"I'm just not the type of person who will spend $250K and accept that I won't have complete and absolute control over what is happening."

No offense, but IMHO, you absolutely should NOT build a new home, no matter who the GC is. First, there is no such thing as absolute control, but as your own GC, you would have absolute responsbility.

"No offense, but IMHO, you absolutely should NOT build a new home, no matter who the GC is. First, there is no such thing as absolute control, but as your own GC, you would have absolute responsbility. "

Care to explain?
Are you saying not to build because of the current housing situation?

As carolyn53562 says, but put "has LOTS of time" [6 days a week for a couple years] at the top of the list; and next most important should be "good at understanding plans, specifications and building codes"; diplomatic/tactful comes next.

There is a difference between being detail oriented and control oriented. The first will help your build be a success, and the second will cause a considerable waste of time, temper, money, and materials. As owners, we may not be able to tap into the subs' grapevine, but believe me, it exists and an owner who is considered a PITA, is known to them -- and they do know the difference between details and control.

If I were younger than 50, I wouldn't hesitate to OB/GC again, but nowadays I want a good GC and a better crew foreman, lol. And a really, really detailed contract.

Unless you intend on doing the work yourself, acting as your own GC means you will be bidding the work of each trade to 2 or 3 subs and choosing the low bidder assuming they are all pre-qualified. This takes a lot of time, some good management skills, a good idea of what the work should cost, and a clear idea of how work is normally divided between subs in your area.

Then you must schedule and coordinate the work of the subs. If you don't know how to do that or if some of the subs are not responsive to your scheduling you will find yourself confronted with delays and cost increases.

You will still not know what the materials cost unless you sign "cost of the work" agreements with each sub with Guaranteed Maximum Prices. You would need to have some serious project management skills to pull that off.

In general it probably does not save any money to GC your own project unless you have nothing better to do with your time and to think you could control the process without prior experience is a fantasy.

If you want to learn how to run a job do it on someone else's house first.

Sorry to be blunt, but someday you will thanks us for the wake up call.

Yes, there it is: You need to be someone who has built on this scale before.

As someone who has built two of my own homes( the first I did 80% of all the labor myself) and now work for a GC, I agree you should not GC your own home.

Unless you are willing to do all the work yourself , you will never have complete control of your build. Your subs will see you coming and either bid low and hit you with change orders. They will walk in the high quality materials through the front door and out the back when you are not there. The drywaller will tell you it's the framers fault and the painter will blame it on the drywaller.

I say this because of how your post gives the impression that you will be hard to work with and someone who will be standing over every subs shoulder with a stopwatch and a calculator.

The good subs will see you coming and will not even bother to bid your job or the price will be inflated to cover the hassle of dealing with you.(Something my husand a paint contractor does all the time)

You have to have faith the people who build your home. You of course need to do your home work and due diligence before signing on the dotted line but the good people in the business don't need your type of job.

Jill

"Plus, for every good contractor out there, it seems there are about four or five who, while not crooks, are people I don't want to deal with."

In my experience, there are more "crooks" among the subs than among the contractors (GCs). There are a lot of people who go into the building field because they are independent minded (=they don't want a boss) and don't like the structure of an office (=they like to make their own hours). Dealing with these people is frustrating to people who are used to dealing with the way corporations work. I had subs take time off for hunting, snow mobiling, fishing, NASCAR, etc. They don't really work for you and behave accordingly. They come and go as they please. And many lie like rugs. There are great ones, of course. But the majority of the time, IME, they either lack skill (or don't care) or they lack people skills. Sometimes the sub is good, but one or more of his workers is an issue (we are still uncovering ridiculous things the plumber's assistant did).

Can you deal with these people?

"had subs take time off for hunting, snow mobiling, fishing, NASCAR, etc"

You must live in my neck of the woods!

"Can you deal with these people?"

Yes and do you have the knowledge to know if the work is done right.

I'm surprised with most of these answers. Except for mightyanvil. If you plan on doing this,......you must plan and plan and plan. First get a true blueprint of your plans. You have to have this to get accurate quotes. You 'can' get accurate quotes on the 'materials'....then add the labor. 'Get an archetect ruller and learn how to use it.' Then find out the pricing for each sub trade. A good 'take off' of the plans will give you the cost of lumber, all doors, all trimwork inside/outside, shingles, etc. Once you have these materials costs, then add subs labor.
Some will try to charge you consumer pricing which is around 40-50% higher than what the GC's pay. 'Most' subs will do a very good job(at least in our area). You need to ed. yourself what each sub does.
You can't stand over the subs with a whip....or they would totally s@cew you. Interview several subs for each area and find the one that you feel comfortable with.
These days especially with the economy the way it is....subs are 'looking' for business.

Hmmm. You've all given me something to think about here. Thanks.

Now that you have responded and have not blasted us with a "I don't want to play" response, I will add to my thoughts.

Your response tells me you are not as hard headed as your first post made you seem.

Think about what everyone has said and I think you will find a path to getting it done. Do your homework, talk to lots of subs and contractors and find the best solution for you. If you treat good GC's and subs like respectable business people you will be happy in the end with your product and quality.

Have your plans and expectations down on paper before you start and be realistic about your budget and needs.

The business of building homes is changing quickly. People are going broke and customers are getting hit hard. The banks are coming down hard and expecting paperwork from builders that they would never have asked for before(lots of it).

Our company will not work with new unknown subs and we will not lay out money without lots of paperwork to back it up.

Jill

rob

Long before we started our build, I did some research and found this book to be very helpful. After reading it, I decided that doing this myself was not such a great idea.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=contracting+your+home

After having just finished a custom home, there were times when I wish I was the GC. And given the amount of time I spent on the project myself, and the time my DW put in picking out things, it seemed like we were the GC.

But then you have to think about this. My builder has a process - one that he has fine tuned over 30 years in the business. He knows all the right subs - and they know his process too. And I have to say his subs were excellent. If you had all of those connections, and you had the time (massive amounts of time) then you could probably do it yourself. But that is a big IF.

You also have to determine if a bank will let you do it (unless you are self financing). Even before the housing bust, banks were pretty tight on lending to DIYers. Now it might be impossible to get money for this type of project. In the end this could be the deciding factor in
the path you take.

There are also variants. You could contract for the basic structure and rough ins with a builder, then you manage the rest. I think I could have handled that part of the build - assuming I had more time available.

Think this one through carefully. Best of luck!

I'm in the middle of GCing a home for my wife and I. Things are going well, so you might expect my answer to be "Yes, GC your own home." But it's not that simple. Carefully consider everything you've read here, most of the posters have summed up the building experience pitfalls very well.

I think it takes a special person to GC their own home. A combination of knowledge, humility, diplomacy, stubbornness, organization and big broad shoulders for carrying the burden of everything. You will be managing subs, schedules, materials and worst of all... your spouse.

If you don't have a solid relationship - and by that I mean you need to be able to tell your spouse no and mean it, and completely ignore him/her when the time is right - then you do not want to GC a house yourself.

I really like reading threads like this. It provides a lot of good information to think about. I hope to build my own home when DH and I retire in about 9 years. I'll be 59 then, so things might change. But I WANT to do it. I've always wanted to, but because I work full time, could not do it before. I absolutely love doing actual construction, and have done a lot of remodelling on our house. I can do framing, roofing, plumbing, electrical, tiling, triming, and more. Everything I do is at least to code, usually bettern than code. And I LOVE doing it. If it weren't for being paid so nicely as a software engineer, I would've tried to go into the construction business. At least I would've started by trying to find a job working for a good construction company to get the experience.

Anyway, like I said, I love these threads because it helps me understand the things I need to take into account, based on input by people who are in the business or who have done this themselves.

Lots of good answers here, I just want to say that having absolute control can only be had by doing the construction yourself, or being onsite 24/7 and watching every person do every single thing, which is impossible.

GCing yourself doesn't give you absolute control over what the subs are doing, which when push comes to shove, is all that matters. Your GC hires subs or you hire subs. Either way, controlling those subs is virtually impossible.

My suggestion would be spend however much time it takes to find a good GC with subs that he's used for a long time and go that route. Having a good contract will be your next biggest item.

We hired what we thought was a good GC but he ended up subbing out some of our job to people he'd never used before and sometimes to subs that weren't qualified (framers used for siding/trim work). If there's a way to get a contract that states that you have to approve all subs first (not sure if this is possible) that might be a good route for you to follow.

Lots of good info here as usual :) My son and his DW are building their house right now. They started in May and they are approaching the interior work, flooring, cabinets, painting, etc. He worked for a builder prior to his build and has a friend and fellow co-worker that he hired to help him. He has the luxury of devoting all his time because he is a taxidermist by trade and his wife is a nurse. I am so proud of the both of them they are very resourseful people and determined. My son has a very "laid back" personality but his friend that he hired is a "pistol" and knows alot of the subs in their area as he has a little more experience in the building business plus he "gets after" people that he thinks are not being "up front" with my son. I think just knowing "the business" is half your battle since you will be depending on these people to build your home and build it correctly!!! One other thing; even though their build has gone very fast my son says he is so tired and just wanting to be done! So one must be willing to sacrifice a "normal life" until the house is completed. Good Luck!

two

It sounds like you have a great source of info right at your fingertips. Wait until your son is done and then ask him "would you do it again?" and see what he says.

For people who's life long dream is to do it themselves - I say go for it. Just plan way in advance and do as much homework as you can. You only live once so why not realize that dream (i used this line on the DW when we started talking about a custom build and it worked! But it will only work once!!) It's doable - you just have to beware of pitfalls and plan accordingly.

I also think that technology is going to help. I have been watching the modular home sector for a long time. Not too long ago, a modular home meant an ugly trailer. But today, it is absolutley amazing on what kind of house you can order up and have delivered to your site. I recommend that folks who want to be their own GC look into this, because it can lower overall risk and speed up the process - and you can customize these designs. Some of the videos I have seen are amazing. House parts show up on day 1 , house is framed and roofed on day 3. It's worth looking into.

Again, thanks to all who've responded. While I don't feel like I'm being hard-headed (just cautious) I can see how some might think otherwise. Thankfully, I have some time before I have to decide.

Rob

Not sure if I can add to what has already been said.

Just consider this. You can't quit in the middle of the project because it became too overwhelming. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to have a qualified builder take on a project once it's started.

I will also GC the building my own house. In fact, they are digging the hole today. Here's another thing to consider. Do you have a job where your boss will let you leave work at a moments notice to meet a sub at the jobsite? Do you have more than 3 weeks vacation accrued and are allowed to take a few hours here-and-there, and after you have used all that up, allowed to take unpaid time off?

As for subs, I only went to the big guys for quotes. They may cost a few bucks more, but they have a reputation to protect. They don't want to see their name in the local paper because they screwed someone over. My plumbing/HVAC/Geo company the biggest in the metro area and I received a fair quote. I also talked to the building inspector to see if they ever had a problem with any of the subs I selected. DO NOT use the guys who take out small ads on the bottom of the classified section.

I've been planning this for 2 1/2 years now (took a long time to sell our old house), I have researched EVERY aspect of the building process, so I feel I'm prepared for ALMOST anything. Notice I said ALMOST ;-)

Rather than insist on control, educate yourself so YOU know what's right or not and can catch the mistakes that are inevitably made. It's nice to have someone else fix 'em!

zim

who did the design on your house? Did you hire an architect, draw it yourslef, modify an existing plan? How long did that processtake , how much did it cost, and what did you learn?

Good luck with the project!

sniffdog -

The Lumberyard has an Architect. You buy their lumber, the plans are free. We went in with an idea of what we wanted and he did the rest. After several re-draws, we got what we wanted. I would say it took around a month or so. He hand draws all the plans and works with MANY area builders, so it takes time. No CAD for him.

If you have to ask others - you should probably not be your own GC . I am
GC'ing my 2nd home in 6 yrs and I never even considered hiring someone
else . I did the research and never had any doubts that I could handle it . You
have to have that attitude AND a great deal of time to devote to the project . It
has to be your main job . My husband works full time and I take care of the
home construction . It is a full time job . For me - I am saving so much that it
is worth it to not work at another job . I do understand what you are saying about control . I also want to make sure things are done correctly and for a reasonable price . In my area alot of GC's charge depending on the cost of the home . So if a home is 100,000.00 - then they earn 20,000. or 20 0/0 .
I always felt that there was no incentive for them to stay on budget since the
more they spend - the more they make . Up until 5 years ago - I owned an
erosion control company and worked for many GC's as a sub and I know that
this is how it works . A few even asked me to jack up my bid so their cut
would be higher . I drew my house and hired a draftsman to draw the plans .
Some municipalities require prints be stamped by a licensed architect - so
be sure and check the rules in your area. Good luck

Please show us your drawings. I haven't seen a hand drawn set in 25 years.

I'm very surprised at the number of negative responses you've received. It seems like alot of people GC their own homes, yet feel very few others are capable of doing so. It is certainly hard work, and extremely time consuming, but not undoable.

As far as what type of person you need to be, I would agree with zim, you need a job where you can be at your site at a moment's notice - I seem to remember you were in real estate, so that seems to be flexible. Also, as others have said, you need to be in control without being controlling. No one wants to work for an a**, you need to likeable but not a pushover. The biggest thing I would add is that you need to be an excellent student. Do your research, ask questions - not in a threatening manner, but because you want to understand the process. And then, at some point, you have let go and let your carefully selected subs do their jobs. I would also say it's important to have a little more money cushion than someone building with a GC, because you can be sure there will be things you will miss or underestimate just simply out of ignorance.

We have not found subs to be hard to work with at all - of course, we have only worked with six so far. In fact, a couple have told us they like to do work for individuals - as long as they aren't the type that want something for nothing. We have not found that they have jacked up prices on us, and for the most part, they have done what they've said they will do. Now, granted, we are still early in this process, I may change my mind in a few months..haha... But we have done our homework, we have talked to alot of people, gotten alot of references - gone to look at work done, and have followed closely our friends who have built before, so we feel like we are making good choices in the subs that we use.

If you have the time to do the legwork, the patience to the learn the process, and the ability to work well with others, you should be able to do the job.

Here is a link that might be useful: House Blog

TIME is what you need most. Everyone else has pretty much covered it.

But I'd also add that the ability to make dozens of on the spot decisions almost every day about things you've probably researched but somehow don't know some crucial detail. Or a sub will ask you which way you want something done, their workers are standing there waiting, and you really don't know! Or something goes wrong, and you have to call an engineer, or go in and see the inspector, or research yet again on the internet . . .

Anne

mightyanvil ,

My plans are not hand drawn - I drew what I wanted and then had a draftsman put them on paper with CAD . A structural engineer (provided by
the truss supplier ) designed my roof and floor system . I guarantee you
the only difference between my print and yours - is the price .

fayemarie

I was responding to zimzim. Why are you so defensive about your drawings?

Mightyanvil ,

I assumed you were responding to me because you posted right after my
post and did not specify who you were responding to . I am not defensive , I
am extremely happy with my print and house .

faye

You will have to excuse Mighty - he just doesn't get it. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a great design and to successfully build a custom home. In MightVille the architect rules all, and leads the client through the entire build process - drawing his sword against the villian builders and subs to make sure his client reaches their objective safely. It is just one approach (probably how Cornelius Vanderbilt II contracted for the The Breakers Mansion renovation) - but not the only approach, particularly in RealWorldVille where most of us live.

My plans were hand drawn, and they are very detailed so that all of the subs could build their part of the house with that plan as their only design reference. Everything needed was on the plan. And if it wasn't on the plan - it wasn't part of the house spec.

We bought the original plan on-line and then paid an architect a reasonable fee (less than 2% of the house total cost) to bring the plan up to our local code, make mods, and add the detail that my builder insists be on the plan. Our architect has been in the buisness for over 50 years and doesn't use CAD - which by no means should imply that these plans were inferior to plans created with a CAD tool. And once our architect was done with the plan and building started, he was not involved in the construction process.

There are a lot of different methods discussed on the forum to arrive at a custom design and successfuly build a custom home. There is no single right answer to all custom builds as Mighty would lead you to believe.

sniffdog- when did you appoint yourself to be the slayer of mightyanvil? All of the decent points that may be in your postings are now being lost due to the personal attacks that you are also interjecting. Anyway...

To the OP, you have received some good advice on this thread. I'll add some of my own. We did not self-GC, but we may as well have. We made 2 major mistakes during our build...1) not hiring an architect, and 2) not self-GCing.

I have posted before why I feel that an architect, not a draftsman nor a designer, is imperative for any project so I won't get back into that. Obviously others have a very different opinion, but our build was dramatically compromised by not having one on board (even though we had a structural engineer and a GC), not only during the design phase but also during the construction phase. Can a draftsman design a house competently? Sure, but they just do not know as much as an architect and unfortunately, you won't know if you need that extra knowledge until you need it! It's the same philosophy as whether a paralegal can put together a competent legal document or whether a physician's assistant can competently treat your illness... Is it possible, even probable that they can? Yes, but when it isn't...it really isn't. And, unfortunately, you generally don't know that there is a problem until things blow up in your face. I'd like to avoid that happening in my life again...ergo, no other construction projects without an architect on hand from beginning to end.

My second problem was hiring a GC. We would have been much less stressed and would have been finished much sooner if we had self-GC'd...but we would have spent more money. We wouldn't have spent more money because of us making mistakes, we would have spent more money because our current contract with our GC is a fixed price contract. There is no way we would have been able to build our home for the money that he has charged us for it. Oh well, his mistake for not bidding things out upfront.

You mention that you like to be in control. I do too. I think that is the perfect personality for building a house. Part of being in control is accepting responsibility...as long as you can accept responsibility for the positive AND the negative, I think that things would go smoothly. This will not go over well, but my experience with the entire building industry is that it is made up of mostly incompetent individuals who are vastly incapable of performing in any other industry. The customer service offered by suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, subs, and GC's is laughable at best. At one point in time, I thought that building a house was hard work, but it really is just very simple time and project management. And, do not believe that having a GC will enable you to receive better pricing on materials...that is simply untrue. There has not been one single occasion where my GC obtained more favorable pricing than I was able to receive on my own...from his own subs and suppliers.

So, to answer your original question about temperment...you need to be insanely motivated to learn about every component and process before hand, you need to have time to devote to project management, you need to be able to be onsite at a moment's notice, you need to know the process (order that things should occur), you need to be able to negotiate, you need to have a very good understanding of what the final result should look like and the steps to get there for each trade's work, and you need to be able to get along with people...even as you are telling them that they screwed up yet again. If you plan on self-GCing and yet have no past construction experience, you really should consider hiring a consultant to assist.

Good luck...

Sniffdog

I only asked to see an architect's hand drawn plans.

My name is just an old army radio sign but I would appreciate it if you would stop making fun of it.

You have begun to hijack every thread where I post whining at length about how unnecessary the skills of an architect are for a house project, as if that was more important than the subject of the thread.

The needs of homeowners on this forum vary greatly. Many builders, owner/designers and owner/builders give their opinions. There should be room for the opinions of at least one architect. Why can't you accept that and stop disrupting the forum with personal attacks?

Mightyanvil -

not sure how I can "show" you my plans? These are HUGE blueprints, so scanning them is not possible. They are very detailed. All my trades have seen them and no questions arose after reviewing them.

As an example of the time needed for a project, yesterday I took off work in the afternoon to watch the concrete guys set the foundation forms and pour concrete. In between, I had to run to the lumber company to order the windows. Talk about details. What color for the inside and outside of the window trim, emulions in between the glass or detachable, or none at all? Do you want the sliding patio door to open right-to-left or left-to-right. I crave stress I guess. After that, I had to meet the well driller out at the lot for placement of the well. It must be a certain distance from the septic and geothermal lines. Are the water lines going in the front or the side of the house, under the footings or through a wall? Then back to town to get a new bid on drywall because the company I used in the original bid sold out. Then back to the lot to make sure everything went well with the concrete.

One note about GC's. Check the inventory of specs he has. Many GC's around here are having financial problems because they can't sell their specs and it's costing them bucks everyday in interest. Many are robbing Peter to pay Paul. Just be careful.

Finally, here are a couple of links I found useful for the owner-builder:

www.ownerbuilder.com

There is also an owner-building group at yahoo, but this site prevents me from posting that link. Just search for: ownerbuilderclub

Zimzim

I'm sure they're fine; it was just a nostalgic request. I did it that way for a long time. I liked it better except for the erasing; you had to draw on the back when the front of the mylar got too slick.

Here is a link that might be useful: zimzim's link

I have kept the last thing I drew by hand from the mid 80's as a memento. When you look at your own hand drawings all of the detailing issues come back to you clearly unlike a CAD drawing.

I really appreciate everyone's comments here. I think I have the temperment to do it, but where I think I would fall short is the time. While my employer is very flexible, I doubt in the middle of the day I could leave and pick out windows or rush to the job site in an emergency.

Also, I feel the need to clarify something. When I talk about control, I don't mean that I will sit over the plumber's shoulder with a stopwatch or tell the electrician how to strip wire. I don't tell my dentist how to drill my teeth. What I mean is that everything is done the way I expect it would be done and that my specs are followed to the letter. If I specify a shut-off valve on every fixture (which would have saved me several headaches in the house I currently live in--why they didn't put that in I'll never know) I want to make sure every fixture has one. If I specify a certain sink and faucet, I don't want to come to the site and find that the plumber got another one "and it's just the same thing". As another post shows, while I'm comfortable in most areas of homebuilding, there is a great deal I don't know. However, doing research is right up my alley. Several years as a journalist (I'm out of the biz now) required me to become an instant "expert" on several topics, although the level of depth here would be far greater than what I did professionally.

I think my probable course here is to educate myself on every single thing I need to know, check out each builder that I want to bid on the house, write up a set of specs that detail every single thing I want, and hope for the best. I'm a pretty good judge of character and I can tell when someone is feeding me a line (believe it or not, some people actually lie to reporters!). Plus, I do have some contacts in the building industry (just not around where I live) that can help me.

So again, thanks for all your advice.

Rob

After reading the post on "What's in Your Purse", I have to add that to build you have to be STRONG over the long haul(s). LOL

zimzim -- Don't your plans have specs on the doors and windows, sizes, types, how they open, etc.? And on the water lines? Your post has me thinking you're sort of making it up as you go along.

chisue -

The sizes of the windows were pre-determined on the plan. I had to choose the color yesterday (went with good ol' white instead of the Sandstone). The plan showed a sliding door. We had to figure where the dinette table went so we can determine which way it would slide open.

The plans do not specify where the water line from the well will enter the structure, nor the geo piping. The designer has no idea where the well would eventually be drilled on our 2.5 acre lot. The location of the well was just approved last week from the health dept.

I'm definitely NOT making it up as I'm going along. That's just crazy

Well, you are [probably] going to run into a lot of shut-off valve type issues.

The present house didn't have the shut-off valves because A) the plumber had never heard of putting them in every line and B) they hadn't been used in previous installations and C) they took a lot of time to install and D) they made the project cost more and E) it's just plain uppity to assume they are an improvement. [and F) is for female -- if you are, then you may be resented if you bother your pretty little head about it.] Also, the plumber will never mention that when repair time comes, the plumber considers finding and turning off the main valve to be a part of his job and besides you're paying him $200 an hour to do it.

Okay, hopefully, you won't have that plumber sweating the pipelines, but in one way or another and at one time or another, you will face those attitudes. And imho, the better informed you are, the more likely it is to happen. No, that's wrong. The better informed you are, the more likely you will know it's happened. Figure out now what you are going to do about it.

I think you should hire the best builder with the best reputation in your area. The one major thing they have that you don't is LEVERAGE. This is huge when things go wrong, you get off schedule, fingers are being pointed. Probably the only thing we did correctly was hire a good GC. Our architect cost us probably close to $100K in mistakes & change fees, our designer changed those all & cost some more, 'her' cabinet people that our GC wasn't happy with, but bid the lowest, turned out to be a disaster (see my 'Custom Cabinet Warning' thread), but our GC put their foot down & are making them rip them all out and re-build them all 100% to contract before they see another penny, the landscaper our architect recommended became totally unresponsive & we believe is close to going out of business. We let out GC take control of them over and all of a sudden, voila! things are happening & being built correctly. We get 3 bids on every job, pick the one we want, pay the GC 11% + 2% liability insurance on everything, and it's the best money we've ever spent. Obviously, we did not do our homework, DH travels constantly, but we trusted people. Again, never EVER again! :) Sigh - this house had better be amazing...

"I did it that way for a long time. I liked it better except for the erasing; you had to draw on the back when the front of the mylar got too slick."

Mightyanvil - I've enjoyed all the posts of yours that I've read, and got a big belly laugh when I saw that statement. I had my own business as a construction draftsman/designer, primarily residential, for many years. In the earlier years I worked with five different architects before breaking out on my own, and prior to that I was a construction estimator. My last project # was 184, built with few, (if any), delays, unexpected cost overages or problems, and every one of my plans was hand drawn. Guess you'd call me old-fashioned, but I still preferred drawing them myself over CAD - and used the same old electric eraser that I bought when I opened my business...:)

The first major project I worked on was the AIA headquarters in DC in 1970. To cut costs we had to delete a lot of details so we made up a bold face sticker that said, "OMIT" that went on the back of the mylar. Of course it said "TIMO" on the sticky-back sheet or when it got stuck to our drafting equipment so it became an endless inside joke when others couldn't figure out what it meant even long after the building was completed.

I would still draw by hand with my adjustable TIMO triangle if I could justify the cost to my clients and if I could keep that much desk area clear of stuff.

dixie

I won't stop providing counter arguments as long as there are inflamatory statements made like the ones below - which happen to come from MA in a recent thread. But it wouldn't have mattered who posted them, the response from me would have been the same.

I find it disturbing that there is no declaration by MA right up front that he is an architect so that the OP's (especially new posters) know the perspective from which his views are derived. In all of the other forums that I read and post on, this is the norm by true professionals in their respective fields.

"I suspect that much of the savings from the use of prepackaged designs and/or incomplete documents is subsequently given to the builder in change orders or noncompetitive cost plus billing. Why are owners so stingy with designers and so generous with builders?"

"I think the bottom line is that in addition to a lower hourly fee, a home designer must be providing an abbreviated set of contract documents which inevitably exposes the owner to more risk and therefore more cost. I believe this must account for half or more of the design fee savings."

"I can see how these approaches could work for off-the-shelf designs or for spec houses but my practice is for completely custom original designs tailored to the needs of the homeowner's family and the site. A stock plan would be useless even as a starting point and the plans given to me by owners usually just slow down the initial design phase and increase my fee. "

The world of architecture is an enormous banquet of old and new visual ideas, cultures, building science, project delivery methods, and more. If someone has not had the opportunity to be exposed to it they would be wise to hire an experienced guide just as they would in any other esoteric field.

Of course, I realize that there will always be those who prefer to go it alone and effectively take a sandwich to the banquet since not everyone cares so passionately about these things.

I offer my assistance for those who do care and hope that those who do not will show their respect for the other members by not insulting me. When I feel no one wants the perspective of a design professional, I will stop offering it.

Building a custom home within a budget doesn't mean you have to "take a sandwich to the banquet".

There are many on this forum who have been wise enough to avoid excessive architecture fees to build dream homes so that they can afford to buy sandwiches after the project is done.

You forgot to reveal your occupation before stating your opinion.

sniffdog-

I completely agree with you about the architectural fees , but I also
agree with MA . Some people need and benefit from architects but some
of us choose not to use their service . That doesn't mean we are wrong and
can't build a beautiful custom home . There's not necessarily a right way or
a wrong way to do it . Personally I would never pay an architect to do some
thing I can do myself , but not everyone feels the same way . There is no
point in arguing with someone who is so close minded and full of himself .

faye

i agree on the variety of approaches - and have stated that in all of the posts I have made on this topic. We did use an architect for our project, but it was a limited set of services. We did a lot of the legwork ourselves and then paid someone to tweak the plan we found with the changes we wanted to make. I recognize there are also cases where that approach won't work - like our friends in CO who built a home that is carved into a rolling terrain - and they had no choice but to create a design from scratch. There is no single right answer on how to approach a custom home project.

The only reason why I continue to spend my time posting the method we used is to help those who are starting out and aren't sure what to do first. We started out looking for architects first and ran into a few MA types in the process. If I can save one person from that aweful experience, and potentially save a bunch of money in the process, then all the time I put into the posts are worth it.

Added note: if you are getting a construction loan some states (including laid back Texas) require that a licensed contractor GC the work. Also more banks will be looking at this as they can't afford the build out to fail.