Well , I talked the Electrician down to $600 bucks to move it under the stairs of our walk out basement. -and- I had to give up our $600 dollar generator install option and $450 dollar pre hot tub 220v intall. Sounds like this is still costing you OVER $1000.00 ! My first question as to who is to blame- - Did YOU sign off on these plans "pre-construction"? When I built, I went over every single sheet of the plans, (finding several "mistakes" and omissions), and having the architect/builder correct them and I signed off on each revision and sheet of plans prior to the first shovel of dirt being turned. If it is shown on the plans in that location, and you signed off on it, it is your "nickel" to move it. If it is shown in another location, and the GC/Electrician put it there for "convenience" then it is their "nickel" to move it. You may want to talk to the local Chief Electrical Inspector or the Chief Building Inspector before all the final hookups are made-something does not sound right about having the meter socket at the front entrance, not only aesthetically, but for safety reasons, blocking/delaying egress from the structure in an emergency, if the panel should catch fire!

There is no good reason that I can think of to set up a deal this way. First, you will pay more for the home, as there is this middle man. And the middle man is not doing anything for you here. In fact, it will complicate the entire deal for you as far as communicating with the builder all of the details that go into a custom build. If he wants to build a spec home and sell it, then so be it. But there is nothing in it for you to have him involved in a custom built home. And there is no way that a resale contract with a "ton" of addendum will equate to a new construction contract. Offer him a fair amount for the lot, and see where it goes from there.

I would get inspections from a good licensed plumber, roofing company, electrician, HVAC, and framing expert. If you are on a slab get that inspected too. They are specialists and will hone in on these major systems in this house. At this point, I would not trust anything. It will cost you around $100 per specialist. The reason I suggest this approach is because you need detailed look. A general “home inspector” might be too general in their knowledge and not pick up on details. Get written reports with photos of their findings. Don’t expect any recovery from a legal process but do retain all documentation because when you decide to sell, you will need to disclose these issues and their resolutions. Document document document. If you have to stay in hotel while this is going on, retain all receipts. If you see a doctor for any reason and incur out of pocket expenses retain those receipts. If you have to eat out same. I am so sorry you are going thru this. It’s terrible. It’s maddening. It’s stressful. But sadly it is life. Just take care of your health #1. I will pray that good, competent people come forward to you to help you get through this. I will pray competent craft will repair and get all the issues resolved. I will pray you are gifted the physical, and mental strength to achieve a safe, great home.

Although I am happy we had our home built, I'm not going to say it was fun. Some things were fun, but much of it was also stressful. We actually acted as the GC and hired a builder. Meaning we hired most of the subs, etc. That also meant we had total control over everything that was done and every material that went into our home. We hired a good many subs and our builder hired ones he worked with, with us okaying them. We had a great realtor (friend) that had found a previous home for us and who sold it when we decided to build. As her home was custom built and she worked with several builders in selling home, we were able to find some subs through her and a wealth of other info. One thing I will say is I am not good with being presented with a ton of selections. That was overwhelming to me. Brick was not hard, but roof shingles were! We also had a wonderful building supply nearby and purchased our windows and other items through them. I agree with getting the best windows, etc. you can find. We lucked up on a cabinet maker who had just gone out on his own (we saw his work before hiring him). He is now so sought after that his prices have sky-rocketed. Jojo makes a good point. Our driveway, patios, etc. were not part of our overall price, nor was the landscaping. It worked out well though as we knew people to do both and felt like we got good prices. We had a list of everything needed (unless I came up with something else LOL) such as faucets, bathroom fixtures, lights, etc. and each category had an overall price. I found out quickly there were things we could save money on, and other things we couldn't and more than likely might go over budget. It all pretty much balanced out. There were also things we paid for out-of-pocket, which was fine. Finding a good builder and someone you can work with, communicate well with is so important. I went to the showrooms, building supply places, etc. and I would look around, but like I said, being faced with so many choices was hard for me. I would get catalogs from all of these places, and read over them nightly. I would narrow down my choices, then go back and look at a select few. That greatly helped me. I will say 18 months seems a bit long, at least it would be around here. Best of luck!! It is so nice to get things the way you want them. Oh! One more tip would be to walk through the rooms once things are framed up and decide where you want outlets, light switches and things like that.