What’s the worst thing that happened during your house build?
mark1993
6 years ago
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Mark Bischak, Architect
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agomark1993 thanked Mark Bischak, ArchitectRelated Discussions
People walking through our house during build
Comments (11)Well I can't speak for other neighborhoods but in our small neighborhood on a cul de sac of 15 houses our builder carries the liability for anyone getting hurt. They normally discourage people from being on the property but they aren't there 24hrs a day. Now as far as kids playing that I don't agree with but I have seen many people through our house during construction while we are pulling up or leaving and the buider's agent even brings people through to see if they like our particular floor plan. We were told by the builder to stay out of the house during the day when construction was going on but also told if we did come by to make sure it was after hours. I'm sure just about everyone in our neighborhood has seen our house just out of curiosity once or twice just I have have seen every house that has been built here as well. Before we started building I was able to walk through someone else's floor plan being built in a different neighborhood to see if we liked the layout physically and not just on paper. Now the builder does usually start to lock them up after drywall but its not everyday as they project manager is on different sites daily and the house does have to be accessbile for subs early in the morning when the work day starts. Also, the project manager doesn't work on the weekends and the house is usually accessible on those days as well since they have subs working on the weekend. As long as the liability didn't fall on us we weren't worried about visitors but once items such as granite, appliances, etc were installed, which of course our builder would have to replace if something was to happen, our house was locked consistently (although not every day bec that is how we still get it to check the updates) daily! Here is a link that might be useful: Our home sell/build blog...See MorePool build during home build?
Comments (10)It is possible to build a pool during new home construction, but it's important to plan it carefully. Depending on the timing and sequencing of the construction, it may be possible to have the pool built simultaneously with the house. However, if the pool is built before the house, there is a risk of damage to the pool during the rest of the construction process. As for the timing, if you want to avoid the spring rush, it's wise to start the pool construction as soon as possible. Speaking of home improvements, have you considered installing epoxy garage flooring? It's a great way to upgrade your garage's look while also improving its durability and functionality. If you're interested, you can check out americanpolyfloor.com for more information. However, keep in mind that it may be better to complete the pool construction first before starting on any other home improvement projects....See MoreAny "Smart" Things in Your Build?
Comments (48)On the good side.... the insteon switches have been more reliable than I expected. I haven't had a single one go out in 18 months now (I have probably 30); I expected more failure. I have had 3 or 4 times an individual switch has seemed to 'die' for an unclear reason, but each time pulling the little tab in the bottom that disconnects the power and reconnect it has fixed the issue. The basically function as I expect them to. Also on the good side they seem to function well as just regular light switches which is nice (i.e. my wife doesn't harass me about the tech because she can use normally) On the bad side... I haven't found it to be super life changing or anything; hitting a button to shut off all lights when leaving is nice. Telling Amazon Alexa with my voice to set scenes is cool, especially when lazy on the couch. But frankly I haven't used it as much as I would have thought. I guess a lifetime of turning switches on and off gets programmed in. Looking back it is probably a worthwhile upgrade from 25-30$ /ea nice dimmers, probably not worth the upgrade from cheap $1 switches. The only other not so idea thing my wiring was done for old school lighting, and my switch locations hooked up the same. But I put LEDs in everywhere. So I have a lot of spots where a single dimmer controls say 6 cans, but they suck so little power that my Insteon dimmer switch doesn't have very granular control. Basically I get a little dimming on the lowest couple of settings on the switch. If insteon had a switch for LEDs (they might now) or if you have higher loads on your switch circuits I think you would see better results. It hasn't bothered me too much as I don't want to dim much most of my lighting is just having specific sections of light fully on or fully off....See MoreAdvice Before & During Building A Custom Home
Comments (20)I think the distinction between semi-custom home and truly custom construction is significant. I've done both plus lots of renovations. In our custom build, we had a fabulous GC. The way he liked to do business was to spend countless hours up front getting into excruciating detail about building products. Once we had cost out our desires, it became apparent that this house was going to cost a whole lot more than we had anticipated. We owned the land. The unknown costs lay in porches and basements. We all agreed that we needed another plan. (We were using William E. Poole plans) I went home and quickly found another plan that would work with a few modifications. It had smaller porches and we ditched the basement in favor of a FROG. It was a smarter build thanks to my GC. We owned the land and had more than 60% of the construction cost in cash. The bank loved us. Low risk. They only got involved when we were close to finishing up. I think we had one construction draw and a final inspection. Our GC suggested that we mutually determine his fee up front. It was a flat amount. This way, he was assured that he would be paid and make his profit. We paid him in monthly installments. The last payment would be withheld until we had release of liens from all of the subcontractors and the GC. Any costs would merely be passed through his accounts. There were no mark up on materials and services. They were entirely at his cost. I was given a copy of all of the receipts. He would present a months worth of bills and receipts at a time. There was one or two items that he needed the money a little faster. I think the framing material was an example. It was a pretty big bill as I recollect. In the areas where a guestimate was required in the budget, he would tend to overestimate. This way the surprises were pleasant. The hard work was done up front. We used those surprises to finish out the FROG. I ended up sourcing the appliances, the plumbing fixtures and the decorative electrical fixtures. He was a little leery about that, but I had everything ordered and stored in my garage ahead of time. I would take them over the day before they were needed and have them on site. The appliance dealer kept my appliances in storage until I was ready. The only plumbing fixture that I had the plumber order was two real cast iron tubs. I didn't want to be responsible for transport or installation of those. The GC had such a great time working with us, he and his brother, decided to do all of the interior finish carpentry themselves. They were used to working on projects that were 50% bigger than our home. We fit right into their schedule. It had been a long time since they had gotten to work together, they wanted to do it. They did a beautiful job. They built my mantle and an arched pocket door from a picture I provided them. They did a beautiful job. Semi-custom building, now that is an exercise in frustration. I'll never do that again. The answers in semi-custom building always seem to be no....See More
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Mark Bischak, Architect