Your allowances and construction costs?
topman
13 years ago
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joyce_6333
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
How negotiable is home construction cost?
Comments (17)Hi, Contracts are another issue. If you want go whole hog then you can go for ASTM standards. I did this with my brother who was a Norman Foster Architect who build Hong Kong internatinal Airport. You end up with Compact Disk amounts of data. Most small builders in the USA would basically be scared to bid. I.E. how can I do this when I cannot even understand half the documents, and there are so many ... Another approach is to go for AIA contracts. American Insitute of Architects. You can buy "Standard" documents from the AIA. Maybe one of the A-Series contracts might work. They have contracts for Stipulate Sum, Guaranteed Max price, and other pricing schemes. I looked at these and they are quite good. Although they have a bias towards the architect. The contracts can be three way, architect, owner and builder. Or two way Arch/Owner and Builder/owner. In the end I think the most important thing is the relationship. And for that I would rely on meeting the builder, and also meeting that builder's previous clients. If you get a good vibe, then you are probablly on the right track. All the best, Mike....See MoreConstruction Budget, Cost Breakdown & New Home Construction List
Comments (12)Hi, ideamom...yup, we sure do have the same taste! :) Thanks for your kind words, never did I imagine that I'd ever build on a property like this and I guess it will seem more real when something happens like BREAKING GROUND (impatient sigh). :-p Anyway, don't feel like you have to "match" all the light fixtures in your home if you like more than one collection, I think it's part of what makes a custom home "custom" (JMHO). After my DH and I discussed lighting, we decided to use Belcaro in our entry/foyer, gallery, terminus, living and dining room. For our master suite, we are going with Bellasera. We also found another line for the kitchen, nook and great room, it's the R.A.M. Lighting Monaco Series. For the rest of the home, it's still TBD, but I think each bedroom suite will be different, as well as the wine room, game room, home theater and office. Anyway, you can see our lighting selections on our home-building website at VineyardAvenue.com (just click on "Decor"). I'll be adding much more to the site as the time progresses! Here is a link that might be useful: Our lighting selections...so far!...See MoreHow much money will your husband 'ALLOW' you for decorating
Comments (51)We've never discussed a dollar limit - but when I was working and earning more than/about the same as he was, I'd just buy anything I wanted, he did the same, even if that was $200. Once we had kids, even though I was still working, we tried saving a bit more so didn't "splurge" though we did buy new BR furniture after DS was born, we shopped for it together (I told him what I liked and he agreed LOL), same as we did before kids (DR furniture). I have bought 2 new cars since we got married, both I picked out and paid for, he only gave me rides to dealers to pick up. "We" (he doesn't pick out his own cars LOL) have also bought a used pickup truck and 2 Explorers in that time, those he helped pick out but I was the one who decided which model (and also decided when I was pg that we needed to trade the pickup for something with a backseat!). He never negotiates - hates buying cars and I've learned not to take him shopping for used anything (CL) b/c he won't play "bad cop" to my "good cop" when I'm trying to negotiate price - though I feel it would be perfect since I'm the one who has responded to the ad, and he's the sole wage earner now, if he would say something about it being "too much for the condition" or something when I ask him in front of the seller what he thinks. DH doesn't tend to ask how much something is when I am looking for decor - he trusts me to shop around, like when I was pricing out custom roman shades for our FR. I told him I liked the $2000 ones from Calico Corners, found SlectBlinds was $1000 but I was OK with the $500 ones from JCP, since I know we've got other things to spend "our" money on. We shopped for the FR together, but whether my dad would be able to get up from the sofa was a major consideration. I found the LR sofa with my mom, that was over $700 so I took pics and told DH and dragged him down to store for OK before I ordered it. But he wants a recliner, I would not go buy one for him, he has to sit in it and pick it out, though I will try to steer him toward a style that will fir with the other furniture. He wants to buy a pickup again now, he can go out and buy one himself but I have been trying to get him to express what he wants to use it for so I can help him find one (he wants an extended cab but I don't know if that means jump seats or bench seat and four doors). I know what *I* would use a pickup for, but don't know if he just wants something to plow with, in which case we don't need a back seat and don't need to trade in the SUV, can even just buy a junker and keep it unregistered. Gotta love him - he spent 2 days running around looking for fabric for LR curtains while I was sick, he never even questioned why I didn't want to use the curtains I'd already bought and can't return. I'm just trying to be respectful of all his hard work, since I won't be able to sell those for what I paid for them, I don't want to spend more than $200 on the new ones, though the "budget" I had in mind (not discussed) was larger to big with, I think I have to fit the cost of both sets of WTs within that original "budget" now. I feel guilty that I "wasted" money on the old ones just b/c I found something I like better....See MoreShould the homeowner avoid construction contract allowance?
Comments (12)Inadequate allowances are one of the biggest reasons for budgets being blown. What generally happens in my locale is that to squeeze within a customers budget, the contractor will not completely "hard bid" a job. They'll include allowances. It's an easy way to shave money off the bid, and flooring and tile are the two most abused areas where this occurs. Contractors like them because then "everything is included" in the bid. It makes the bid price appear complete, even though in reality it's not. Homeowners like them because, for the most part, the homeowner is simply ignorant of the reality of what an allowance is. Because the bid lists everything, they think the bid is complete. And it is in terms of the scope of work. But the allowance amounts are generally underestimated, but the homeowner doesn't find that out until they go shopping for materials. I see bids all the time with $5 a sqft for hardwood flooring. Homeowners often think that's just for material, but often times it's for labor/installation and material. It can often lead to a $20k discrepancy when it comes time to install the flooring. I tell people to go shopping after they get a bid. You were allowed $3 for tile? Find out if that's for tile only, or for tile and all other installation materials (backerboard, grout, thinset, etc), or for everything including labor. In the contract, it should also stipulate what exactly the allowance allows. It is just tile itself? Or tile and all installation materials but not labor. Or everything. Regardless of how it's calculated, whittle the number down to the "tile only" price. Then go find tile in that price. If you can. Flooring. Bathroom tile. Kitchen cabinets. Appliances. Plumbing fixtures. Be realistic when it comes to pricing those out. Much of what I posed is a bit redundant. But allowances get abused big time. So be aware. And be realistic....See Morebevangel_i_h8_h0uzz
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agojzinckgra
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agomydreamhome
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agojzinckgra
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agotopman
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agobeaglesdoitbetter1
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agotopman
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agojuniork
13 years agolast modified: 9 years ago
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