Bevangel - Thanks so much for volunteering to set up a FAQ section. You helped me with some changes to our plans so I personally value your knowledge and opinion.
One thing that would be nice is to have a spot to keep really helpful and always relevant posts such as your punch list check off. I know within six months I will be printing that list and using it on walk throughs as we reach the end of our build. I know some forums have stickies that stay at the top. Sometimes it's difficult to find an old post that you know will be helpful again using the search function.
Thanks, again.

Common questions that are always surfacing is what to get started and questions about plans and designs.
Something should be mentioned about procedure, in the beginning, composed by professionals that do this on a daily basis, not a person that built a house for themselves that assumes they now know everything about home building. Steps such as where to start with looking and dreaming, programming, planning, and acquire professional help when needed and the scope of professional services.

But then again, FAQ pages are great...if people read them. I know for one I have NEVER read a FAQ page on any forum I have been a part of.........oops......

"composed by professionals that do this on a daily basis, not a person that built a house for themselves that assumes they now know everything about home building".

What's your definition of "professional"? I know of a handful who got their license by suspicious means not knowing a corbel from a mansard, a sanitary tee from an elbow but are out there as "professionals". I also know some very detail oriented owner builders who through many hours of research I would trust with advise over some "professionals". Any competent builder will tell you they will never know the ins and outs of a home build as there are way too many variables. It's how those situations are handled that determine a professional over a wannabe. Anyone can claim to be a pro, there are many on these forums, professional or not, who give excellent advise.

I think what lzerarc is warning us about is that there is a substantial difference between providing answers to common questions from the archives compared to providing a guide to project procedures for homeowners who often don't know what questions to ask.

The previous FAQ's at this forum turned into a homeowner guide and the project procedural questions were written by an experienced architect from NY called Smokeychimp. It is a testament to his ability that the contractors allowed him to do it since not many of them were very tolerant of architects.

I don't know how the editor of the new FAQ's will define the task but if it turns into a homeowner guide that attempts to explain project procedural matters like:

- The best Project Delivery System? (ie, Owner as GC vs Construction Manager at risk/not at risk vs GC with Cost-Plus contract vs GC with Fixed Price contract vs Time & Materials vs Design-Build, etc.)

- Who should design the Project? (ie, architect/designer working for the owner vs architect/designer working for the contractor vs stock pre-designed plans modified by the owner, builder, or architect, etc.)

- Who should oversee the project and provide quality control? (ie, owner, architect, designer, contractor; private home inspector; building official; etc.)

then the person writing those sections will need to have a strong academic knowledge of these project procedural matters as well as design and construction knowledge and therefore I agree with lzerarc that it should be someone with professional training who understands the advantages and disadvantages of each option from experience with different projects and this is what a practicing architect does.

Or maybe not; perhaps the editor will have a different idea about what the FAQ's should be.

I'm absolutely sure there is more than one viable route to get from "dream" to "reality" in home building... and there are potential pitfalls regardless of the route one takes.

A few people successfully rely on professionals to take care of every step along the route from finding just the right piece of land to choosing just the right paintings to hang on the finished walls. At the other extreme, a few people successfully do everything for themselves without hiring professionals to advise them or make any decisions for them. The vast majority of us fall somewhere in the middle, hiring professionals to do some tasks and deciding we can handle other tasks for ourselves without hiring a professional.

And, regardless of the route we take, (whether we do a task ourselves or rely on hired professionals) there are potential pitfalls. Some of us fall into some of those pits and when we do, IF we hired professional services, we tend to think "I should have just done it myself." And, if we went the do-it-yourself route, we tend to think, "I should have hired a professional!" Conversely, when we navigate a path (with or without professional help) without falling into any nasty pits, we tend to think that EVERYBODY should do things the way we did because it worked so well for us.

That someone chooses to handle some home-building tasks without professional help does not denigrate the value of those professional services to those who desire to use them. In my opinion, the only thing that denigrates the value of professional services is when someone pays for and relies on professional assistance to accomplish a task and then the professional they hired does a poor job for them.

But, to get back to the purpose of this thread...

What I think we need in the FAQs is an outline of all the MAJOR TASKS that need to be accomplished to get a home from "dream" to "reality." A kind of road-map of how to proceed, written with the recognition that there is no single perfect route for everybody just as there is no single perfect house for everybody.

And, without trying to tell the person looking for advice that a particular task must be handled by a particular professional, it would be good to give some advice about how to go about locating and hiring a professional to assist with each task... and, if possible, maybe even some advice about how to determine whether a particular person claiming to be a professional in a particular field is likely to really be any good at it.

But, on the other hand, for those people who prefer to "do it themselves," it would be equally useful to have others who have gone the do-it-yourself route provide information in the same FAQ as to where to find books and materials to teach what you need to know IF the prospective homeowner wants (or thinks he wants) to tackle a particular task without professional assistance and some of the potential pitfalls to look out for in going it alone.

I do agree that someone who has successfully built multiple houses is probably better equipped to outline all the necessary TASKS that need to be accomplished than someone who has only gone through the process once or twice. So, I'm definitely not the person to do it.

Lzerarc, I do believe you may have the experience needed to provide us with a road map for getting a home from inchoate dream to hard reality. Would you be willing to draft a "task oriented" response to "How do I get from DREAM to REALITY in building my custom home?" Note that by "task oriented" I don't mean just saying "hire an Architect" or "hire a Builder." Instead, lay out the TASKS that the architect or builder will do for the person IF they decide to hire these professionals. Obviously an individual who decides to go it alone without professional help will have to accomplish all these tasks for himself.

Once we have a roadmap of the TASKS, then we can start adding to it with information about how to find good professionals to carry out each task and/or some books or other written materials to help those who want to go it alone.

Does that sound like a good plan to you? And, if so, will you help make it happen?

With respect to the homebuilding process, I plan to stick with describing the tasks that need to be accomplished, provide some information on how to hire a professional to help you if you want to go that route, and some information on how to get the knowledge you need if you want to try to do a task yourself. I don't plan to take any position on WHO is the best person to accomplish a given task. (See my response above that was drafted before seeing R-8's comments.)

I figure we can continue to debate "bests" in this forum until doomsday. We all have different opinions and why would I want ruin everybody's fun????

For the FAQs, it is my intention - as much as humanly possible - to stick with FACTS. Pun intended... so smile dammit!

I would be more then happy to collaborate with other people on this forum, but in attempts to make a resource that is complete and focused directly on home building for owners, Renov would be a much better resource.

My background is 90% commercial, which is similar in many ways, but completely different at the same time. I do have a handful of houses I have physically built as well working on crews through college and summers.
However I rarely deal with contractual items you will find in residential construction. 99% of our work is design-bid-build with AIA contracts between arch and owner, owner and contractor, arch and consultants, etc. (I say this as I am starting a design-build assisted living center right now...)
However if someone would like to focus on that area, I can throw out ideas for "things to consider" with programming, budgeting, space layouts, and when its time for a professional's help, what to expect, what to look for, and hopefully ideas of telling if he/she is worth a crap!

Thanks Lzerarc, those things would be a great help!

I don't know anyone who uses the login name "Renov" so I'm guessing you're referring to Renovator8. Yes?

So, how about it Renovator8? Would you be willing to work with me?

Bevangel, everybody will have an opinion on this subject and I don't happen to agree with your approach.

"FACTS" can be pulled out of the archives, assembled, and edited if someone has the time and patience and the authors don't object. All I could contribute to that effort is the posts that I thought were worth saving over the years.

But if I were to take the time to write a guide for inexperienced homeowners, it would not be to encourage them to scatter the responsibilities for the design and construction of their new home among design professionals, designers, and contractors based on their perception of their needs but to put together a coherent plan that puts them in control of the project yet prevents responsibilities that fall through the cracks of most cobbled together plans from falling in their laps and throwing their budget and schedule off track.

I fully understand the desire of homeowners to be in full control of their project but if they need to rely on other parties to actually do the work, they too often misunderstand that they are, in fact, losing control to those parties.

The role of an architect is to represent the interests of the project owner in all phases of a project and since that is my profession that is my goal whether I am advising a client or a homeowner on a forum. Those same services can be provided by a designer, home inspector, etc. but they rarely are perhaps because of professional liability. Some contractors appear to claim that they can provide those services but it is impossible to represent the interests of both sides of a contract at the same time.

As for experienced amateur design-builders, I don't think they would bother to read the FAQ section any more than I would.

So, let's agree to disagree about what inexperienced homeowners need to know about designing and building a house.

Procedural issues are a great topic for an FAQ, as you have proposed.

I would also suggest an FAQ or two on psychological issues that the inexperienced home builder encounters. For example, the well known phenomenon that during construction the spaces suddenly look way too small, then suddenly way too big compared to the original plans. Eventually all looks right, but the home builder has now panicked (I don't remember which way it goes, but there are previous threads discussing this).

There is also the point at which the new home builder is paralyzed by too many decisions and can no longer make yet another choice. It can be incredibly reassuring just to know that others react the same way and that it will pass.

I'm an FAQ editor (New England Gardening Forum) and there are a few editorial points I'd like to mention:

1. Garden Web will probably not allow you post links on your FAQ; that's their standard policy (related to items that are too changeable). However, you can say "do an internet search using the following terms".

2. Rather than posting a link to a previous thread you can copy the whole thread and post it as an FAQ.

3. FAQ's can be edited easily. You can always go back in and change any item that needs to be updated or you can add more information.

4. You're the editor, you can overrule anything you consider to be inappropriate (at the risk of being flamed).

Tamara has probably given you guidelines for how to proceed, I received mine from Spike, the ur-webmeister. You just need to get started. I would suggest picking a simple topic that is not contentious and posting this as a potential FAQ. Let the comments come in and incorporate them into a proposed item, post that, and revise as necessary. This way both you and the forum members get involved in the process.

Good luck, it's worth doing.
Claire

"The role of an architect is to represent the interests of the project owner in all phases of a project"

The two most important words in that sentence is "all phases". Unfortunately this is the single most identifiable failure that I see that ends up costing the HO more in the long run. They hire an architect to be a draftsperson. They "just want some drawings to get the process started" with no further input from the architect and then proceed to build and then redesign with a just-in time-mentality. It's like when someone purchases a tried and true plan from a plan farm and starts moving walls around etc then blame the architect who drew them for the challenges they face when things don't work or look hideous even though they had nothing to do wth any of the design changes.

As for having a miriad of design professionals that is only a problem when they are hired as Reno8 describes. If they are all under the guidence of the architect it will usually work out fine whereas if they are all hired by the HO because "architects can't design kitchens" it is a recipe for disaster because egos get in the way.

I have worked with numerous interns who all have highly successful practices because they simply refuse to be an over glorified drafting service. They also have well written contracts that are easily understood by all parties that not only spec out the scope of responsibilities of each party but also clearly identify things that are unacceptable.
Ian

good luck bevangel.
have fun with it!

Gosh, it seems that this FAQ could turn into a book if we aren't careful ;)

I always look at FAQ as exactly what the title denotes - Frequently Asked Questions. What do forum users really want to know and ask the most about? What are the best responses (in the mind of the FAQ contributors or editor). There is not always a right answer on this as there might be when replacing brake pads on a car, for example (I frequent car DIY forums as well) as there is somewhat of an artistic element to home building and we all know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I would almost look at this as writing a theme paper with multiple references. Start with an outline of the questions most frequently asked, reference or copy the most on-point responses, but also note that there might be other ways to answer the question. As the outline grows and the holes are filled in, the FAQ will ultimately become a very useful resource, but wouldn't necessarily walk a user through the entire home building process.

RE including photos in a post. We've been working on the topic in the New England Gardening Forum: this may be way too involved for the Building a Home Forum, but the New Englanders are picky about the subject. I'm going to turn this into an FAQ soon; the comments are slowing down.

If you want to use any of this material you're welcome.

How to include photos in a post (revised 8/19/11)

Claire

In TinyPic the acceptable image file types are: jpg, png, gif, base 64 encoded image, or bmp.

The "choose file" button is now labeled "Browse". When you choose "Upload Now" you will have to enter the scrambled code, then you only need to click once on the top code (labeled "HTML for websites") and it will automatically be copied to your clipboard so you can paste it.

Thanks for reminding me, I'll update the next version. I've been fussing over other issues (photo size, web hosting sites, etc.) and neglecting the basic Tiny Pic instructions. By the way, you (in your MacV incarnation) were the one who introduced me to Tiny Pic, and I've stayed with it.

Claire

Claire, can you include information on how to make it a clickable picture? That would help because many times the picture as posted is too small to be able to read the dimensions of the rooms.

In TinyPic the acceptable image file types are: jpg, png, gif, base 64 encoded image, or bmp.

The "choose file" button is now labeled "Browse". When you choose "Upload Now" you will have to enter the scrambled code, then you only need to click once on the top code (labeled "HTML for websites") and it will automatically be copied to your clipboard so you can paste it.

dekeoboe: That's a good point, and the needs of the Building Forum are different from the New England Gardening Forum. The gardeners usually want to post pics that show the subject matter clearly, but not necessarily in great detail, and want the pic to fit into the page view without disrupting the text around and after it. This irritates viewers.

The building forum, on the other hand, often needs greater detail (to show dimensions, etc.) so the file size and image size can be much bigger. You can always open a large file in one window and then go back to the original page to discuss it.

Thumbnails are probably the best option, but you need an album on a webhosting site like Picasa, Photobucket, etc. to provide thumbnails (a thumbnail is a small pic that is clickable and the click directs you to the full-size pic in the album on the hosting site).

If you use TinyPic you can't use thumbnails but you can still determine the size of the file during the uploading process. That size will of course be limited by the size of the file on your computer.

Maybe Renovator8 can advise what's a good size file, that can be selected in the TinyPic upload, that will give sufficient detail for reading in this forum.

Claire

To continue my proposal of a few very basic FAQ topics:

1. I already proposed a first FAQ, the list of major players, which should be non-controversial. It may seem obvious, but the process is not obvious to someone who's never been involved with design and construction, and never had to get a permit from a municipal authority.

2. A good second FAQ would be a simple procedural guide of tasks involved in a typical construction project. You don't have to cover every possible contingency, you just need to state that there are exceptions that can be covered with a question posted to the forum.

3. Pitfalls of DIY design and build could be a fun FAQ - emphasizing all the problems that can happen. Some people will try it anyway, and many will fail, but some will succeed. Let them know what to watch out for, and when and where to throw in the towel and go for help. It's their choice, make it an educated choice.

4. The relationship between the homeowner, the builder and the subcontractors is very important. In general, the owner should not be trying to direct the trades - that's the builder's job. There are exceptions of course, but you undermine the GC's authority (and shoot yourself in the foot) if you try it. If the GC tells the plumber or electrician to talk directly to you, that's different - it's still the GC's ballpark.

5. A description of the elements of architectural and construction contracts, with emphasis on homeowner protection, is very important.

I really believe we need to start out with simple, basic topics to get the newbie homeowner on the same page. Other FAQ's can be directed to the more knowledgeable people who want specific construction information.

Claire

I am kind of confused, I guess.

I keep posting questions on the Home Building Forum because I'm trying to find a workable house plan, but I can't get very many answers from the experts here.

I see that some people get many good, detailed answers to their questions about their home plans.

Maybe administrators could deal with that because it's a real turnoff for a newbie.

Suggestions?
Thanks.

wishingfarmmom, it doesn't appear to me that you have been treated any differently than any other member so it seems odd that you would find the forum to be a "real turnoff".

As for administrators, they work for the owner of the site and would only respond to serious violations of the Terms of Service. There is no staff of experts here; we are all just members like you.

There is a suggestions link at the bottom of the page, for what it's worth.

farmmom, this is a differently purposed thread, so I searched your name & reply there in-line topic to your August 19th post. FYI
You can Wish all you want; building a house takes Planning & Work, not Wishing.

The above response is also a turnoff.

I realize that being prepared to deal with people who are probably more left-brained than the average perhaps should cause one to accept outright rudeness, but that was just stupid.

I have gathered, from reviewing every page of this forum that submitting links to plans is the first step.

Is there some other "first step" I've missed?

You two are inadequate candidates for any welcoming committee.Adequate for read-only.
Yuck................

You were critical of the forum for not offering you enough free advice which would be rude even if it were based on the truth which it is not. It's not rude to defend the forum and the people who take the time to answer questions.

You have also been critical of the internet plan providers for not including enough photographs of their designs as if they actually build the buildings shown on their sites.

Count me confused too.

Here is something to be unconfused about.

Certain of you folks here may have technical expertise in home building.

THAT is not enough to grow this forum any more than it has because certain of you cannot deal with constructive criticism.

There are women here who have technical experience and a personality to boot.

I have noticed that they are helpful and actually nice at the same time and don't feel the need to answer any questions or offer advice in tones that convey a flat affect or an abbreviated demeanor.

They don't come across as stuffy and in need of having their derriers kissed.

These are the most helpful people.

If anyone here is really interested in attracting and retaining "newbies", they'll take note.

Here are some fantastic home plans:

http://www.frankbetz.com/homeplans/country_home_plans.php

If you don't like that flavor, their search engine rocks.

As far as the rest of it goes, for you, You have a choice - Deal with it, or Don't. Pretty simple, eh?

If you choose to Deal with it, you will get a tremendously varied & experienced wealth of information - but (like the rest of us), you need to work for it. Yes, you will read a lot of stuff that you don't need - that is what "skimming" is all about.

If you choose to Not Deal with it, then we all wish you the best of luck I'm sure. But you should be careful about your judgement calls about those here on the board - you literally have no idea with whom you are speaking at any given time.

When you come to a Party & throw red paint in our face & on everyone's decor, what type of welcome to you expect?? Seriously..... LOL

It's unfortunate that you feel you have been treated badly here but you need to understand that in an internet forum it is considered rude to interrupt a serious thread with off-topic complaints and aggressive unkind observations. This behavior is typical of an internet "troll".

If you want to be taken seriously, you should apologize and start a new thread.

It's unfortunate that you feel you have been treated badly here but you need to understand that in an internet forum it is considered rude to interrupt a serious thread with off-topic complaints and aggressive unkind observations. This behavior is typical of an internet "troll".

If you want to be taken seriously, you should apologize and start a new thread.

Any progress on the new FAQs page?

Claire