Building a house, is this normal ?

[Rich M]

Last year we were going to do a 1,600 sf barndo. Did the preliminary estimates and come out with about $50-$60k to get the slab and shell up. Would piece meal it from there. Got the guys together on-site regarding site prep and the installation jumped to over $100k just cause.

Decided to back off and guy says no refund on deposit. So we have a 14x36 steel bld onsite right now - just got it foam insulated. Be a decent camp but still need to do a house for future. We'll do the site prep and will already have septic, etc. by time we build.

The electrician has already exceeded his estimate by a bit. Getting folks to show up is the trick. Took 7 months to get the electrician onsite. Foam insulation guy stood us up and never contacted us. Next foam guy was there in a couple days. Electrician is the plumber.

What it comes down to is that they can't get decent help and those that are decent help start their own businesses.

 

[cnelk]

No way would I get any estimates without having some CDs in a set of plans.

I didnt see any mention of plan review from AHJ, or inspections. Maybe it doesnt matter

 

[The Harbor Master]

We bought our home in 2017. We love where we are, but figured it also doesn't need to be our "forever" home. Reading this thread, sounds like it might have to be (barring major changes in our income)... depressing.

 

[rickyw]

We just started the process. We had plans, quotes, and contracts with the prices detailed out and signed before paying earnest money.
So far so good and it’s been straightforward and fairly stress free.
Everyone who has used the builder we are using has good things to say.

This is only a semi custom home built off a template, however. Easier to lock in a price, I’d imagine.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I started out with a federal job in Washington. I paid for the land, foundation, well and septic and then tried to finance the house. The banks were so limiting that they not only wouldn't finance a rural house but punished me for having built and paid for all the parts.
They would only finance a house under their specs within a mile of the city limits.

I found a job in Montana, found chunk of land and started over. I took some heavy losses to move back home but starting over gave me a path to progress. I contracted pieces and did a lot of the work with my wife and learned things like wiring and plumbing as I went. I built onto an existing structure.

I've paid it off and am still working on it with some of the finish work. I bought a 675 sq ft cabin, raised my kids and now have a 3,200 sq ft home my family can spend time with me in. It has taken 37 years but I'm farther ahead now than I would have been if I had stayed and retired from my federal job.

I'm not saying moving to Montana is the answer. But when a solution is not at hand. Go fishing. There may be options out there you haven't explored yet.

 

[spike camp]

What is the total SF?

 

[Weldor]

Retired after 47 years in the business, Most generals today are just lazy, they all have the same excuses. Can't get good help or keep it, sub can't make it, the list goes on and on. The last couple years they are trying to retire on one job, their numbers can't be justified. I just watched my neighbor get turned down for a 30 x 40 x 4" slab by all the concrete guys that are local. They all wanted him to do all the grade and form work. They just want to finish for 3 times the cost of the mud. We needed 3 bids for a new well for the small enclave we live in, ranged from I'm to busy to $350,000.
Stupid money, they just don't want to work. Rant over.

 

[Harvey_NW]

We built a "custom" home in 2020, but used Hi-Line Homes because any custom builder was easily $100-150k more for apples to apples bids, and we couldn't afford it. My experience was not of that, in fact opposite. We signed papers on Friday, and the state got shut down for covid the following Saturday, thought I was screwed. They waived all timelines, and adhered to contract numbers. I didn't spend an extra dime outside of change orders we decided to make along the way.

Idk how prices have been in the Midwest, but I bet the daylight basement portion of that idea would incorporate a pretty significant chunk of the cost. In the NW concrete prices have skyrocketed, the days of basements are gone around here.

 

[Weldor]

Yeap, $193 yd plus a fuel sur-charge.

 

[WoodlandCritter]

Now you can understand why the 'tiny home' movement and manufactured homes are once again gaining ground.

Really glad I got a manufactured as my first house. Good enough to start with and I have a ton of opportunity to add value with projects as I go.

 

[KurtR]

Yeap, $193 yd plus a fuel sur-charge.

Thats what it is here. Our nearest fly ash is 140 miles and cement is 100 miles and some aggregates have to be railed in so with that freight charges go up fast.