owner/builders - get jealous of others speedy progress?

15 years ago

Do any of you owner/builder get jealous of some of the nice looking homes on here that seem to go up so dang fast? I see pics that are just weeks from the start and they are flying, folks talking about having framers and whole work crews.

I just passed the 8 month mark and I am finishing up the garage and getting started on electrical. The 12-14 hour days on weekends and the 3-5 hours after my day job of teaching are getting tiring!

I am only a little over a month behind and pretty close to where I want to be budget wise (i am definitely not one of those who has a detailed budget, just an idea of where I want to be). I am real happy with that and the progress I am making (and the stuff I am learing). But I see these homes and I go, man it must be nice to stress over picking stuff out and keeping an eye on the builder and subs. When the few subs I have work, I take a break and drink lots!!!

just venting after a 32 hour holiday weekend. that is all. =)

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Comments (38)

tinker_2006
15 years ago
well, my house is almost complete (we close FRIDAY)! It will have been completed in 6Â½ months from the start of excavating/footers. All I can tell you when you start feeling those jealously vibes... is thinking about how much money YOU SAVED compared to me!

now I am jealous! LOL
ajpl
15 years ago
Hey Mike!

We're jealous about some things but not others. I didn't have a detailed budget either but I knew how much I wanted to spend and we are right on target! That's so awesome to me. On the other hand, we're living in the house 11 months after we started and it's not finished. When we got into the house the work sort of stopped. We took a break and now it's driving me nuts. We have to get moving again b/c I want to finish unpacking but I won't until the mess dies down. And there is mess when you work on a house you're living in. I'm jealous of the people who move into a clean house! LOL

During the stage you are at now, the long days were really starting to take a toll on us. DH was exhausted, I was tired from doing everything at home so he could do everything at the new house. We never saw each other or we were working together. We were eating too much crappy food because we always wanted to get back down to the new house quickly after supper. That takes a tool on you too.

I will say that you'll get a break eventually and you'll still be happy about the money you spent when you've forgotten the long hours ;)
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I am a woman and the GC on our house. We had a GC to start, but ended up being our own. You are capable of doing it, it's more a matter of whether you really want to once you know more about it. Live Wire Oak's comments were spot on. If you know good subs, are willing to spend a lot of time researching the correct way things should be done and have a lot of time to babysit and enough assertiveness to stay on subs, you will be successful. You will also spend more money than you think - you will find out the best way to do things and want to go that route for more $ and you won't get all the same price breaks GC's get. I do not work outside the home and do not have young children, have the help of my parents and husband, yet am very busy, exhausted and stressed. You have to be up early and at the site to make sure deliveries are correct, workers have shown up and that they are doing a good job. You have to line up the next subs and be organized, but at the same time flexible. There will be delays due to weather, in material delivery, in subs (sickness, "emergency jobs", injury, etc.) If you are very organized that is good, but you must be just as good at being flexible. If one sub can't make it, can you have a different sub come in earlier without messing things up? For instance, my original GC wanted to keep the inside of the house on schedule so wanted insulation and drywall to go up before the exterior brick was installed and before heat was in (winter time). We said no, which was one reason we parted ways. If you can get a really good GC (which was hard in our small town), you can turn over all these types of issues to them. We got the best in our small town, but that is relative when there is not much competition. We like the control we have over the project now, but things have taken a lot longer than if we had a GC throughout the whole project. The good subs are busy, many of them for GCs, so we are a side job that they work in. Therefore we have to be flexible, but we are almost two years into the build and we aren't done. We had to wait six months for a chimney leak to be fixed (weather dependent) and then for the mason to work us in to fix it when weather allowed. If we had to do it again, we would definitely prefer a competent GC vs doing it ourselves - some days. :-) Some days the fee is worth it - it's hard enough just keeping up with appliance, cabinet, trim, flooring, paint choices, let alone the actual building process. Other days there is a feeling of accomplishment that yes, I can do this. To address some things more specifically: As far as knowing how things should be done, it's true you don't have to know everything, but you must know enough to make sure you have a competant GC/Subs and inspector. For instance, we had three really important things that our GC did not ensure was done, nor did our building inspector. 1) Of all our small town masons, only one knew how to put in weep holes and that it was necessary. Although building code required it, in our small town the inspectors did not enforce it. Our GC didn't even know it was code until I brought it to his attention. 2) Our foundation is concrete block. We are built into a hill. We did not know until later that the concrete blocks were supposed to have rebar attached to the footer and then cement poured in every 4 feet. When we became our own GC and had the perimeter drain redone, the structural engineer for that job noted the pressure against the blocks and asked about reinforcement. It cost an arm and a leg to fix it. When we talked to the inspector, he said rebar and cement was only required if you had uneven backfill and/or the blocks are over 5 feet high. 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We ended up having to call in a commercial mason to install thru the wall flashing. All of these things were learned AFTER we became the GC and read the blueprints. (You need to know how to read them and interpret them.) In addition, all these things were inspected and passed by our building inspector. You cannot rely on your inspector - you must know it. When we talked to our inspector about these issues, he said his job is to enforce code that his county is enforcing. These are MINIMUM standards - not best practices. Regarding a loan, we fortunately have a loan through Farm Credit and they allow owners to be their own GC, but most banks do not. In addition, we don't have a separate construction loan. It was a regular mortgage loan that incorporated the construction part. Therefore we don't technically have a time limit, but we do have to make progress and keep them informed of the progress. Most banks have a 1 year limit, which unless you have everyone lined up and contracted and will not change your mind on anything substantial during the build, it may be possible, but it will be hard if you are doing it all yourself. Also, you do have to be assertive, be willing to fire subs if they are doing a poor job and basically babysit - especially if they quoted by the hour then by the job. However, sometimes when they quote by the job, they cut corners, so you have to watch that too. Also, some subs require payment right away (down payment, then when the job is over). In our small town, sometimes they want money early. It can be stressful coming up with money ahead of time before getting the next draw from the bank. Plus you have to make sure they sign lien waivers when work is done so you don't have liens put against your house by unscrupulous people. You must also remember to make sure you obtain certificates of liabilities from everyone BEFORE they start work. If they don't have insurance, don't hire them. If I had trouble with a sub (just a few), my husband would step in to be the heavy, but in general I didn't have a problem. If I interviewed someone that treated me strange or made a comment about me being a woman GC, I didn't hire them unless I really wanted them based on their reputation. I think that only happened once, but I made sure my husband made an appearance every now and then. Since you have family nearby, have a male member be on call if needed. You are doing the right thing by getting advice and researching first. It may seem simple in theory - just hire good subs, but there is more to it and finding good subs, isn't always easy. If you hire people that have done work for people you know, that is best. Reading BBB or Angie's list reviews isn't always reliable. If you decide to do it, be sure to ask GW for any advice along the way or just for researching. 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By that point, the only thing the builder was doing was hiring subs and ordering materials. I was paying a third party inspector separately to check all work that I didn't feel competant to inspect myself. I was handling all the paperwork and making sure everybody got paid. But then the kicker... I discovered that builder was having materials delivered to my build - which I was paying for - and then having his subs (whom I was also paying!) move them to a spec house that he was building and install them there. I had had enough. I fired him. After taking over as GC, I had to spend as much time/effort on UNDOING some of the mistakes he made as on moving forward to finish the build. And the money he wasted/stole from us has forced us to cut back on the level of finishes that we had originally planned to have. My advice: Go take a course on building your own home. Spend time reading and learning everything you can about the building process. Learn the language. If you are reasonably intelligent and willing to devote the time, you CAN build your own home. Plus, there are businesses (Owner-Builder Network and UBuildIt.com are two that I know about although I've not used either one) that will help you by providing you with pre-vetted lists of sub-contractors and guiding you step by step through the process. If your state or your bank requires you to have a licensed builder, these organizations will be the builder-of-record for you. Of course they charge a fee for their services. I don't know how much but it is significantly less than a builder's profit margin. You can also hire a third-party inspector to make sure that you're getting everything built to code. Just make sure that all your subcontractors know that they don't get paid until your third party inspector signs off that the work is up to code. I designed my plan myself and I would love to see the house built as designed. The house we are in the process of finishing will eventually be "okay" but it will never be the house I dreamed of. So there is some chance that when we get this house built we will sell it and rebuild the same design in a new location. But next time I will definitely OB from the get go.
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persnicketydesign
15 years ago
Mikey...I wish I knew how to do half the things that you've done on your own. I'm jealous of you for being able to do it yourself! At this point we're more GC than OB, but that will change soon and I'm sure that things will REALLY slow down when we're the only people doing the work.

Congrats on the new baby!
ccoombs1
15 years ago
well, we are in the 5th year of our build. How's that for speedy progress? lol!! But this is a totaly DIY project, paying as we go. So I don't mind....because when I DO get to move in, it will be without a mortgage. I think we are moving in right after christmas. I'd like to move in before, but this county does not pro-rate tsxes. If we move in anytime during 2008 (even if it's december 24th). we pay taxes for the entire year.
ajpl
15 years ago
ccoombs, we really wanted to go the same route and pay as we go but we weren't able to get a building permit that way or construction insurance. Is it different in your jurisdiction or did you forego those things? We're in NOva Scotia.
emilynewhome
15 years ago
We are paying a lot of money to our GC to build our home. (More than it will cost to rebuild according to USAA insurance company). If we knew how to do it ourselves we certainly would.

Out of three builders, this one was the only that gave us a halfway acceptable breakdown of costs. It seems to be a big secret amongst the custom builders we've encountered here in SW Louisiana, in disclosing materials and costs.

Our HOA requires homeowners begin building within 2 years of purchasing a lot and complete construction within 12 months, front and sideyard landscaping, sod, irrigation within 45 days of house completion.

You have the satisfaction of knowing your home is well built and not just to minimum code plus by DIY you can put the money your'e saving in labor, into quality materials!

It's certainly a trade off!
ccoombs1
15 years ago
ajpl, the county had no problem with issuing a permit to an owner/builder....they only require that we live in the house a minimum of 2 years after completion. Strange rule and probably unenforceable, but we're never moving anyway, so it doesn't matter. Insurance was more of a problem. We are living in a single-wide trailer in front of the house so we have liability insurance, but the house is not insured at this point. Pretty scary, but no other option. None of the construction insurance we could find would run for more than 12 months. We are getting ready to turn on the electricity in the house soon and it's done enough that I can get a conventional home owners policy on it now instead of construction insurance.
jenk2008
15 years ago
Mike-hopefully this will make you feel better. My parents started their house when I was 6 months old, I'm now 28 and they still haven't finished (mostly just trim work now, my dad has made all of the trim and the kitchen cabinets!).

We just started (we have basement walls!!), and are working as our own GCs and will have it dried in, then we'll do most of the work after that, so I know things will go very slowly after that, right now things happen so fast, it's hard to catch my breath!

Not to hijack your thread, but along the same lines, do you have trouble getting your friends to understand how much work this is? I think a lot of people still think that when we say we're building a house that we're having someone build it for us. Our friends are always calling us to hang out, but we're always busy or too tired to do anything. I'm hoping once things get further along, and they can see the shell of the house, maybe they'll understand how much work we have to do and will understand that we'll hang out as soon as the house is finished.

Anyway, that's my vent for now, it feels good to know that there are others out there that are going through the same thing!
ccoombs1
15 years ago
jenk....I think MOST people think someone else is building it for us when we say we are building. Almost everyone who has a house built says "we are building a house"....when really what they mean is someone else is building it for them. When we say "we are building a house"...we MEAN it!! lol!! We have hired subs for just a couple things...like the drywall (we have friends in that business) and the insulation (it was cheaper to hire someone than do it ourselves). We even dug the footers ourselves and laid the block foundation! We did all the framing, all the sheathing, installed every window, did the siding, electrical, plumbing, etc etc etc. So people don't understand why my evenings are rarely ever free (I work during the day) and why it's taking so long to do this house. It is frustrating. Some day soon, this house will be done and I can sit down and relax.

Cindy
brutuses
15 years ago
Cindy, I hear ya. We're in year 5 of our build and I wanted to be in by the end of the year, but I think we'll put it off till the first of the year to save on the taxes. LOL We'll be so broke we'll need to save where we can.

I think some people wonder if we'll ever move in the house or just keep adding to it and keeping it "under construction." The county sends us a tax bill every year and every year I call and tell them we aren't in yet and they ask, "Are you going to be in soon?" Yea, and every year I tell them, by the end of the year. HA!

Mike, I'm not jealous of others building so quickly, I'm happy for them. We started building this house not really having a clue of how much time and money it would actual take. Glad we didn't know or we would have never started. We will finish. We just hope we live long enough to enjoy it a while!!

Our HOA's has the same rules about building within a certain time frame, but they haven't enforce it because the exterior doesn't look like a building site. We finished it first so we could do the inside and not have to worry about the outside looking unsightly. We either haul trash ourselves or have someone come to haul it for us so it's always neat.
flgargoyle
15 years ago
I'm going to start on my own house in a couple years, so I'm listening and learning. I won't do the foundation, and I may or may not have the shell built- a lot rides on how much money we have, and how much energy I have. I'm going a different route, however. Once I take over, I'm going to quit my job (!) and dedicate a year full-time to getting the house done. Where we're building in SC, you can take as long as you like, but you have to have an inspection a minimum of every 6 months. You have to show some kind of 'progress', but it doesn't need to be much. I honestly don't think I could handle a 5 year project anymore- I'd burn out!
mikeyvon
Original Author
15 years ago
glad i am not alone! It must be nice to sit back and watch a house get built, but then again I see all these problems with builders and contracts. Contract, what the heck is a contract?

brutuses, I am happy for folks that get their home built quickly too, perhaps a bit envious, and yes somewhat jealous.

ccoombs, I wish i could pay as i go. The $$$ aspect is the one thing that stresses us out. We have never owned a home, so this is by far are largest financial outlay. Now i just need them to start paying teachers more so i would not be so damned poor (=

emilynewhome, you have more guts than I do. I could not live no less build in a HOA. I have one neighbor who is a pain in my ass. I tried to be nice at first, now i just wave with my middle finger (not really I smile and keep on driving, but i did give him the bird once).

ajpl, i was sooooo happy for you when i heard you moved in a month or two ago. It seems like your build is much like ours and you are going through much of the same that I am. We too plan on moving well before we are finished. we need to get out of our construction loan and into a conventional mortgage. I hope things continue to move along for you are yours.

jenk, my wife always teases me that I will be old and gray (33 now) and still working on finishing the house. i can see it too, lol. many of my friends do not understand the time and effort needed to do what i am doing. They just want me to come out and play. I do take friday nights off and go play with them. The trick is to get them to come play at the new house and then put them to work.

I have noticed my spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and even speech deteriorate as i get worn down. Anyone else have this problem?

Well here is to hoping the rain goes away so I can put in a full evening finishing blocking and starting on the sheer on the garage I did not want or think I had to build (stupid county and zoning regulations).
jilliferd
15 years ago
mikeyvon,

Been there, still doing that! We are in that exclusive club of living in our house while it is being finished. DH is getting burned out on the whole thing. It s-o-o-o ticks him off when people ask "Aren't you done with that house yet?" They have no idea.

We'll cry in our beer with you...

Hang in there. Every day is one step closer. (That's what we keep on telling ourselves, anyway.)

Jill
brutuses
15 years ago
mike, my DH is 67, works full time as a contractor, then builds our house on the weekends. I think he's past worn out. LOL Poor thing just hopes he lives long enough to enjoy the house after it's built!!

As for grammar, speeelling and such, no I haven't notices a differance!! LOL Somtimes we think we are brain dead from the physical as well as the mental ($$) strain. Everyone keeps telling us it will be worth it. We sure as hell hope so.
brutuses
15 years ago
Ooops, made an error, DH is 68. I guess I missed his last birthday. LOL
mikeyvon
Original Author
15 years ago
brutuses, you must be working too hard, forgetting BDays goes along with spelling and grammar errors (being a teacher spelling and grammar are big for me).

jill - I hate when people, usually acquaintances not friends, ask 'arn't you done yet?'. It is like i am purposely taking my sweet time. cheers too you!!!

No tears from me yet, but plenty of sweat and blood. Found out tonight that hanging 1/2" ply sheer is really no fun by yourself. Luckily I have no "close" neighbors or they would think a bunch of truckers were around with all my swearing.

goodnight all and see ya in the morning from my day job.
oruboris
15 years ago
Oh LORD yes.

I'm nearly one year behind my builder's original projected move in.
ajpl
15 years ago
People always ask us if we're done yet. I just smile and say we'll be done someday and we're very happy to be in the house. They don't need details and probably don't want details. I'm thinking they just ask to be nice. LOL

You'll be in the house soon Mike and then you can at least finish supper before running out to work and not feel exiled from the family while you get stuff done. That does make a difference. My Dh hated going back to work on the house after supper while I did kid/homework/bedtime routines.
brutuses
15 years ago
I've been lucky and not had anyone ask "Are you done yet?" They ask "How's the house coming?" My reply "It's coming." followed by a heavy sigh!! I think when it is finally done no one will really believe me. LOL
ajpl
15 years ago
The heavy sigh probably warns them to not ask anything further! LOL I should try that!
montalvo
15 years ago
In 1960, my mother (a stay-at-home mom) acted as a GC in constructing our 3,200 SF house in so. CA. It was completed in exactly 100 days for a cost of $11/SF. Of course, more than a few things have changed since then...more complex building codes, CC&Rs, tighter inspections. But were she still alive today, I suspect she'd still get a house built in record time.

My father used to refer to her as "Mrs. Hilter" and it wasn't because of her German heritage. She was charming...but she was in the subs faces all the time. Even back then (before cell phones), she'd be calling each sub every night to talk about what time they'd arrive, what they expected to achieve the next day, etc. It was the ultimate demonstration of the "squeaky wheel" principle.

Likewise, the wife of a neighbor acted as a GC on installation of a swimming pool in 2003, when pool companies had more work than they could begin to handle. She got the pool/spa installed in three weeks, employing the same techniques as my mom (although she employed cell phone technology to good advantage, too).

Being a "nudge" doesn't come naturally to most folks and if done inappropriately/rudely, it's easy to become a PITA, making your efforts worse than useless. But if you can pull it off, it'll make your project come in on-time and maybe even under-budget.

Bob
mikeyvon
Original Author
15 years ago
Bob, that sounds great in theory, but who am I to nudge? I already make myself get up at the crack of dawn and work till sundown or later? I am not interested in being done the fastest, although I would like to be done!

ajpl, we already have the bbq up there and my wonderful wife brings the kids up and we have a good time. We have spent many a nights sleeping out on the deck (me working like a frantic crackhead till 2AM). Now that we have water and power we have talked about getting ready to move in. I need to get the garage finished so we have a place for all of our crap. My wife wants a toilet, even though owen just loves pooping in the woods. I could go for a toilet also, lol.

It is so cute, owen has his own set of tools and just loves helping out. I will be a room over and i hear his little plastic hammer banging away on the walls.
brutuses
15 years ago
mike, little Owen may grow up to build mom and dad's retirement home. Did you post a photo of him and the new baby? Do I have the right family? He is a cutie that boy!!
dlynn2
15 years ago
Here is the "ultimate" owner/build. This guy started his project in 1969 and he's not done yet. It started out to be a cabin, but has gotten out of hand. It's even become a tourist attraction here in Colorado and has been featured on the Denver news numerous times over the years. It's incredible and he does it himself.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bishop's Castle
mikeyvon
Original Author
15 years ago
you mean these two devils (owen and liam)

href="http://s123.photobucket.com/albums/o283/Mikeyvon/?action=view&current=IMG_1121.jpg"; target="_blank">

flgargoyle - sorry i missed your post. Taking a year off would be awesome if you can afford it. I have the summer kinda off. I will be teaching summer school (we need the money) but it is only 4 hours a day. I still will have 5 full weeks off also. Best of luck with your build!
ajpl
15 years ago
Hey Bob, My husband doesn't like it when I nudge too much. I think he calls it nagging. LOL

Actually we kept on top of our subs pretty well but we only had a rough plumber and an HRV guy. Everything else we did ourselves so timing was more an issue of just finding the time int he day to get it done.

Mike, we did the same by going up tot he house after supper with our son. He's 10 so he could help with a lot but didn't always want to. Our biggest push was during ther really cold winter too so until the woodstove was on it was pretty uncomfortable spending the night but we did a few times. It was all worth it. We're still married and seem to still like each other!
ccoombs1
15 years ago
we built the last two houses using slave labor (our children), but for this one, we are on our own. I'll be 50 next week and am getting too darn old for this!! lol!! I cringe when I look at that 850 sq ft stack of hardwood that I have to put down. I am so tired of having NO free time or extra money. We have been at this for so long that when this house is finally done and I can just sit down and relax, it's going to feel really strange!!
brutuses
15 years ago
That's those little darlings!! So cute!
jilliferd
15 years ago
Aw, Mikey!

You aren't just building a house, you are building a future for those 'lil cuties. Think of all the memories that will happen in that house.

Plus, your wife must really be something special. You are a lucky guy.

Jill
ellied
15 years ago
We had a contractor frame ours and finish the outside then we took it from there. Hired out the well and pump, furnace and drywall taping. I never thought we would get finished hanging the drywall. It is finished, taped and painted. Now we have all the interior doors to paint and hang as well as all the cabinets, trim and floors.
Today we put our current house on the market. A young fellow looked at it this a.m. and is bringing his parents back tonight for another look. My fear was that it would take forever to sell and now I fear that it might sell too soon and we won't be ready to move for awhile.
I agree with those of you who said friends don't understand when you have to go work on the house instead of going out with them. We have alot of folks ask "when are you going to move.?" My answer...When the house is finished.
Flowerchild
15 years ago
Mike- good post. It's nice to know there are others in the same boat. We are in our 4th year as OB/GC. There were times when I truly wondered if we had lost every last bit of our senses attempting to do this ourselves. Now that we have been living here 2 years W/O CO and against town regs..(shhh)....I have acquired a different attitude. I think of it as a 'Hobby', This way I can convince myself this is really fun!! HA
Really though as soon as we got the kitchen usable I felt that now I can make it to the end. And the end is near, why the other night DH asked what we needed from Lowes and we couldn't think of ANYTHING!!!! yEAH!!We really are getting there.
Am I jealous of others speeding along with their builds? NOt really, I know that we have put more blood, sweat and tears and love into this house than one that was quickly put together by a crew that just wants a paycheck. Most of our serious problems came from mistakes made by the different crews we hired for certain things. I also realize that by living here early on we were able to make some adjustments that we probably would not have known to do had we not been living here. For instance the location of the fireplace and the location of the bathtub have changed.

The very best part of doing this is seeing the reaction of people that come to see us. They are in awe that we did this ourselves.

Our main computer has a very bad virus. When we get that straightened out I will post up to date pics of our build.

Good Luck, hang in there. It truly will be worth all the hours you put in. Then you will sit back and say it wasn't THAT bad.
Flowerchild
15 years ago
Did you see the post 'moved in, would this annoy you'? That is one loong list of poor workmanship.
That's another reason I'm glad we are OB. My DH would not let those types of things slide. He's a perfectionist and will do and redo something until it is as close to perfect as he can get it. That's one reason it has taken so long.
I have a family member that lives in a $3mil house in NJ. I can't believe the shoddy work that went into that house. All that costly material and shoddy work....
dixiedoodle
15 years ago
You don't have to be an OB to expect a well-built, quality product for your money. We have a GC, but I guarantee that when our build is finished, it'll be pretty close to perfect...or they can keep working! :)
mikeyvon
Original Author
15 years ago
Flowerchild, it seems like it has been a long interesting road. I would love to see pics. You are truly right that it is like a hobby. I agree that it is not bad, in fact most days i have a real good time.

I agree that a GC built house can be done very nice, in fact many times better than OB. I am an amateur when it comes to building. I would watch out expecting for perfection though. It may be a long long haul (see flowerchild's 4 yr build).

One of the carpenters that helped with some of the difficult framing was a perfectionist. I always had to keep on him as I cannot afford the time or money perfection takes. Plus it is just not my style. I way more into function rather that form. I always say, if it is perfect, no-one would believe it is my house. One thing that i can say, is my house is built with a ton of love!
ccoombs1
15 years ago
yep...this has to be considered a hobby or else it will drive you insane!! When we built our first one, we knew nothing about building!! We were 22 years old and had just lost our mobile home to a fire. So we moved in with my MIL and started building, learning as we went. We made SO many BIG mistakes in that house, but back then they had no inspections other then septic tank. The house is still there, looks great, after 28 years. We are nearing the finish line of my 3rd and last build. This is my forever home and I want it perfect, even if it breaks the budget. Cabinets are on order (I don't have time to build them myself this time around), applinaces are on order, some doors are also on order. So we're close.
karen_brown
15 years ago
I had to chuckle to myself as I read these posts. My hubby and I have built 3 homes in the past 25 years. The first two took about 2 1/2 years each to complete. We did everything ourselves. When I say complete, I have to confess that we had plywood floors when we moved into them.

The building process is much more time consuming than most people can guess. Therefore, the question from a lot of friends is "when, are you moving in?" OR "how are you coming along with the house." When we got to the second build, DH had heard enough of that question so he started telling everyone that "we are right on schedule". The look on their faces are priceless. The same person will never repeat that question. On Memorial Day we took a few days off. An neighbor asked DH the usual question and DH told him " Joe, we got ahead of schedule and had to take a few days off!!. Try that approach. It does add a bit of humor.

A neighbor across the road from us said that he and his girlfriend were watching us lay brick and laughing to themselves because we are so slow. But he said that after they thought about it a while they said that they would not be able to lay brick if a gun were pointed to their heads.

We have been building this 3rd home for 3 1/2 years. We have inside trim to do and some landscaping to finish. We are in our 60's now and this will be the last home because the physical labor is getting to be a bit much. I can say that when its all done you will be far ahead of most people and you will never have to wonder just what is in the walls, etc. Take your time and try not to let it get the best of you. Keep your eye on the goal. You will never regret having a home that you built and that is paid for.
rhome410
15 years ago
Wow...This is the group for me...Although Jenk, hearing about your parents' house is NOT good news, since I'm afraid that will be us! We have been DIYing, too, but unfortunately, had to have a bank loan, so have the debt and the time and work. We poured footings 23 months ago, and moved in a few months ago, but the list is SO long of things left to finish...And DH is talking of starting 'phase 2' a planned family room addition. I'm exhausted by it all and want the part we're in to be finished first...I need more cabinets! Best wishes to all.
hale_bopp
15 years ago
::Laughing madly, a tinge hysterical:: Oh gawd!

Blessings,
Haley (who is just beginning the process)

owner/builders - get jealous of others speedy progress?

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