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Make your changes BEFORE construction starts. Make no or the fewest changes possible one construction is started. Little changes add up fast, and can add days or weeks to schedule.
I just finished this headache. Semi custom home on a couple acres. Between myself and my neighbors that used the same builder (bill most const. don't ever ever ever fucking ever use these guys) it was a nightmare, a marital strain, family strain, lots of personal stress lots of ups and downs.
We are happy with the house now it's all finished, but there is a lot that goes into building a home. This was our second build but the previous was an established commercial builder who had everything laid out for you and made the process simple, upfront with pricing established, a single design center to pick options with pricing written next to the option.
These jokers we used had subcontractors that had no idea what shit costs, wouldn't give you the pricing, would send stuff to the builder they would delay getting it to you then let you know what pricing is after it's installed... the actual builder (Bill) passed away during our build, his sons took over who are definitely going to be out of business sooner rather than later. Timeframe....no such thing. We were almost a full year late getting into the home compared to our signed contract proposed closing date.
Now the warranty process is a joke 95% of the time because they don't have enough people to fix their screw ups and they are so cheap they don't want to pay anyone else besides their established subs who did the original work. I haven't had a check in from the builder to see how things are going, I have to send multiple emails to get a response to a problem.
One example is our garage door opener ripped out from the wall because the fucktard put three lag screws in the bracket and only 1 barely caught the edge of a single stud. This damaged 2 panels on the door. It took over a week to get the panels replaced. And over 2 months later my door panels were finally repainted day before yesterday. This is after multiple emails, the owner of the garage door company saying they were at fault and would cover cost of reprinting door. Yet the builder told me this warranty issue wouldn't be taken care of until they finish the other homes they are still building.
I can go on and on. If you really want to do this I'll talk to you on the phone and give you as much advice as I can but depending on the builder the process can be difficult or it can be a downright nightmare.
Making the crews that did the work also do their warrantee work is standard. Getting 2 panels in a week is standard to fast
2 months to paint is excessive
The only companies who do warrantee work without making the subs do it are big builders. I have known a couple of their warrantee guys. I wouldn't buy from a generic box builder at all
Personally if I were to buy I would only buy an older home or build my own.
Change orders are a pain, that's why I quit doing custom home remodels.
If the numbers aren't set from the start, make sure they involve you in the bid process. My builder was using all of their buddies from up in Greeley, and not getting local bids. For example, the electrician they used tried charging us for drive time from his place up there, when there are electricians within 5 miles of my house.
We are pretty set on building, it's too good of a long term investment to pass up.
These are the questions I have currently that we will ask our realtor this week.
HOA's or Covenants?
how much can we negotiate to keep it under 300k? i.e. no pato but a fence around a "back yard"
How long to build the house?
Can we choose location on property?
water well/Septic?
Propane or CLFP?
Is there a deposit for build?
when do we make our first mortgage payment?
What are the road fee's and associate fee's in the covenant?
when do we sit down and pick out floor plan, colors, etc.?
Any extra closing costs like realtor fees, contractor fees, VA fees?
Is final price set in stone BEFORE they start to build?
If you work something out in that price range etc let me know. Might actually be interested to get us into Wyoming and out of CO but possibly still a long commute to work distance.
Each builder is different but I can answer a few of your questions:
More and more places have HOAs, will still fall under some type of county restrictions
Usually fence not included but can be negotiated into price
Good luck
Typically yes, depends on several factors but if you have a septic and leech field, that will play a role in home location
Depends on location, just remember a well is great until you run out of water and have to drill deeper or replace the pump. Average $100/month water bill, put that away into a saving account for the time you need it. Septic is usually every 2-3 years to get pumped.
Depends on location
Almost always a deposit. We heard various deposit amount from $10k-50k
No idea
Some builders have a design center that is all inclusive and you pick everything there, we had multiple places that we had to pick cabinets, granite, flooring, paint, shingles, tile etc.
This is where you want to be exact, get everything picked ahead of time the way you want or make sure there is an allowance (like $5000 for granite countertops and $10,000 for cabinets etc) built into the contract. If you go above those allowances you pay the difference. This can be done for any contract work like your fence, septic, well, etc. if it goes that deep you will want to call around on prices, and negotiate in contract that you will have option to pick different contractors to do work.
It can be set, but usually not. A base price is typical, but extras can add up.
If you can pull it off, and if I ever had to build again....I would buy the land and own it out right, subcontract out everything myself and be present for everything. Write your own contracts with each subcontractor and if they don't perform, they don't get paid till it's right.
After the house is done and you close there are still costs a lot of people do not plan for; landscaping, window coverings, appliances that were not included, to name a few.
Originally Posted by newracer
Very good point! We have asked some of the questions and our appliances are going to be included in the build, we would have limited selection of color of carpet/hardwoods/granite etc. but a fence for a backyard would be extra, not included in the "house sell" but could hire them at the time of build to put in a fence at the same time.
Updated first post. We decide to take the leap and build! Now keep up the good ideas that I will need to be concerned with as we negotiate the next few days.
Last edited by fly boy; 06-05-2017 at 13:03.
Everything will be built to code but you might want to see what insulation they put in, getting it upgraded now can save in the long run.
Each builder is different but paint is paint. See if they will do two tone or different colors in different rooms if you want something other than white.
Make sure grading is included around the house and you aren't left with a mess
See if AC is included.
See if you can pick the front door out
What type of windows are included. Now is the time to upgrade is you want something better or more efficient
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