DH and I have final plans from the architect and have an hourly construction consultant working up a bid document. I am looking for advice about how to structure the bidding and contracts in a way that gets us an efficient build, but with the custom quality that would match our house and neighborhood. This is actually a major addition (about 2000 sq. ft. total including basement -- new kitchen, 3 bathrooms, new family and master, new deck) to our current house in Wisconsin, not a completely new home. But since it involves all the trades a new build would require and is doubling the size of our current house, I figured I should ask here instead of the Remodeling forum. Maybe I'll cross-post. We are self-financing, not using a bank. We don't want to GC this ourselves, but we do want to bid subs separately and to separate materials bids from labor bids for all bids. We would pay all invoices directly, rather than do fixed bid draws to a GC and expect him to pay subs. This is in part because we want the flexibility to customize materials more than most locals are used to and I've done a lot of product and materials research. It is also because we are in a relatively expensive labor market or used to be, but some contractors are going out of business in the down market and we don't want our project to get stuck. Finally, we will finish our basement after we get this done first and we'd like the subs to know that we pay promptly and will be looking to hire again. Hopefully we'll learn enough on this one to be able to GC that part ourselves. Four years ago, when we first wanted to do this project, the local residential construction business was booming and contractors wanted to charge $250 a sq. ft. for basic finished space and do it their way. Material prices have not gone down since then, but the residential construction market in our area is much, much slower than it has been in the 11 years since we moved here, so we figure this is our time. Carolyn53562, who lives in this same area, thinks so, too. We expect more bidders should be available and interested in this project in 2008, but we suspect we may get some resistance to the way we want to break out the bidding. Don't know how flexible folks will be. The initial estimate from one bidder (in January before the plans were final) made me think he was hoping to make his whole year on our project. I have done too much research to find his numbers serious, but I was discouraged because it seemed like we risk getting zip-coded. The local NARI chapter meets monthly at the country club across the street! What kind of a contract should we looking for and what is it called? How should we structure bidding and contracting for this project? Forgot to mention, DH is an attorney (litigator) but we don't want to need his professional services except to review the contracts.

Personally I feel tropical brown is a but busy for my tastes buy I'd need to see the other granite and both against your particular cabinets to help you. I'm not a fan of small granite patterns and prefer larger flow. But that's just me. You do not need to match bathroom cabinetry. Go with what you like. Most people will not be goof between your master bath and the other one anyway. And if they do, it still doesn't matter if they're different and adds more character to have different cabinetry in each. I like the idea of a deeper colored front door. We're thinking of doing that for our upcoming build also. It's slightly different than black but not as bright as red. We were thinking of other deep shades also. So I say go for it.

You can always look for a real log cabin that can be moved- $$$, but super authentic! I live in an 1840’s log cabin- authenticity is about building processes as much as materials. The craftsmen skilled in the old ways are few and far between these days, but they can be found especially if you live in an area with older homes. Our home has a dry stack stone foundation and two dry stack beehive chimneys, exposed log with lime mortar inside and board and batton siding, medium to wide plank hardwood flooring (we were able to save much of the original floor, so it’s not tongue and groove), and our main floor ceiling has the second floor joists exposed. We just replaced a ~50 year old standing seam metal roof, black, with another but discovered that the first roof has been added directly on top of cedar shake. Its worth it to us, but for what it’s worth, it’s not an easy home to maintain. The lime mortar is hella dusty and has to be cared for and repointed, our board and batton is painted and must be redone every 10 years or so. The floors are nearly impossible to deep clean (steamer is my method of attack) because they are uneven and have gaps. So historical accuracy may not be the best choice for a vacation cabin ;)

Design build firms are just vertical integration (backward or forward). They typically create some value for consumers, but just like all created value there is some sacrifice. Theoretically, a design-build firm should create designs they are more efficient at building. In other words, they will design to their strengths, that is the nature of their existence. That efficiency will typically create value for consumers, we imagine that being from improved communication, fewer reworks, etc. However, that comes at a cost, and that cost is creativity (again this is theoretical), if a design-build firm designs to its build strengths, then it will avoid designing to its build weaknesses. Since an independent architect doesn't have to worry about working in those parameters then they should be more open to more creative designs. However, theory and reality are not the same thing. Just because a design-build firm will generally create some additional value, that doesn't mean that it will necessarily create additional value for your particular build. Just because an architect should be more open to creative designs, doesn't mean your particular architect will be able to achieve your vision. The best choice for any individual is going to be somewhat unique to that individual. Sometimes a design-build firm might be better for your particular situation than an independent architect and vice versa. Good luck