Starting process of building a custom home, any blog, article or book with tips, etc? - Page 2

Since I was planning on building a house, before the collapse of all things real estate and build loans, so am at the stage where we have a builder, complete plans, property, perc and soils testing done, even have the lot staked and the elevations of the house placed on the lot. Here's some of what I learned:

A good builder will own sets of plans that you can modify. Complete, from new, plans will set you back 20+ k. We started off with a complete set of plans the builder used once before and then paid an architect to make some substantial modifications. The builder gave us use of the plans for $0.00 and the revamped plans cost us 5k.

Get your financing in place now. It's certainly not as easy as it used to be, in fact, so cost prohibitive here we are stalled for a few years. It has to do with build cost vs. finished appraised value. The market segment of homes in which we're planning to build was hit very hard by ARMs resetting and foreclosures are driving down current comps to the point that we'd have to put in not only ~30% of the cost to build but ~150 to buy down the spread in build cost vs. appraised value.

When you get the contract from your builder, take it to a lawyer that specializes in this area. That could save you untold headaches and dollars.

So why build vs. buy? Well, we got the land dirt cheap out of foreclosure and we hunted for just the right spot. We will also get exactly the house we want, built well, by a builder we know personally and has been doing high end homes for 30 years and is vested in the local community and his reputation.

That's not an insignificant amount of money to work with. If you find it difficult to place trust in a builder doing things well, it seems like all the more reason to get an architect. The architect will have prior relationships and will have an interest in making sure that the project comes off to his liking since I'm sure that most architects want anything with their name on it to be high quality. There are also high-end prefab homes to consider... There's actually a thread in here about them. I was very surprised when I saw how nice some of them were. They tend to be much more design oriented than "builder homes" and are in a totally different category than the crap you see most builders put up. You also get the benefit of knowing exactly how much the house will cost you upfront. Most also allow for some degree of modification.

If you haven't done this before, and you have a pile of cash like you do, there is absolutely no excuse not to get an architect on board. Just having him there will introduce creative tension - this is good. It keeps everyone honest, it improves the level of discussion, and will improve your house immeasurably. Not getting an architect because you're trying to save a few bucks while building a 3,500 sq. ft. custom home on your first dance is the definition of penny wise, pound foolish.

Here are couple in a similar style: http://www.mkd-arc.com http://www.flickr.com/photos/flatpakhouse Someone on the forum works for mkd iirc.

IMO research and time really is important. This isn't a "should I get this jacket, or that jacket?" decision. Avoid rushing and really spend time to learn about different options, styles, reasons, or whatever.




Not only builder, but a good architect will know many details, many more than the average person would be able to think about ahead of time including flooring options, counters, lighting details, and even down to the f'ing door knobs ... IMO the difference being the architect has a reason and a vision while developer has a business.


but, again, I has an obvious bias.

Also keep in mind that many custom homebuilders offer a certain number of design hours for you to work with their architects/designers "free of charge" (really it's just built into the contract price) as long as you commit to building the house with them. Once you are able to find a builder you are comfortable with this might be an option as it is a more convenient process and can work out to being less expensive than going to an architect, getting plans done up, and then finding a separate builder.

here is a great blog from a builder in my area: http://www.hannbuilt.com/blog/

http://www.angieslist.com/angieslist/ for getting contractors

Consider reading House by Tracy Kidder

As an architect who's dealt with many people in your situation, I highly recommend reading this website and her book:

http://www.notsobighouse.com/

It's not just about building smaller houses, it's also about getting the most for your money.

Then hire an architect.