, consider the following two energy conservation devices to same on your hot water heating costs:

    1. install a drain water heat recovery device that warms the fresh incoming cold water when you are using your hot shower. Bob Villa even had a video on this a few years back

    2. install a tankless wather heater.

    With you in the construction stage it should be pretty easy to have both installed.

    3. And, if you have a south facing wall consider installing a solar space heater device within the brickwork to cut down significantly on your heating costs in the winter. Heck install two if you have the room within the brickwork.

    I hope that helps,
    Dan