Who has built there own house? Looking for tips.

[chevysoldier]

I am wanting to build my own house in the next few years. Has anyone here done it? What do I need to do? Any tips, tricks, lessons? Anyone have good contacts (builders, electricians, plumbers, etc) they can recommend? I have zero idea of what I am getting in to so the more help the better.

I want to build on my parents land. They have about 7.5 acres around the Johnstown area and after they go, I get the land so it'd be a good idea IMHO to build there now. Can I get the land deeded to me? Or could I just build on his property without me actually owning it?

I've gotten on licking county's website and found a list of permits, buidling application, codes, etc. I will be using the VA home loan option as well.

I have been looking at floor plans and have an idea of what I want. I'm thinking of going with a single story since it'll be cheaper and when I am old, don't have to go up stairs. I'm also thinking about forgetting the basement for the same reasons. If I have room on the main level for washer/dryer, furnace, water heater... I don't feel the need for a basement. I also figure that it would be sturdier in the long run instead of the earth pushing in on basement walls. Anyone disagree with those thoughts?

There is also an old barn on the land built around 1900-1910 if memory serves. The outside and the foundation are not looking real good. Dad and I have talked about selling it and using that money toward my house. I'd also like to use some of the main beams in the house too, cost and history reasons. Has anyone torn down a barn or had it done? I'm wondering how hard it would be to do myself. If I disassemble it, I'd only have invested time so 100% profit.

Is there anything else I'll need to get quotes on/ have installed? Roof, septic, windows, electrical, HVAC, plumping, foundation, digging well...what am I missing?

Like I said, never done this before so it's making ma a bit nervous. Figured I'd look for help here and see if anyone had any words of wisdom. Thanks!

[imprez55]

My parents built and they always regretted not having a bigger basement for two reasons; space is always a premium in a house and its nice to have extra room that is easily accessible (ie. not an attic), and two was that there is a very noticeable temperature difference between where the basement ends and the slab begins in the winter time. I can't help with basement vs no basement, but if you are doing one then do the whole house. People also frequently run out of breaker openings in their panel, so make sure your electric is set up right from the start; it would be cheaper to have a sub panel, backup genny etc. installed during building then instead of later.

I think the biggest thing is to visit your house being put up frequently. There will inevitably be people trying to skimp out or do things against code/without a permit/against your wishes and it is better to catch those things earlier. Some builders have an option where you can get a discount if you don't visit during the process, I would not recommend doing that.

[Anden]

Laundry room close to bedrooms and shower. Or possibly a room for dressing, clothes, and washing.

Larger doorways.

I would contract anything that needs inspection. Building inspectors will get real picky with you. You don't wsnt to have something wrong and tear a bunch of shit out. Not to mention if there is a one year inspection and they see something they don't like.

I think it leaves you with drywall and flooring.

[madcat6183]

If you want tips, like just advice and tips, PM me your email address. We've been working on plans and stuff for our future home, along with all the things I learned from when my parents built theirs.

Be warned, this list will be long, but will have a WEALTH of info. Also will have tips coming from my wife who uses practical thinking such as if you want to retire to the house, use the house with a wheel chair, worst case scenario's etc.

Also my aunt/uncle just rebuilt their house and some of their ideas I liked and we stole too, things like stacked closests on 3 levels so that it can actually be an elevator as their lot did not allow for a ranch. Or having their office on the main level set up to become a bedroom next to a full bath that can become a master sweet if they can't even use the elevator.

Tons of stuff... Just PM me your email.

And no you can't just "build" on their land, you still have to have it inspected, permits, etc. or it would technically be illegal and could be made to destroy it.

[Helmutt]

I would use a GC to help you keep things in order, oversee that the build is to code, and less to phuck up doing it all yourself and having rework or any missed steps. Basements now are typically poured, and able to outlast any block and morter build, although block may still be offered? I like the underground safety a basement offers too, not to mention the additional living space or storage possibilities.

Good luck and as always, start a build thread

[Ron505]

Definitely get a reputable GC if you are not used to running construction sites. Sometimes their markup is not as bad as dealing with all the BS that you will be put through. Not too mention their timeline will be much quicker than if you tried to run it yourself. For the cost difference (not as much as you would think), go with a basement. It just makes sense.

Good luck!

[baptizo]

I've also been looking at building a place of my own after I find some land up here in NEO (or out west in the PNW but I haven't decided).

Instead of building it the traditional way, I've been looking at using some of the well engineered and designed pre-fab kits out there.

Heck, I'm even considering going totally non-traditional and building a permanent yurt style home.

I know a lot of good GC's up here but I can't use them for any of the work so I'm trying to simplify the process somewhat on my end.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do!

[ohiomike]

I used to work with a small company building houses. Imho, hiring a GC is not necessary but I am looking at it thru the eyes of someone experienced at this sort of thing. It might be best to hire one if you feel totally lost meeting building codes and keeping the subs (sub contractors) all working in coordination.

I for sure would go with a basement. Make sure everything is insulated above code requirements. If you are located north of I-70 I would go Geo-thermal with my heating and maybe even 2x6 outer walls. I would build a 'safe room' within. Utilize as much low voltage lighting as possible. Also I would go with a hard wired automatic generator system. Whatever fuel source you use for this and the heating system will be determined by what is prevalent in the area where you are building.

If you go with a GC to oversee the build, do some checking for those that are into 'green' builds. There are some really trick techniques anymore, much more enhanced that when I was building back in the 80's.

Best of luck!

[redkow97]

I have not built, so I have no first-hand knowledge here, and the fact that your parents own the land is a good incentive to build there, but all that said, I have never met anyone who build a house that enjoyed it, or said they would so it again.

Lots of headaches.

[ScubaCinci]

I'm in the middle of building a rather large house right now. Actually, we are trying to finalize the floor plans and starting to work on picking out the flooring, etc. What a long process. This will be the second that we've built but the first was a Fisher home so it was a bit cookie cutter with limited options etc. This one will be 100% custom.

For the past few years, we've been keeping a list of things that we wanted in the new house from features down to floor plan wants (i.e. first floor master). Start making a list of all of these little things so you don't lose sight of them. Keep resale value items in mind when designing even if you think this is the home you'll die in.

Find a reputable builder who has been around awhile and do your homework. If I think of anything else I'll chime in.

Here is a rendering of how the house will look...

[Bubba]

Disclaimer: I designed and built my own house--using a GC--back 1999. It's a royal pain-in-the-ass!!! If you're married, you will likely be divorced by the time you build. If you're single, you will have tried to kill yourself several times by the end of the process. That bein' said....

1) There will some fun and 'excitement' along the way. Even if you use a GC, be as involved as you possibly can and visit your build site at least once every other day. Shit can go wrong real fast.

2) It is a rewarding experience....when you're done. And you'll have lots of stories to tell your friends....like the time I caught one of the drywallers shitting down the floor vent. And he wasn't Mexican.

3) Single stories aren't cheaper to build per sq ft than two stories, nor are they as energy efficient.

4) Never build a house with less than 3 BDRMs unless you plan on living there until you die. Resale sucks for anything less than that.

5) Basements are worth the investment IF THEY'RE ENGINEERED AND BUILT CORRECTLY!!! The key to this is drainage-drainage-drainage. I have a strong preference for sloped lots with walk-out potential. And to be honest, there are some areas of the country that are not suitable for basements.

Floor plan should keep kitchen/LR/master BDRM/bathroom/laundry on the main floor. Bump the side of the house opposite the master suite to situate additional BDRMs on the second story. I'm not a big fan of huge master suites; you'll spend nearly 99% of your time there asleep with your eyes closed. Put a lot of thought into the areas you'll be in most of the time--kitchen, great room (or LR/family room) and throw a bit of extra money at the master bath. Ground level entry, walk-in showers, minimum of 36" interior doorways should take you into old age; you can always change out your fixtures later to accommodate mobility issues. In areas with snow/ice, I recommend a minimum roof pitch of 6:12 with membrane barrier at he eaves to eliminate ice damming. If I was doing my house over, I would have tried to use either steel or engineered wall studs and pre-engineered floor trusses/laminated beams to minimize quality issues. Over-insulate walls/ceilings/above-grade basement areas. Put in as high a quality window as you can afford. My windows ran $18,000 and they're worth it everyday. Garage space is fairly inexpensive compared to finished space; go as big as you can with available money/lot siting. I put in a 36Wx28Dx10H and it was too small by the time I moved in.

You will have be the deeded owner of the land you plan to build on. Unless you're paying cash up front, no one will give you a construction loan to build on property belonging to someone else, even if it's Mom 'n' Dad. You will be able to use the equity value of the property as a down payment on the loan amount.

Good luck and be sure to share your experience as you go.

[Kent2406]

Never built a house, but I've pitched a few tents!

[CBBaron]

I havnt built my own house but my brother did on my parents property similar to your situation.

I think its probably best for both parties if your parents sell (for a $1) you the building lot.

Basements are convenient for utilities, storage and future expansion if the local conditions easily support it but you probably want to figure out the price difference to determine if it is worth it.

My brother put in radiant floor heating throughout. This makes for a very comfortable house and eliminates the need for any radiators or vents on/near the floor. Your AC then becomes a separate system which adds a little cost but both can be optimally configured so that that the house is comfortable summer or winter with less waste.

Good insulation and sealing go a long way to not only reducing heating and cooling costs but also improves comfort.

It is nearly inevitable you will have cost overruns. So make sure you budget about 20% extra to handle those while still working to keep everything on budget.

Craig

[ScubaCinci]

It's a royal pain-in-the-ass!!! If you're married, you will likely be divorced by the time you build.

It depends on how closely your tastes match. My wife and I had zero (major) disagreements about anything when we built the first house. So far on this one, we are lock step as well. Of course, I'm pretty easy going and agreeable for the most part so that helps

4) Never build a house with less than 3 BDRMs unless you plan on living there until you die. Resale sucks for anything less than that.

Yep, that's what I was referring to in my post too. In talking with the builder, adding bedrooms costs very little and you may eventually need the space anyway.

One other thing I thought of - make sure the land already has access to utilities (gas, water, etc). If not, that can be a painful and expensive endeavor.

[madcat6183]

Few main things; Geo Thermal, and having the basement dug 1-2 feet deeper for higher ceilings. Extra wide halls if you plan to live tehre forever, roll in shower large enough to add wheel chair seat, stuff like that. Finished garage with a heater(radiant or shop fan style), drain running width or length of garage, hot and cold water hookups in garage, along with seperate drop sink. Outside faucets on every side of the house, if you think you have enough plugs, cable plugs, phone, add twice what you have. Every 6 feet for electrical, and 1-2 per wall for everything else.

And make the bathrooms 2-4 feet larger than you think is big enough.

And as stated in the basement Drainage.

[jayjie15]

ScubaCinci your house looks like it is going to be sweet. I like the castle looking piece. Very cool!

[ohiomike]

LOL, plugs every 6 ft.....every 12 ft is more than sufficient. I did a rewire for a guy once who wanted plugs every 6 ft and man did that look way too busy and crappy. After the wall board went up he told me he wished he had just gone the distances dictated by the code, every 12'. In large rooms I would consider floor plugs depending on the layout. In your kitchen I would also run a separate 20A circuit on each side of the sink making each box a 2 gang box ( 2 duplex recepticles) along the countertops, a dedicated 20A circuit for the fridge, and a dedicated 20A circuit run to a plug flush mounted inside of the upper cabinet above the stove for one of those over the stove microwaves.

[madcat6183]

LOL, plugs every 6 ft.....every 12 ft is more than sufficient. I did a rewire for a guy once who wanted plugs every 6 ft and man did that look way too busy and crappy. After the wall board went up he told me he wished he had just gone the distances dictated by the code, every 12'. In large rooms I would consider floor plugs depending on the layout. In your kitchen I would also run a separate 20A circuit on each side of the sink making each box a 2 gang box ( 2 duplex recepticles) along the countertops, a dedicated 20A circuit for the fridge, and a dedicated 20A circuit run to a plug flush mounted inside of the upper cabinet above the stove for one of those over the stove microwaves.

Why? Why not do it once and never have to worry again about adding more plugs. Most house extension fords the little white, brown ones are 6 feet, instead of using a bunch of surge protectors, or multi plugs.

Things like this are what I mean, everyone has different opinions, I'm just speaking from our exprience with our house and what we would have done different. Well my parents house, they did ever 10, and don't like having cords showing everywhere. We have them 6 feet on our plans and even then, not sure I'm happy with it. Especially in the garage.

Current kitchen has plugs every 3 feet, I love it, heck even one wall that is 2 feet wide has a plug, happens to be perfect for vacuming the lower and uppers level carpets.

I do agree 100% with the other plugs, current house has all of that except the microwave plug, which I put in when I removed the upper fan and light and mounted the microwave. But like I said tons of plugs, and 1 behind fridge, it's a double plug actually, then another right where both ends of the counter start, 1 is 3 inches from the other wall, and 1 is 2 feet fromt he fridge plug.

Also plugs in the basement, even if not finishing, get them put in when you get the house wired. We didnt and had to pay to do that later, even in the unfinished area. We did skimp there with every 10 feet too, but those plugs are never used except for the bar I built when I plug the fridge in.

[ScubaCinci]

ScubaCinci your house looks like it is going to be sweet. I like the castle looking piece. Very cool!

Thank ya...should be done around August, then PARTAY!

Why? Why not do it once and never have to worry again about adding more plugs. Most house extension fords the little white, brown ones are 6 feet, instead of using a bunch of surge protectors, or multi plugs.

Things like this are what I mean, everyone has different opinions, I'm just speaking from our exprience with our house and what we would have done different. Well my parents house, they did ever 10, and don't like having cords showing everywhere. We have them 6 feet on our plans and even then, not sure I'm happy with it. Especially in the garage.

Current kitchen has plugs every 3 feet, I love it, heck even one wall that is 2 feet wide has a plug, happens to be perfect for vacuming the lower and uppers level carpets.

I do agree 100% with the other plugs, current house has all of that except the microwave plug, which I put in when I removed the upper fan and light and mounted the microwave. But like I said tons of plugs, and 1 behind fridge, it's a double plug actually, then another right where both ends of the counter start, 1 is 3 inches from the other wall, and 1 is 2 feet fromt he fridge plug.

Also plugs in the basement, even if not finishing, get them put in when you get the house wired. We didnt and had to pay to do that later, even in the unfinished area. We did skimp there with every 10 feet too, but those plugs are never used except for the bar I built when I plug the fridge in.

I agree...add as many outlets as you can as well as ethernet ports (yes, even with the proliferation of wireless) and cable jacks. Think of creative spots like above cabinents (to add rope lighting, makes a nice effect) and in closets.

[blackdiamondmike]

I've built three houses for myself in the last decade and a few others for other people. When I say "I built", I mean that I surveyed the lot, hammered every nail, hung every sheet of drywall, wired, plumbed, layed carpet and tile, EVERYTHING. The only contractors I use are HVAC and insulation installers because they typically can do the whole job for less than I pay for materials. I'll also get help with roof shingles and concrete flatwork and basement walls. I'm not licensed in any field and the state and county are fine with that as long as my name is on the deed.

Like others have said, it's an incredible amount of work and hard to invision the process. It seems like you may not have the skills to literally build it yourself. If that's the case, you definately want a GC. It is hard to manage subs and as an owner-builder, they won't take you as seriously or give their best rates. I found the local inspectors to be very helpful. You may want to pick their brains for a good local GC.

Seconding others when it comes to: put in a basement!, use mid-range finishes/fixtures/cabinets/windows/etc

[ohiomike]

Why? Why not do it once and never have to worry again about adding more plugs. Most house extension fords the little white, brown ones are 6 feet, instead of using a bunch of surge protectors, or multi plugs.

Things like this are what I mean, everyone has different opinions, I'm just speaking from our exprience with our house and what we would have done different. Well my parents house, they did ever 10, and don't like having cords showing everywhere. We have them 6 feet on our plans and even then, not sure I'm happy with it. Especially in the garage.

Current kitchen has plugs every 3 feet, I love it, heck even one wall that is 2 feet wide has a plug, happens to be perfect for vacuming the lower and uppers level carpets.

I do agree 100% with the other plugs, current house has all of that except the microwave plug, which I put in when I removed the upper fan and light and mounted the microwave. But like I said tons of plugs, and 1 behind fridge, it's a double plug actually, then another right where both ends of the counter start, 1 is 3 inches from the other wall, and 1 is 2 feet fromt he fridge plug.

Also plugs in the basement, even if not finishing, get them put in when you get the house wired. We didnt and had to pay to do that later, even in the unfinished area. We did skimp there with every 10 feet too, but those plugs are never used except for the bar I built when I plug the fridge in.

I guess I expressed my opinion on why not. Pay a contractor to do that and it will cost more, guaranteed. But whatever, you do it your way.

[AWW$HEEET]

is it cheaper to build like you are all talking about, or to just hire schumacher or whoever, pick the floorplan, and have them build it?

or is this basically all the same thing?

[ohiomike]

Whatever you do yourself is going to save yourself money. Just like working on your bike.

[Bad324]

Subscribed for later reading. My next life goal is to buy a large chunk of land and build on it

[AWW$HEEET]

Subscribed for later reading. My next life goal is to buy a large chunk of land and build on it

sames. id like 20-50 acres and just build it out.