hi there, also not an owner-builder, but we did buy our lot almost a year before we were ready to start building, and it was difficult to find a bank to finance land-only loans. one that was willing is Washington Federal out of Denton, though maybe they have a branch in your area. Denton Branch 3100 Wind River Lane Denton, TX 76210 Office: 940-565-1807 Another was American National Bank of Texas. we were told the smaller banks are able and willing to be more flexible and creative. i suppose it's good to have options, but i agree that closing costs are super high in TX so i'm not sure you'll do much better. if you'd like a specific contact at either place just email me as i don't want to post their names here. :)

Hi Lisa -- you're not alone! As I wrote you in a different thread of yours we are doing a lot of work in our house (in Boulder, CO), a little bigger in scope than your proposed project. Without the master bedroom / bath it came to ~$200K, and we definitely overimproved for our neighborhood, as nice as it is. While we have no plans of leaving any time soon on sait jamais .... We chose to hold off on our bedroom / bath because as it is, we spent more than our "comfort zone," and we decided we'd do it next year or whenever we feel comfortable spending that kind of money again (if ever, I mean!). It may end up costing a teensy bit more to do it later (because of having people come out on different occasions instead of all at once) but given the layout of our house it doesn't matter, and the difference will truly be negligible (We also decided that whatever we do we wanted to do it completely, nothing half-way. (In our San Francisco house we were DIY and the only time all our projects were done is when we put that house on the market! We liked it so much we decided that in our next house [the one in which we're currently living] we would finish a space before moving on.) Famous last words as we're not finishing in our family room, partly for money but mostly because we just aren't sure how we want to finish this one area. A part of me cannot believe that we live in this beautiful house and the only room which is undone is MINE! (and my husband's) How did this happen? I'm going to be 40 in a few years and I joke that my bedroom reminds me of my college dorm -- my soon-to-be four and soon-to-be two year-olds' rooms are nicer than ours. Sometimes it's hard (for me) here in GW, where some people seem to have endless budgets and are able to do all of their projects and to the nth degree. I'm envious and sometimes feel like odd man out. I, for one, really appreciate the honesty with which some talk about their budgets and comfort levels; I think a frank dialogue is helpful and beneficial. And if as a nation / society we were more transparent about money maybe we wouldn't be in the (collective) situation we now are .... I am really excited about what you're about to do and look forward to following your progress, whatever you choose to do! Good luck, Lisa.

On my last house, I had to decide if I wanted a frameless tub enclosure door or a shower curtain. I weighed the options.....we have hard water...and got the shower curtain. I can throw it away inbetween renters. A door would have protected the tile floors better than a shower curtain. And...there's a HUGE window above the tub, a door would have limited the light coming in the dappled glass. Curtains pull to the side... I also put a single canned light in ALL my showers . How much space between the top of the shower door and the showers framed in opening? We install shower heads @ 74" -84"....I usually look at windows and tile borders to decide on the height. Here.....labor can be 75% of a quote.....easily! Depends.....say on a tile job for instance. I got porcelain tile @ Lowes for .10cents a sq foot.....the labor to install it would be the same even if it was $20 a sq foot for the tile......unless I wanted every tile cut into 16 pieces and a picture of the Mona Lisa on the shower wall....then the labor might be 99% of my cost...:0) (DH jokes I cut my tile into too many pieces to get different looks....)

Move On. Do not pressure yourselves about when you break ground, and only do so *after* you have vetted every aspect of the house over time. Hire an architect to draw your plans. You can tell him what you liked and didn't like about stock plans, but let him draw your house to fit your needs and your lot. (Do not rely on anything the architect tells you about building costs. He's not building anything.) Put your plans out to bid. This is where you'll see cost *estimates*. Your actual cost will be much more. Do not think that the architect or the contractor will be *building* your house. You will have to check on every sub's work every day. From the start, the lead carpenter is going to be *building your house*. He will probably need to tweak the architectural plans to make it all come together. This is common because, as I said, architects don't swing the hammers or have to make Angle A fit against Angle B in the real world. Almost none of the cutie-pie builder plans are live-able 'as is'. They usually have five different architectural styles pasted on a 'box', drawn in some story book setting. They short on natural light and go long on elaborate porches that nobody has used since the advent of air conditioning -- but that cost an arm and a leg to build and to maintain. Look at the living space. Look for windows on at least two sides of most rooms. Ignore anything labeled "bonus room". Think about orientation on your lot -- how light will strike each room during the day or how some aspect will enhance or block the light.