laws/rules about builder taking photos of our custom home
maggiepie11
10 years ago
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10 years agomlweaving_Marji
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Custom home builder quote
Comments (45)For the benefit of anyone pursuing a similar path, it's worth defining terms: A "quote" should be a firm price to construct and/or remodel a home based on detailed plans and specifications. The detailed plans and specs should clearly articulate the scope of work (please don't let this devolve into the designer vs. architect argument. I don't care who prepares them as long as they are complete, accurate and the details of construction comply with the current building code.) Quotes will sometimes include cost allowances for items that a client gets to select. Allowances can be a potential problem area, but you can avoid that by simply shopping beforehand and testing whether the suggested allowances are in line with your particular selections. If they're not, get them adjusted up front. An "estimate" is someone's best guess at what you might spend for a scope of work with little or no definition and usually without any plans. Estimates routinely get folks--builders, remodelers and homeowners alike--into trouble because they are usually guesses and the most credible estimate (guess) is invariably the lowest one....See MoreArchitect custom -> Builder Custom -> Semi Custom -> Tract
Comments (58)The question is...does it matter? I think it does, because words matter. We throw around words on this board constantly when we really mean other things, and I too am guilty of this. Custom really doesn't mean custom when used on this board, it means architect. So someone who maybe isn't experienced on this board may see the word "custom" and think they designed their house from the ground up, therefore it is very custom. When most posters really mean the house needs someone with professional design experience and some measure of talent to guide you through the design process or actually design the home. ----------- Also a better understanding of the differentiation can lead to better advice. In the area I was born in (an area that I still own land in), the major tract builder can build a 4,000 square foot house for under $280,000. If you can't differentiate between a tract and production builder, it is hard to understand how that is possible. ----------- Finally, I am not sure this board does a great job these days of helping people build a home. I might be alone in this, but I would prefer a well built, poorly designed home over a poorly built, well designed home. We focus so much on the design process and the freedom you have to make selections that we sometimes miss the real tragedy of production and tract builders, the shortcuts they take in construction in order to deliver those appealing prices. While I agree custom homes are better than semi-custom and semi-custom is better than production, etc., the real quality cutoff for me is control of the how the walls are built rather than where they are built. For me this is the biggest draw for an architect and the thing rarely touched on, but may actually pay dividends far into the future that make architects not only affordable, but profitable for those value conscious consumers. Again, this is just my opinion....See MoreHow long did it take for your builder to bid your house
Comments (25)@CharlesRossHomes & @Virgil, Unfortunately there is little to hold people in residential construction accountable. There are a plethora of stories of architects designing structures well beyond client's stated or even stretched budgets. This happens when the plans are being developed independently for competitive bidding and when a specified builder is involved. Our first attempt came out 60% over our stated budget that the architect & builder had agreed to and our builder's detailed estimate was then 17% over the stretch number that they'd both asked us if we could do only 6 weeks prior. "I absolutely guarantee you that the contingency number is enough to cover all unexpected costs so you can absolutely rely on this estimate." This was obviously excepting changes that we made. Over and over we were assured that the estimate numbers and contingency were conservative enough that we could count on our builder's estimate. We are not even to to insulation yet and are already 5x that contingency. And that doesn't include $70k in concrete work for a terrace wall that kind of suddenly appeared without notification or discussion to us (and that will require another chunk of $'s for stone). The quality of work has so far been good though we have concerns with what we've seen so far from the insulation contractor. We are trying to be patient. We still believe that the end result will have been worth it. That said, we've no more money left so any cost overruns will mean having to reduce costs elsewhere. When the builder said that they'd now need to do Tyvek + Rainscreen we had to eliminate a couple of light fixtures that my wife really wanted and replace them with less expensive and less appealing fixtures. Hopefully once we move in those lessor-than-we'd-chosen fixtures will disappear in to the background and we'll be happy. But what else is coming? What other lighting fixtures will have to be downgraded because our builder's estimate was so inaccurate? How many bits of furniture will we have to notify our designer that we can no longer afford because of costs our builder didn't anticipate? How much of the landscaping plan will have to be reduced? Will we even be able to use our chosen landscaper or will we have to go with a lessor landscaper and lessor plan? ---------- The residential construction industry in the U.S. is getting an increasingly bad reputation. It's an industry that requires a great bit of trust and that trust seems to increasingly be violated....See MoreCustom home build - Getting proposals/bids from Designer Builders
Comments (19)Design build firms are just vertical integration (backward or forward). They typically create some value for consumers, but just like all created value there is some sacrifice. Theoretically, a design-build firm should create designs they are more efficient at building. In other words, they will design to their strengths, that is the nature of their existence. That efficiency will typically create value for consumers, we imagine that being from improved communication, fewer reworks, etc. However, that comes at a cost, and that cost is creativity (again this is theoretical), if a design-build firm designs to its build strengths, then it will avoid designing to its build weaknesses. Since an independent architect doesn't have to worry about working in those parameters then they should be more open to more creative designs. However, theory and reality are not the same thing. Just because a design-build firm will generally create some additional value, that doesn't mean that it will necessarily create additional value for your particular build. Just because an architect should be more open to creative designs, doesn't mean your particular architect will be able to achieve your vision. The best choice for any individual is going to be somewhat unique to that individual. Sometimes a design-build firm might be better for your particular situation than an independent architect and vice versa. Good luck...See Morelittlebug5
10 years agomlweaving_Marji
10 years agomaggiepie11
10 years agoUser
10 years agomaggiepie11
10 years ago
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