As others have pointed out, this is the sort of question that it really depends on who you ask. The answer has caused more than a little friction in my house, that's for sure. We're GCing ourselves, with my father-in-law acting as a co-GC, because he's been in construction since The Dawn Of Time (TM) and knows who to call for stuff. He also does outstanding concrete flatwork. *My* dad is the architect. My brother-in-law is the electrician. So far, so good. We broke ground August 19 of last year, as I recall. Our foundation was poured one year ago today (I remember because my son and I wrote the date in the wet concrete). We were dried in by the end of October. Then came a rather cold, rather snowy Nebraska winter, which has a way of slowing things down. As of today, we're still a couple weeks out - by the time it's all done, we'll be 13 months start to finish. What's slowed us down, besides weather (that cold winter was followed by a very wet spring) has been things like waiting 2.5 weeks for the framer that we (read: my FIL) wanted; having a stick-framed instead of trussed roof; and having to be at the bottom of most of our subs' list, as a lot of them work for builders who get first call on their to-do lists (trim carpentry was a big problem - it took about 2 months to get that done). The best part has been that people - chief among them my mother-in-law - have been riding our butts about how long it's taken, completely ignoring that: 1)We're doing a LOT of stuff ourselves; and 2)The schedule that she thinks homes should be completed is that of a production builder - 6-7 months. Oh, and we've been *living* with the in-laws since June 1 - I did a bit too good a job of marketing our old house and managed to sell it in nine days; even with a 45-day close, we still have spent the entire summer living w/ Grandma & Grandpa. I need a beer. Jason

We're considering a home equity loan or a construction to permanent loan. We have enough set aside to make payments for however long is necessary. I think we have to spend our own money before the loan money becomes available to us. At that point, the bank would become the "heavy". However the builder's contract stipulates the payment schedule. He told us this is not the way that banks usually handle building loans, but he always does it this way. The man has been in business for a long time and has a wonderful reputation. I know that can change. The builder's contract gives the following payment schedule: 1. Purchase lot and buyer gets deed to lot. 2. XXXX when house is framed and roof is blacked in. 3. XXXX when plumbing, wiring, heating are roughed in and the exterior veneer, or drywall is installed. 4. XX at time of completion of home. I didn't mention that this is a brand new subdivision with a few models to choose from. All exterior materials will be the same on every home.

Do you currently have and use a dishwasher? I just want to make sure that you know what you're getting into. Giving up a dishwasher for one or two people is not something I would want to do but I could justify it. You are talking about having an expanding family and in those circumstances giving up a dishwasher does not make sense to me. Do you use your beautiful china daily? If not, where are the daily dishes going? If you are, can you promise you will not be upset with your children when they break it? I like mama goose's design the best because it puts the pantry and fridge close to each other and it puts the sink and stove in line as they should be. Do you know which closet will hold the broom, vacuum cleaner, and other long handled implements, etc. I really prefer that there is a front entryway with a separate closet for guest coats and such. In my great-grandmother's house we always came in via the back porch and I always thought it was strange. I do think that the house should have at least two entrances and exits. I would not be surprised to find that it's required by code. How far out in the country is this? Is this one of these locations where you have to do a monthly run to some store an hour away? If so there is not enough storage space- unless that's what the basement is all about. For two people or possibly a family of three (four if the children are a boy and a girl) this design is fine but if you are really intending to have more children I think that you are not allowing the space for all the paraphernalia that each additional person ends up needing in terms of extra bed, dresser, desk, closet space, plates, pots, pans, glasses etc. Have you measured how many linear feet of closet space you are currently using between you and your husband and determined that your new build will have at least that amount?

Thought I’d post an update. We decided to go with smooth hardy plank. I picked the stone: ElDorado York limestone. I wanted the stone that was in the linked picture up above but I can’t find anything like it in the manufactured stone options, and I have heard real stone costs so much more money so I was trying to stick to the less expensive manufactured stone . Anyway, here is what I am trying to decide between now. We decided to have our trim color Matched to our brown windows, and the only issue with that is that we found there are a lot of pinkish purple tones to the brown of our windows so it limits the paint colors we can choose for the body of the house. I wanted a darker, warmer color, but that is difficult with this specific trim color. My favorite colors so far were Benjamin Moore Kingsport gray, and Sherman Williams warm stone. My designer friend told me they both had too much gold in them, and not enough contrast for the trim color. She pointed me towards Sherwin Williams Keystone gray or Benjamin Moore elephant gray. Both were too llight for me. . I liked the Keystone gray better because it had more gold in it than elephant ear, but wanted it a little darker so I had them darken the Keystone gray to 125% (25% darker) and 150%. (50% darker) ( they left out the extra white when they did that ) Anyway, that’s where we are at. I think I have it narrowed down between 2 of them... the Keystone gray 125% (=25% darker) and 150% (50% darker). my designer friend still likes the original Keystone Gray (one on the right) because she says it gets too golden when it gets darker. I know these pictures won’t be very accurate because the white balance keeps changing depending on what light is hitting it. Here are pictures… from left to right looking at the picture is Benjamin Moore Kingsport gray (she says it's too golden for the tones in the trim), then Sherman Williams keystone gray 150% (50% darker), then 125% (25% darker) then just regular keystone gray on the right which is too light for me. Designer friend likes the lightest one on the right because she likes a lot of contrast between the trim and the body color but I don’t really like a lot of contrast since I like the look of stained wood. In the next few pictures, I have them labeled. BM equals Benjamin Moore Kingsport gray (which designer friend says is too dark and golden), then: 50 equals keystone gray 150% (50% darker), 25 equals keystone gray 125% ( 25% darker ), and then “ - “ equals regular Keystone Gray with no darkening. This next pic is Benjamin Moore Kingsport gray on the top, then the next two down are SW keystone grey 150% (50% darker), then the bottom two are SW keystone grey 125% (25% darker). And I forgot to label this one but the top and the very bottom are keystone gray, the next two in are 125% (25% darker), then the very middle one is 150% (50% darker). I did not paint the Benjamin Moore Kingsport gray on this wall. They All look very different depending on the light and the time of the day. And then just a couple of updated pictures: I don't like how the deck turned out but that's a whole different story. I wanted a darker brownish less orange tone... I would have picked a different darker wood with clear stain. That's what I get when I leave a decision up to the hubby. Kinda like the rough cedar trim hubby decided on to put around all the windows/doors/belly bands vs. having smooth hardi like I would have wanted if he would have asked me LOL. By the time I realized it, 3/4 of the trim was done and I couldn't ask to have it changed. Oh well. Worse things could have happened.