Building / contractor recommendations

[svelte]

Exactly the kind of thread this forum needs!

Carry on!

[gzz]

Have you tried to estimate what the return to your time invested into the project is by the hour?

Like Rich I have thought about development too as an amateur, and I already own the developable property, a medium size single family in OB in lot zoned for 4500sf of multifamily. So CCC issues.

I met someone last year who went this route after retiring. A contractor ripped him off and broke him just as it was nearing completion. It slow walked the work with excuses and demands for more payments then simply stopped and disappeared. The house itself was occupable and very nice, an open concept on a hilltop canyon lot in fact. But the final task was grading and paving the long route from street to driveway to garage and the areas on each side. They left it a mess of deep holes rocks and dirt piles. Without this done, the city would not issue a cert for occupancy, which also prevented him from getting a conventional loan. I told him I saw no options other than a hard money loan at awful rates and paying another contactor. Between the stolen money, delay, and high cost loan it was a financial disaster. Hopefully the rising market made up for it.

Seeing this first hand helped scare me off!

[moneymaker]

Yes, I imagine a lot of what goes on in building a house is similar in many ways to adding on an addition. Did you leave 1 wall standing?

[FlyerInHi]

Gzz, i believe that for multi family you must use licensed contractors. By that I mean only contractors with the proper licenses can pull permits. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong for San Diego city and county.

For single family, you can do owner built. So technically, your friend could build himself as long as he knows how.

BTW, did your friend have utilities without certificate of occupancy? I know that with permit violations, the city/county can order utilities to cut off service, if violations are not corrected timely.

[bubba99]

sdduuuude

I really enjoyed reading this post. Please continue to update. Like many I have considered building, but never had the courage.

[flyer]

Great thread.

We’ve jumped through the building hoops on many properties over the years, and it’s definitely a challenging, but rewarding experience.

Good luck with all of your projects, sdduuuude.

[ucodegen]

A useful link on items needed for permits/plans..

top level:
https://www.sandiego.gov/development-services/industry/information/codesregreq

PDFs:
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/dsdpsm_sec_01.pdf
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/dsdpsm_sec_02.pdf
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/dsdpsm_sec_02a.pdf
https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/dsdpsm_sec_04.pdf

Building Codes: Nice to have them online now, though I can do without the flash and page flipping noises (can be turned off). Would be better to have in PDF in entirety.
http://www.bsc.ca.gov/codes.aspx

Update: found a way to download a PDF version — well at least of the plumbing code (I might look later for other code books .. but I gotta get back to what I was working on and stop being distracted)
https://ia801202.us.archive.org/12/items/gov.ca.bsc.title24.2016.05/gov.ca.bsc.2016.05.pdf

Ok, ok… got a little distracted: Here is California Residential code:
https://ia801201.us.archive.org/12/items/gov.ca.bsc.title24.2016.02.5/gov.ca.bsc.2016.02.5.pdf

[gzz]

Flyer, not a friend, but someone I bought some high end furniture from. He did have utilities and was living there.

We are not talking about a normal driveway paving, but more like 60 feet and a steep grade, plus some additional front yard areas that would be paved or regraded.

[pokepud3]

I am literally starving for this sort of information as I’m looking forward to doing this myself. How much $$$ per sqft do you estimate the project will cost upon completion not including the land cost? I plan on being the general contractor/manager myself and subcontract the other work to save on costs if that’s reasonable.

[Rich Toscano]

Wow, duuude, sounds like you’ve really hit on a popular topic here.

Maybe I should make a new forum, titled something like “Home improvement and construction.” That way if you create a lot of posts on the topic, they will be easier to find in one place.

Anyone have feedback on that idea?

[phaster]

FYI

[quote]
The Myth of Public Agency protection in the Building Permit Process

…A Primer Building a home or contracting for a work of improvement on your property can be an uneasy, eye-opening experience. Property owners seeking to build or improve their property often need to rely on the expertise of a licensed contractor who is competent in the particular work that must be performed… The relevant state and local building agencies have adopted building requirements that are, in large measure, based upon the Uniform Building Code (UBC). The UBC is published every three years by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO) and its intent is to impress reasonable standards of construction and safety upon the building public…

As part of its general police power, cities and counties may and do require that a building permit be obtained prior to the erection of a structure on privately owned property. As part of its many detailed requirements, the UBC requires that a building permit first be obtained from the applicable public agency/building official prior to any construction, repair or alteration of a building or structure. To obtain a permit, the building applicant must pay a statutory fee and file an application in writing on a form furnished by the code enforcement agency which identifies and describes the work to be covered by the permit. Plans, diagrams, computations and specifications are also required to be submitted along with the application for the building permit. Once submitted, the application and its accompanying data are then reviewed by the building official and by any other required departments to verify that the proposed work of improvement complies with the applicable building laws of the jurisdiction. If the building official finds that the requisite fee has been paid, and the work described in the permit application conforms to the requirements of the local building code and other pertinent laws and ordinances, the official will issue a building permit to the applicant…

Suppose that a year after the construction of a wood patio in the back yard of your home, one of the floor boards comes loose because the nails used by the contractor were too small and not code compliant. As a result, your child steps through the loose board while playing on the patio and injures herself. What legal recourse do you have available? While you may have a cause of action against the contractor (assuming you used one) for the negligent and defective workmanship, you likely have no legal right to sue the building inspector and/or the city building authority for negligently granting its approval of the construction in the first place. The reality is that if a building inspector fails to inspect your property or inspects the work that was done in an incompetent manner and then issues a final approval for the work that was inspected (or a Certificate of Occupancy for commercial structures), and an injury later occurs because the work turns out to be defective, the city is almost always immune from any liability.

…Building codes, the issuance of building permits, and building inspections are merely devices used by municipalities to collect the revenues that help fund the municipality. When viewed from this perspective, the building permits issued by public agencies are not meant to serve as insurance policies by which the municipality guarantees that each building is built in compliance with the building and zoning codes. The fees a city collects for issuing building permits merely act to offset expenses incurred by the city in promoting the public interest in general, and in no way function as insurance premiums which make the city liable for each item of defective construction on the improved premises. A building permit simply represents to the property owner that the work that was inspected is complete and that all of the required administrative details have been performed by the contractor to the building inspector’s satisfaction…

http://www.berding-weil.net/articles/public-agency-protection-in-building-permit-process-myth.php
[/quote]

[biggoldbear]

[quote=Rich Toscano]Wow, duuude, sounds like you’ve really hit on a popular topic here.

Maybe I should make a new forum, titled something like “Home improvement and construction.” That way if you create a lot of posts on the topic, they will be easier to find in one place.

Anyone have feedback on that idea?[/quote]

Great Idea! A lot of Piggs have jumped into home ownership and would be great to get advice/experience from a group of people who like to do their research and spend wisely!

[svelte]

[quote=biggoldbear][quote=Rich Toscano]Wow, duuude, sounds like you’ve really hit on a popular topic here.

Maybe I should make a new forum, titled something like “Home improvement and construction.” That way if you create a lot of posts on the topic, they will be easier to find in one place.

Anyone have feedback on that idea?[/quote]

Great Idea! A lot of Piggs have jumped into home ownership and would be great to get advice/experience from a group of people who like to do their research and spend wisely![/quote]

I like the idea too, Rich.

Quite often when I need to learn something about home modifications, I’ll do a google search starting with site:piggington.com Having a forum specifically for that would help!

[Rich Toscano]

OK thanks for the feedback guys, I think it makes sense too. I created the new forum and moved this topic into it as the inaugural post.

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