I think everybody should make note that Mason meant 110 VOLT smoke detectors, and not 110 of them. And, have the detectors interconnected with three-conductor cable, so if one sounds, they all will. I would also like to add that battery-backup 110V. detectors are better, because, among other things, fires can melt and/or burn insulation off wire, and breakers will trip.

Larry

They are all good suggestions. But what I am really want is information to help me decide between
a) staying where I am
b) buying a house
c) building a house

I think interest rates are good to stop renting, and bad for keeping money in the bank (plus stocks, mutual funds are a bit screwy). So instead of reinvesting some GICs that are maturing soon, I thought it might be more interesting to move into my own house.

The next decision, will it be better to buy an existing house or a new one. I find the idea of having a say in the house a lot of fun (I guess it is the same reason I like the Pronto). But I am not sure of what is needed if I decide to go that way.

Anthony,

The decision to build or buy a house can depend on so many factors. For me, it was based on location and design. When you build your own house, you can first look for the perfect location (property, school district, shopping, nature, commute etc.) Once you find that, you can select a design within your budget that you really like. When you build your own house, you are likely to end up closer to what you really want. And like you said...it is fun designing it on your computer. However, there are definitely cons to building a house:
- You will interact a LOT with your builder, so make sure you find one you like (not a con per se :)
- You will go CRAZY right about after you picked the lower half doorknobs for the upstairs bathroom closet, making sure they match with the flooring design that your significant other just changed their mind on. You need to pick every little detail, unless you trust your builder to do so.
- You should budget conservatively, and then figure you will probably go about 10% over. Building is definitely more expensive than buying ready-built, mostly because you tend to pick better/more expensive materials when you build.
- It takes quite a while..probably anywhere from 6 to 10 months.
- You will probably need a construction loan, unless you can finance your building project with an early sale and rent-back of your current house.

If you decide to design your house, go with the earlier suggestions: take a stock plan and customize it. I tried about every home design software package out there, but settled on 3D Home Designer (Dreamhouse in Europe) from Data Becker, good mix of usability and features. See some results here: [Link: westerink.net]

Have fun building!

Awesome house, Arjen! And that computer program sure looks great!

I can't imagine what that house would cost! Whew!!!

Anthony, I've read good advice here. My perspective is this: Right now, we're renting, but we will be buying this house this year. We love it. It's a 3-story, with what's known as an English basement. (That means we have a lower second front door.)

My theater is in one room down there. It's approx. 16' by 26', with the screen at one end and sofa in the middle, flanked by a recliner and a dentist chair (complete with motors).

I'm in the process of installing a satellite system. (read my other forum contributions for info). I managed to get a cable run from the attic to the basement, so I have vertical access, and the entire basement has a suspended ceiling, so I have access to the entire basement and middle floor horizontally, as well as the same in the attic.

As an electrician and A/V installer, I can tell you that running cables in-wall is the toughest part of most jobs, and that's where having access to the wall interiors during construction is a priceless value.

There are always ways around running most cables, such as X-10 and wireless A/V and IR senders, so don't let that alone be the deciding factor in your build-or-buy decision.

However, if I were building from the ground up, like Arjen, I would be sure to pre-wire as much as possible, or probably run a 3/4" or 1" plastic conduit from a 3-gang box in each room to a closet on each floor, preferably stacked closets (directly over each other) for vertical access.

Also, I definitely would dedicate a room to a theater, again pre-wiring for speaker runs, or in-wall speakers, and the ability to interconnect a multi-source system to whole-house distribution.

If money is no object, I'd vote for the build option. That's my two-cents' worth.

Larry


Hey, Arjen, where's the home theater pix??? (*_*)

I was thinking of leaving the basement unfinished for now, but I was going to plan out what I would eventually want (to make sure everything fits). I know what you mean Arjen, it is easy to go overboard when you can pick what you want. Like how much cable is enough? But I look at it as an investment.

How does it work, when you build your house, do you have to find all the different groups (architect, main contractor, electrician, plumber.....) or do you find one person, and he subcontracts the jobs. How does payment work, do you pay the job up front, in one sum, or does the money get given as the job progresses? Are there any good on-line resources that might help with layout, there are some things that I am still not really sure about. And (I agree wiring is not one of them) but is there some places (like leaving the basement unfinished for now) where you can save a bit of money, without it affecting the final outcome, or meaning a lot of money to redo it right latter (like cabling)

Larry,

Very true, you better run those wires while you can. I ran Video and 2xCAT5 (1 for phone and miscellaneous stuff) to each room in the house. Also ran speakerwire all over the living room and the unfinished basement family room (read: HT room....still easing my wife into that idea :). And just to make sure, I also ran some fish wires here and there.

Anthony,

In the US you must have a builders license (and a lot of free time) if you want to arrange all the subcontracting yourself. So most likely, you will need to find a builder/contractor. Some of them do part of the work themselves, such as framing and finishing, while subcontracting concrete pooring, brickwork, painting, plumbing, electrician etc. Obviously, the builder will receive a markup. Make sure there is no subcontracting more than 1 level deep, your builder should only select people that actually do the work. I would recommend finding a builder that does all the finishing (interior wood, fixtures etc.) themselves, as they tend to be more alert to detail.

As for financing, I think most people will opt for a construction loan. This is a loan next to the mortgage of your current home, usually about equal to your builder's quote, with a separate monthly payment next to your mortgage payment. The builder can then make several "draws" against that loan as he progresses with the project. Your monthly payment will increase with each draw. The bank (and you) will need to see what costs were incurred for each draw. When the job is done, you hopefully sell your current home and pay off that mortgage. Any equity you hopefully have left can be applied as a downpayment to you new home. The construction loan minus the downpayment is then converted to a new (whopping:) mortgage.

Like you said, we trimmed down the costs a bit by not finishing all of the basement. Don't skimp on pre-plumbing/pre-wiring though!

Arjen

This message was edited by Arjen on 10/09/01 23:27.12.

Anthony,
It's possible to do it either way: hire a general contractor, or do the general contracting yourself. Arjen is absolutely correct about it being a full-time job, though. Ever watch HomeTime on TLC? You can do research to decide if you want the job. Along with the perks of being the 'boss' comes a lot of responsibility, both legal and headache-inducing sub-contractor-chasing. Consider it carefully. You're probably better off hiring a gen. contractor, and doing whatever work you feel competent about doing.



Arjen,
I'm not sure if you're correct about the requirement of a contractors license, at least on a nation-wide basis. It may depend on the state, or even on city/county. Here in Va, a homeowner is allowed to do ANY contracting work on his/her own property. The only thing I've heard, and even this varies, is that gas piping must be done by a licensed plumber.

Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc. all can be done on one's own property without certification, BUT, permits and inspections are an absolute must. Plus, inspectors will undoubtedly inspect more carefully, since they can't assume a homeowner will be aware of and/or follow all the rules.

I did my own wiring on a house rebuilt from the framing out after a fire, completely new, panel and all, and I never told the inspector I had electrical experience. He was impressed, though. He told me he looked for ANYthing to fail, but couldn't find a fault. (no pun intended)

Larry

Wow! That's news to me. Pretty cool to be able to all that yourself. Makes me wonder what the heck I am doing in Michigan. But then...I was already wondering that anyway :-)

IMHO, unless you have built a home before, it is best to pay the General Contractor for his services to, at the very least, oversee the project i.e licences, inspections, etc.

I've worked in construction before, and I've seen the huge problems people run into being their own general contractors.

You can be a sub-contractor to your own general contractor like Larry did with his electrical, and save money there, although some general contractors don't like that because they'll figure you'll take much longer than a tradesman.

There are many options to consider.

If I do go ahead with this route, it will probably be with a general contractor.

In my experience, if you are using a general contractor or even any trade contractors, you must specify every detail that you want. If you don't they will bid on and install either the product(s) and workmanship they are used to installing or the cheapest on the market to keep their bid down. The plans should cover all the details of construction, and a separate specification sheet should cover special installations, equipment and materials for each trade. This is how architecs do it.

Amen to what EXT said:

Get EVERYTHING in writing. Plans, specs...... right down to the doorknobs!

If the general contractor has Show Homes upon which he bases his building, definitely get that separate specification sheet for YOUR custom home!

EXT is right. Look at it this way, profit is the bottom line. (Hey, I made a funny!) Once a price is agreed upon, the income to the contractor is fixed, so the only way to make more profit is for him to lower the outgo, hence the incentive to use the cheapest materials and the cheapest labor (which means less labor skill). Guess who owns the outcome of all this scrimping?

As an electrician, I go over every job with the homeowner, not the general contractor. (I do clear this with the GC first) I go over every detail, locations of switches and fixtures, where to split-wite receptacles ( that means wire every receptacle in each room so the top half is always hot, and the bottom half is on a switch by the door, so one is not limited as to where a lamp or a clock or TV can be placed), how to control ceiling fans (chain or wall controls), etc.

Plus, sound distribution, phone, computer, cable and sattelite, outside lighting, automation, central vacuum, etc. I often make more doing extras for the homeowner than from the original contract.

The important thing is that the person who will be living there is happy, not the builder. He's only concerned with the 'bottom line'.

Larry

Be advised as well that a lot of general contractors charge heavily for any changes made after original specifications are agreed upon.

That includes everything from doorknob changes to wiring changes to structural changes, even if the work has not started on that portion yet.

But dont' forget, YOU'RE PAYING THE BILL!!! Have your general contractor supply you with complete plans for every part of the building i.e. a separate floor plan, plumbing plan, electrical plan, landscaping plan (whatever you are having the general contractor do) so that you can sit down with each sub-contractor and discuss what YOUR NEEDS are.

Then the general contractor can include this in his quote to you for building what YOU WANT.

Some gen cons won't let you sit with the sub cons, but the better ones will, within reason.

... Greg