We put our pool in about six months ago and are wishing like you wouldn't believe, that we wouldn't have. I'm a realtor and my husband owns a home inspection business. We feel like we're at the very top of the economic pain chain right now. First we had Hurricane Ike and no power for two weeks, then went straight into the 24/7 news coverage about how bad our economy is. Houston weathered the original mortgage crisis really well. Our market didn't take a hit like the others did. But now, my husband hasn't gotten a call since before Hurricane Ike. That's almost a month. He never used to go more than two days. We can't tell what's hurricane related, or what's fear related right now. My work has stayed pretty much the same, because I'm in the foreclosure industry. Because of the path I've chosen, his inspection business is the bulk of our income. (He's also a career firefighter, but it'll be extremely tight living off of that.) I look in my backyard and I love what I see, but I definitely do not like the fact that I ate up a huge portion of my equity when I put it in. Worst case for us, we might very well have to sell our house in the near future, and when/if we do, we're going to take a hit that we wouldn't have taken prior to the pool. The only way I'd put one in right now, is by paying cash only. No way, no how, would I finance one and eat into my equity. And I would do neither if my job wasn't secure. Just a thought.

Boy, I could not agree more . . . details, details, details-- meaning make certain you have end panels consistent with your expectations -- we found we had some on some cabinets but not on others. Also, make certain you know the interior color of every cabinet -- one of ours came white though all others were maple -- what a headache . . . also, good advice -- make certain you understand your allowances -- make sure you understand the cost of items -- your allowances may not be sufficient. If you have one, make certain you know exactly what your garbage cabinet looks like and what the insert looks like and make certain it is consistent with your life style. Do you recyle or is it more important to have a place for cleaning materials. We ended up having aspecial drawer made when the inserts fell short. If you have one, make certain you have a cabinet in which your kitchenaid blender will fit -- it is a particularly tall appliance. Also, make certain your sink base is large enough for the sink you choose. We relied on the KD for the size, but luckily learned immediately that very few sinks were made for the size cabinet she chose.

bry911, you are quite right; on a Cost Plus a Fee project the owner is credited with all discounts that accrue to the General Contractor (but not the subs) so Joseph Corlett is not using a Cost Plus a Fee delivery method but the standard small project method of an hourly rate plus marked-up materials. This method has nothing to do with what is being discussed on this thread and therefore his parallels are specious and irrelevant. In a Cost plus a Fee contract type, an owner would not see a breakdown of a sub's competitive bid or invoice unless that was, for some reason, required by the contract (an owner can ask for almost anything in this kind of contract) and even then such breakdowns would normally be limited to special materials, fixtures and equipment not labor or overhead & profit. These costs might be reviewed by the owner if there was a change in the scope of the sub's work since that work would not be competitively bid. Such costs are often included as a proposed markup % in the sub's original bid. The point of this kind of contract is to allow any savings derived from competitive bidding of sub contracts to accrue to the owner rather than to the contractor. The contractor is in turn well compensated for this service by a negotiated Fee. Things get a bit more complicated when there is a Guaranteed Maximum Price. When the owner chooses a sub's bid that is higher than the lowest one, the GMP is increased by the difference. Also since the work of the GC's own forces is not bid, those labor rates are sometimes included in the contract. I have seen a Guaranteed Maximum Price split to provide a Maximum for those costs... we called it a Mini-Max. These contract provisions can get complicated and are therefore not attractive to homeowners without professional presentation or home builders without trained staff. That's unfortunate because such contracts can be of great benefit to all parties.

>Fortunately, the best, most reputable builder in our area is a design-build firm. >After a $3k deposit (applicable toward the contract) and about 6 weeks, we had a >design that we absolutely loved, and a contract just a little bit over our ideal budget >(but that we could get to if we eliminated the 14x14 screened-in deck or dropped >back to a 2 car garage from the current 3.5 car garage.) This is the same thing I have been saying. Having worked for a builder, if builder design satisfies you or require some "minor changes"* - go with it. The cost is nailed down to last stud. I do not believe that IF you are trying to build house on the budget, and this budget 400k (may be $500k) I would be involving architect . Now if you are willing to pay $200/per sq ft go ahead. @lapsangtea As far as original issue: " 630 has become 855" - I can easily see this. Large foundation, upgraded finishes + complicated exterior will do this.... Talk to a builder: ask point blank when can you to put it back in the budget. Most of the time you can build shell for $100k, it is all in finishes. (So reduce finishes for bidding). Get rid of high end faucets - replace with Moens to keep plumbing under control. Always bid 200A service and once you got the bid, ask about "upgrade to 400A". Avoid high-end HVAC (never cost effective), drop hrv/erv and ask about it as an option later IFF you need it. High-end windows add up pretty penny, with little ROI. If you want budget construction - act like it. Specify all high end finishes - builder will get concerned and pad pad pad - when your budget goes out of the window.