We looked for four years until we found a piece of land that met our requirements and we could afford. We bought it in August using a home equity line of credit. Its 1.5 acres (4 lots in a 1950s plan that was never built) and we plan to split it with my sister and build two homes eventually. The primary thing holding us up is the fact that a sewage line is going under construction this year or next and it would be foolish to build before sewage was available. Also we need to pay off our half of the land and transfer the other half to my sister before we can move forward. Both of those factors puts us with an earliest build time of 2011. I find that no one wants to talk to us until were more sure about when we can build, and that is making it hard for me to get a firm idea of how much it might cost us to build. That said, my plans have been evolving as I try to get a handle on building cost. We did meet with a builder a year ago (before we bought the land) to try and get a ballpark idea. Based on that meeting, coupled with reading this forum and the house tours weve gone on since then, we have totally revamped our plans/expectations to try and make them as cost effective as possible. My husband got me Better Homes and Gardens home designing software, which has been really helpful. I started with the footprint and basic layout of a typical production builder home in this area figuring it must be cost effective for them to be using it, then modified it to our needs. Im happy with the results, but my husband tends to be a little unrealistic, wanting things and design elements that I dont think we can afford. I have an education in and inclination for art and design. Like you, Redloger, Ive spent years looking through magazines and also taking books out of the library and scanning pictures I like. Ive actually made poster boards for each room so that I can look at all my idea pictures together. My husband and I just got into a semi-argument about the whole thing last night. If we argue about pictures, I imagine trying to really do the whole project must be really difficult. Hes feels like well never be able to afford it (or what he really wants anyway) and therefore doesnt want to seriously consider the design. Hes not a numbers person or a plan ahead kind of person. I want to work on the project ahead of time like you, Loralee, and try to get a firm handle on the design and cost so that we can work to make it a reality. So I feel that his ideas tend to be out of touch with reality and he feels like Im not interested in his input. He doesn't want to pick anything, but because he can be opinionated about things, I dont want to pick out too much without his input only to find hes going to veto it down the road. He seems to think it will be easy to make all these decisions while the actual build is going on, but I think good design takes time and planning. The thing is that we really like the same style and basically agree about materials etc, but somehow it is always contentious when we talk about it. The other thing complicating this whole mess is the fact that we have some skills from working on our rental properties and remodeling our home. Wed like to put those skills to use to save us some money. My husband wants to take on the whole thing, just get the house built to drywall and finish everything ourselves. But with 2 full time jobs and young children, again I dont think thats realistic. Im trying to figure out what projects would be the most realistic for us to tackle ourselves. Im thinking the painting and staining and tiling. Then down the road after were already in the house and as we can afford it, finishing the basement and installing all the bonus cabinets and built ins in the mudroom, craftroom, family room etc. But I don't know if that's too much, too little, or if it would save us significant money anyway. So, considering all that, I have a few more questions. I know that a house cant be built from what I have designed on BHG, so where do I go to get working blueprints drawn? Some builders I talked to seem to work with certain designers, so when the time comes should I just take my sketch ups to builders for estimates or would it make more sense to get final blueprints first? Second, cost is often estimated on square foot, but what is considered in that square footage? The software says my plan is about 2500-2700 square feet, but the house that I started with which has the exact same footprint is quoted as only about 2100. How could there be such a big difference? And if Im also planning a 3 car garage, front and back porches, would that be figured into the square foot estimate? If not, how much does that add to the overall cost? Thanks for all your help. (And charliedawg, your situation sounds like exactly what we would do except for the fact that houses dont increase in value that much here and never did even during the boom years. So even having lived there for 5 years, if we sold our house and paid off our first mortgage, wed only net $20,000 if everything went perfectly. Certainly not enough to pay off the land, get 20% equity and a $20,000 cushion. It sounds like you did very well.)

It's a really, really long story. And not really over yet. Thanks to the hard work of our forensic accountant, we had positive proof that SIL, her husband and another brother had taken money that they shouldn't have, and used it for their own benefit rather than MIL's. The prosecutor's office was involved at one point and wanted to prosecute SIL. Now, she definitely committed a criminal act, and part of me would have been more than happy to see her end up paying for that--but there was another part of me.... Our fathers were best friends as kids. I grew up knowing this family, thinking of them almost as cousins, and ended up marrying the BEST one of them. SIL has been my 'sister' since she was in 8th grade. Our daughters used to refer to themselves as "best cousins, best friends". How do you sit back and send someone you've been friends with for over 3 decades to jail? I took a stand and asked that the prosecutor drop the case. I know--there was good reason to go ahead, but I just couldn't do it. Now, obviously, someone who would steal like that, doesn't have enough to their name to return what they took, right? They spent every penny, near as I can tell. Well, the lawyers got together and came up with a decent solution. The 'outlaws' had been 'caring' for MIL--and getting paid to do so (there's a formula for that by law). So they had to agree to continue to care for MIL, without pay--for YEARS. Also, because they'd already claimed their inheritance, so to speak, if MIL dies leaving anything, they get almost nothing, with the lion's share of the estate going to my husband and his one brother that wasn't involved in the thefts. Now, fact is, they've had to 'repay' only a pittance of what they took. And there's every chance that what little is left in MIL's name will be used for her care--which is as it should be. Still, the thieves have pretty much had to admit what they did, and they know that we have proof in black and white. They've become very quiet. There's another thing we feel good about. My FIL died under very odd circumstances. I'm not saying they did anything to cause that--but there are questions, not the least of which involves the fact that they had him quickly cremated (this was a man who was adamant about NOT wanting to be cremated). Anyway, in the beginning of this journey, they were not getting MIL the medical care she deserved, and I feared that they were trying to make sure she wouldn't last too long. As things stand now, after the agreement our lawyer forged--and not to get into all the details of the situation--they're better off keeping her alive as long as possible. I truly believe that not only did we conserve some of her money, but we probably extended her life by fighting as we did. As I've mentioned--this has been a long involved situation. There are so many details I don't feel free to offer here. I don't feel we've won completely, but I do know that my MIL is better off than she'd have been if we'd done nothing. Unfortunately, we had no idea what was happening until it had reached a crisis situation--and really--who ever suspects those they love of stealing from their own mother? It hasn't been easy, and we've felt very alone at points--because no one wanted to help us, and the thieves went around telling horrendous lies about us to discredit us. What they couldn't do, though was erase the paper trail of stupidity they'd left behind, so in the end, there was no way for them to deny what they'd done. I would say this--if you even suspect in your family, that someone might be taking what doesn't belong to them? Get a good lawyer, and demand an accounting. If everything's fine--great. But don't wait. As soon as you intuit something's wrong, get on it. It's best to stop this sort of hemmoraging as quickly as possible. Unscrupulous people can do a lot of damage very quickly, unfortunately.

How to Find Legal Help Please determine which legal service is appropriate for you: If you are low income, and: * have a civil legal problem * do not live in King County Call CLEAR Intake (toll free) 1-888-201-1014 for legal assistance The Northwest Justice Project has developed a client intake system called CLEAR. The system allows low-income individuals to be referred to legal assistance in their community by calling a toll-free number. Certain cases can be referred to Northwest Justice Project offices, local volunteer lawyer programs, law school clinics or other resources in the caller's community. When seeking assistance, please call CLEAR Intake (toll free) 1-888-201-1014 before calling other legal services programs. For self-help legal information on a variety of topics, go to www.WashingtonLawHelp.org If you are low income, and: * have a civil legal problem * live in King County Visit the Northwest Justice Project's King County legal service providers directory for assistance. For self-help legal information on a variety of topics, go to www.WashingtonLawHelp.org If you are not low income: There are Lawyer Referral Services throughout the state, and there may be one in your area. Lawyer Referral Services are for the general public; there are no financial eligibility requirements. The lawyers charge their regular fees for services after the initial consultation. These are not low-cost or reduced-fee attorney panels. If you live in Spokane County, you may be eligible for low cost legal services depending on your income and type of legal problem. Please call CLEAR Intake (toll free) 1-888-201-1014 for legal assistance. For self-help legal information on a variety of topics, go to www.WashingtonLawHelp.org Here is a link that might be useful: WA Bar Association

If you hire me for a sink job, I'm giving you a fixed price whether or not I take a beating. Two important things: Make sure 1) your pricing reflects ALL your cost, fixed and variable and 2) that you might lose a potential client if you hold firm to your no breakdown policy. Using a single $ amount to adjust for pricing mistakes or b/c you’re guessing some of the costs is not Wise or biz savvy. If a customer does his research and your price is within a 20% range up/down, they might not insist on breakdown. I might be more insistent on requesting a breakdown if overall number sounds off, otherwise, maybe yes maybe no. In a large project, you bet I will insist on a detailed quote. ive read and enjoyed many of your posts so can’t imagine your not knowing your costs or having problems detailing items.