checklists for building new home
dormmom
last year
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BeverlyFLADeziner
last yearRelated Discussions
New home design: build the woodshop or buy a prefab metal build
Comments (13)If you google "pole buildings" or "pole barns" and "stick built" garages/shops/buildings/etc., you'll find threads on other forums on this topic. We haven't built our shop yet, but I have researched it over the last couple years. For me, I found companies that specialize in this at our local home & garden expo, via word of mouth, on craigslist under services and on my county's permit web site. My county gives all the information on what permits were applied for and what company is doing the work; it basically gave me a list of who was building the shops locally and how much they are valued at.. I've done lots of driving around to look at the work done and see if it is what I'm after.... Since we plan on finishing our shop to match our house and insulating it, a pole building vs. stick-built building is around the same price. There is no point, for us, to pursue a pole building because of it. If you don't want to insulate and don't need to match finishes (on all sides,) a pole building will likely cost much less....See MoreBuilding a new home with house plan online?
Comments (23)I've seen I Love Red's plans and they are very well designed and it's a beautiful house. There are definitely good (and a few excellent) stock plan designs out there but it takes a lot of looking to find a truly good one. I know when I was looking I found nothing that would meet our needs for our lot. We worked with a draftsman. If I had it to do over, I'd have hired an architect to work with us as it probably would have taken me a lot less time. I do have a slight advantage in that I'm a visual person, can think in 3d and was at one time thinking of becoming an interior designer (before I realized I'd have to work with people.) There definitely is no one answer but I will say that so many of the plans posted here from stock plans are not well laid out or are extremely expensive to build with lots of unnecessary jigs and jogs, angled walls, gables on top of gables, roofs that could cover the taj mahal, rooms without any light entering them, etc. They attach gee gaws onto the fronts of the elevations to add interest to what is an overdone plan. Many people have no clue even what they are really looking at in terms of how the rooms flow, what works from a design sense, etc. I know if I show a plan to my DH, he has no clue what relates to what. For someone like my DH, if I wasnt around, working with an architect or someone with true design skills would be his best way to create a custom house. If you're someone like Sandy who knows what works for them, can understand a plan and an elevation, can think somewhat in 3D, then you are ahead of the game. In that case finding a stock plan, or working with a designer or architect will work for you....See MoreIs Building new Home always cheaper than purchasing an existing home?
Comments (11)I suspect that this question really can't be answered in any meaningful way without very specific information. In general, buying an existing home is cheaper than building a home, however, renovating is much more expensive than building. So the question becomes at what point are the costs of remodeling greater than the savings from buying existing, and the answer is simply not that concrete. For starters, some homes lend themselves to additions much better than other homes. Siding vs. brick, crawlspace vs. slab, etc. Additionally, there is the location problem. While it might be cheaper to build a house on an available lot, the total cost of ownership for a more suitably placed home might be lower. Parks, schools, groceries, etc. within walking distance will often make a house more suitable and lower commuter costs sufficiently to make up for the marginal costs of remodeling. Not to mention general quality of life issues when the location of a home enhances the way you live. Finally, depending on location, lot development can be a pretty important consideration. I have personally paused my home design as I labor over an extraordinary piece of property. It is absolutely everything I want, however, it is going to cost me seven figures just to develop the property into something I can build a house on, so those costs can be significant if no satisfactory lots are available. ---------------- As others have said, assuming there is a satisfactory larger home available, it will always be cheaper to find a way to acquire that rather than remodeling, however, if nothing works, you might not have many options. At some point a tear down starts making a lot of sense. I suspect your friends are actually naive about the costs of remodeling and are overvaluing the infrastructure available. However, we should allow that, that might not be the case....See MoreWe are building a new house, and the workers smoked in the house.
Comments (9)We just got a reply from our project manager that their trades are well aware of the builder's policy of no smoking. They are going to make signs to post around the home to remind the workers and re-emphasize this policy. They will keep informing their trade contractors that smoking is strictly prohibited on our property....See MoreMark Bischak, Architect
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