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.

 

[wowzers]

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.

I'm in the process of starting to build and we had planned on a daylight basement due to the footprint being smaller but I think we are out on that now.

 

[Jon Boy]

1600 is a waste.
1200 is a great place for two people.
900 is small but if layed out perfect I wouldn’t worry about it.
We will have a garage or shop for both vehicles.
I haven’t had a house payment in 20 years and will pay cash.
At 175 sf at least in my area is a 70000 diff.
I dont need 1600 with two people.
I just raised three kids in 1450.
I’m downsizing,i pay cash and I sleep way better than all my friends with there oversized over mortgaged home.

You’re missing my point. 900 is a fantastic living space for two retired people but it has horrible re-sale value and equity and is the most expensive per foot that you can do.

Your water, septic, power, road, dirt work and landscaping costs are some of the most expensive line items in a new build and they are all the exact same price whether you build a 20 sq ft out house or a 10,000 sq ft McMansion.

A lot of builders forget to mention those costs in there per sq ft price.

If you’re going to go through the head ache of building going bigger (to a point) isn’t a whole lot more expensive per ft. I always try and nudge people towards a 3 bed 2 bath because it’s not much more to build than 2 bed and 2 bath but the equity is much higher. I made that mistake myself once and it cost me 100k in equity in what would of been an additional 10k cost at most to just add another bedroom

Just trying to help everyone out and get the most out of what a head ache a new build can be

 

[grfox92]

You’re missing my point. 900 is a fantastic living space for two retired people but it has horrible re-sale value and equity and is the most expensive per foot that you can do.

Your water, septic, power, road, dirt work and landscaping costs are some of the most expensive line items in a new build and they are all the exact same price whether you build a 20 sq ft out house or a 10,000 sq ft McMansion.

A lot of builders forget to mention those costs in there per sq ft price.

If you’re going to go through the head ache of building going bigger (to a point) isn’t a whole lot more expensive per ft. I always try and nudge people towards a 3 bed 2 bath because it’s not much more to build than 2 bed and 2 bath but the equity is much higher. I made that mistake myself once and it cost me 100k in equity in what would of been an additional 10k cost at most to just add another bedroom

Just trying to help everyone out and get the most out of what a head ache a new build can be

This is facts. I wanted to type this out earlier but am busy siding a huge Barndominium.

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

 

[Balderdash]

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.

I've found the same in my area. Seems few decent contractors care to roll out of bed to look at a job unless they are going to make bank on every job.

I've noticed that here's a lot of new, high trim package, HD trucks that aren't ever going to haul anything rolling around job sites. Instead, they are driven by xyz middle man who isn't ever going to touch any materials. The other day I was dealing with a rep from a window instalation company on a friend's behalf, and while he was describing all the parts of the process his company won't do, I felt like the consulant scene in "Office Space", where they ask, "What is it you'd say you do here?"

Meanwhile, the people actually getting the work done are often scraping by day to day. Even the union trades don't set workers up to live the kind of life those jobes used to provide not too long ago.

 

[Choupique]

900 is a fantastic living space for two retired people but it has horrible re-sale value and equity and is the most expensive per foot that you can do

My parents raised us in a 1200 sq ft 2 bed 1 bath house and these days they're glad they did. All boys, so it wasnt too bad. Dont move and resale / equity is irrelevant

All these crazy house geometries are what makes me scratch my head. What happened to a regular ol gable roof with a porch off each end and a garage on one side and 8 foot cellings? You can do a lot of sq ft for relatively cheap that way vs 97 different hip roofs tied together and 12 foot cellings everywhere. Do it right and you can easily start out small and add on it it in the future if needed.

 

[Q child]

This is Athens County Ohio a liberal bastion centered in red southeast Ohio. If it were not for Ohio U, it would be red. So, in turn, these people love to tax themselves to death and then bitch about it Estimated property tax is $7,000. 00 a year.

Are you saying that county taxes are contributing to the inflating bids you are receiving? I suppose also, why are you building there?

 

[Nine Banger]

You’re missing my point. 900 is a fantastic living space for two retired people but it has horrible re-sale value and equity and is the most expensive per foot that you can do.

Truth.

Comps are everything if you're borrowing.

Cash buyers still have to look at this tho.

Wife and I have lived in 1300 foot beach cottages and 4600 square foot houses. Neighborhood dependent.

If I built from scratch I don't want something weird because it's essentially disposable unless you find someone special that wants it.

Maybe if I build a 10000 square foot rectangle on grade with a kitchen and bedroom and a work shop in it with a 100 yard range as the front porch one of y'all would buy it when it's time to move tho.

 

[Jon Boy]

My parents raised us in a 1200 sq ft 2 bed 1 bath house and these days they're glad they did. All boys, so it wasnt too bad. Dont move and resale / equity is irrelevant

All these crazy house geometries are what makes me scratch my head. What happened to a regular ol gable roof with a porch off each end and a garage on one side and 8 foot cellings? You can do a lot of sq ft for relatively cheap that way vs 97 different hip roofs tied together and 12 foot cellings everywhere. Do it right and you can easily start out small and add on it it in the future if needed.

It’s something like 80% of Americans have the majority of their wealth in the equity of their homes, so that’s the game most of us are playing to try and get ahead.

I do agree with the crazy looking geometry of houses and the cost it drives up. I tell this to people up front that a square or rectangle box is absolutely the cheapest way to build. The following photo is two rectangles put together with two bump ins and a cutesy little timber framed front porch that took 2 days to frame and spiced up the curb appeal.

 

[JDMBEND]

No comment on the negotiations, but I feel compelled to jump in and say this because nobody else has.

You are 100% going to regret building a 2/2/2 in the future. It’s not big enough. Even if you’re certain you’ll never have kids, it’s too small to comfortably host family and friends. Finances aside, you want to go bigger.

Don’t forget the much better resale value with 3 bedrooms.