I agree with the above.
I didn't want to jump in with random advice but felt that based on anj_p comment, I could offer some helpful information from our experience.
We are currently 13 months into our build and have had engineers and private inspections throughout due to the size and intricate details (i.e., knee walls, cantilevers, significant footers) of the project. But, even if this was not the case, knowing what we we know, we would have still gone the private-inspection route based on prior home-buying experiences. Despite having assessments by our architect, GC, city inspections (with strict codes), in addition to several onsite visitations / inspection from an engineer, our private inspection last week still came across a few hidden code violations and deficiencies. The majority of these were framing issues which slipped past the engineer.
Since the beginning, my SO has been on site nearly everyday and for several hours of the day (he works from out of the home or on the road). But, despite being there micromanaging, we still have had a few problems and revisions.
@Comoelita Melendez We have a cost-plus contract with some fixed fees attached (our bank wanted the entire contract to be fixed price but that wasn't in our or our GC's best interest). There have been some situations where overages, due to subcontractor errors (mainly framers), were hidden in the final invoice. Since we have been VERY active in our project and have access to every invoice, we are able to keep tabs on when and where problems are occurring; this makes it very difficult for unsubstantiated charges to go under the radar. The only time this has been a contentious situation is with the framers (our worst subs to date) who thought that they could just wing the build without following the blueprints or that full payment would still be made despite their "screw ups." Contractually, we are in a good place because we have the power to fire or hire any subcontractors.
Anyway, whatever you do, just make sure you spell out EVERY detail in your contract prior to signing. Also, if it is in your budget, definitely have a lawyer review the details of your contract, making sure that your best interests are covered; this is what we did.
Q
Advice on custom building ;)
Q