Building a House

Printable View

10-08-2018, 01:32 PM
Bj1133

Building a House

We are about to sign a contract with a builder to have a house built for us. Anyone with experience going through this process have any suggestions/regrets?
10-08-2018, 01:45 PM
Carp

No 1st hand experience, but my friends that have done so. Some of it is common sense, but there are some things that I didn't think about. They tell me to make sure you are pretty specific in how you want pretty much everything, even the little things that you don't think are that important, such as light fixtures and switches. Even the small things can add up to either a lot of savings or a lot of cost. Also, make sure you collaborate with your contractors often so that the plans and layout are sensible for you. Some stuff is easy to change once it's done if you don't like it. But some stuff can be a pain in the ass to have to change if you don't like it when the house is finished.
10-08-2018, 02:06 PM
Bj1133

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carp

No 1st hand experience, but my friends that have done so. Some of it is common sense, but there are some things that I didn't think about. They tell me to make sure you are pretty specific in how you want pretty much everything, even the little things that you don't think are that important, such as light fixtures and switches. Even the small things can add up to either a lot of savings or a lot of cost. Also, make sure you collaborate with your contractors often so that the plans and layout are sensible for you. Some stuff is easy to change once it's done if you don't like it. But some stuff can be a pain in the ass to have to change if you don't like it when the house is finished.

We've seen a few different spec homes this builder has built recently and we like the way they look, just wanted a different floor plan, so I don't anticipate too many issues once it is finished. My wife is pretty excited to pick everything out but I'm mostly concerned with the pricing of everything.
10-08-2018, 02:22 PM
NinersSBChamps

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bj1133

We've seen a few different spec homes this builder has built recently and we like the way they look, just wanted a different floor plan, so I don't anticipate too many issues once it is finished. My wife is pretty excited to pick everything out but I'm mostly concerned with the pricing of everything.

Are your currently a homeowner?
10-08-2018, 08:53 PM
Bj1133

Sold our house last month - living with the in-laws now
10-09-2018, 06:58 AM
Tapate50

If you think you want something, add it in (decks, finished room over garage or basement).It won’t ever be any cheaper or easier to do than right now. Small details like large crown molding, built ins, and nice finishes go a LONG WAY and can seperate your house from others.
10-10-2018, 10:56 AM
Runnin

I don't know where you live but think about the weather conditions, especially if you live in the south. If there is something you really want, it's better to put it in from the start. Don't worry so much about furnishing at first. That can get expensive fast and you can do that a little at the time, plus your ideas about that will change as you live in it a while.

If you have a 2nd floor think about a good wall fan to draw out the hot air. Even with central air sometimes you need to air out the whole house.

Think about storage space, A LOT, and put in the attic space if you can. Put in as much storage space as you possible can. You will need it.

Put in a deck if you can, and make it as bigger than you think you need.
10-10-2018, 07:56 PM
Bj1133

Quote:

Originally Posted by Runnin

I don't know where you live but think about the weather conditions, especially if you live in the south. If there is something you really want, it's better to put it in from the start. Don't worry so much about furnishing at first. That can get expensive fast and you can do that a little at the time, plus your ideas about that will change as you live in it a while.

If you have a 2nd floor think about a good wall fan to draw out the hot air. Even with central air sometimes you need to air out the whole house.

Think about storage space, A LOT, and put in the attic space if you can. Put in as much storage space as you possible can. You will need it.

Put in a deck if you can, and make it as bigger than you think you need.

Building a ranch, with a basement, in central Illinois

We sold our old house because of lack of space (2 kids under 5), so space, storage space particularly, is a big priority for us. Definitely planning on putting some plywood down in the attic in the garage once the frame is up. Starting with a patio in the backyard for now, but will definitely be adding a deck in the future.
10-14-2018, 03:10 PM
Jaw

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bj1133

Building a ranch, with a basement, in central Illinois

We sold our old house because of lack of space (2 kids under 5), so space, storage space particularly, is a big priority for us. Definitely planning on putting some plywood down in the attic in the garage once the frame is up. Starting with a patio in the backyard for now, but will definitely be adding a deck in the future.

I'm late to this but definitely mention that you want to maximize attic storage space. Some friends did this recently and the builder modified the roof support plan for them. You could literally put a shipping container in the attic above their ranch now without it touching anything but the attic floor.