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givdrvr.
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June 30, 2009 at 12:56 PM #422503June 30, 2009 at 1:04 PM #422738
CA renter
Participant[quote=DataAgent]Our friends built a house from scratch. Extremely time-consuming. Those friends are now divorced. The house project brought out the worst in both of them.
In today’s market, you’ll probably get a better deal buying an existing property. Unless of course you have a special situation ie. you already own the land, your family owns a construcion company, or any house you buy would need extensive modification to accommodate physical disabilities.
[/quote]Agree with this.
We were considering buying a lot and building our own house, but after all the costs associated with building, we’d have to get the lot for almost nothing in order for the numbers to pencil out (i.e.: our finished house would have cost more than a similar existing house in the neighborhood).
Every single person we know who did this has said they would never do it again.
June 30, 2009 at 1:04 PM #423013Participant[quote=DataAgent]Our friends built a house from scratch. Extremely time-consuming. Those friends are now divorced. The house project brought out the worst in both of them.
In today’s market, you’ll probably get a better deal buying an existing property. Unless of course you have a special situation ie. you already own the land, your family owns a construcion company, or any house you buy would need extensive modification to accommodate physical disabilities.
[/quote]Agree with this.
We were considering buying a lot and building our own house, but after all the costs associated with building, we’d have to get the lot for almost nothing in order for the numbers to pencil out (i.e.: our finished house would have cost more than a similar existing house in the neighborhood).
Every single person we know who did this has said they would never do it again.
June 30, 2009 at 1:04 PM #422508Participant[quote=DataAgent]Our friends built a house from scratch. Extremely time-consuming. Those friends are now divorced. The house project brought out the worst in both of them.
In today’s market, you’ll probably get a better deal buying an existing property. Unless of course you have a special situation ie. you already own the land, your family owns a construcion company, or any house you buy would need extensive modification to accommodate physical disabilities.
[/quote]Agree with this.
We were considering buying a lot and building our own house, but after all the costs associated with building, we’d have to get the lot for almost nothing in order for the numbers to pencil out (i.e.: our finished house would have cost more than a similar existing house in the neighborhood).
Every single person we know who did this has said they would never do it again.
June 30, 2009 at 1:04 PM #423242Participant[quote=DataAgent]Our friends built a house from scratch. Extremely time-consuming. Those friends are now divorced. The house project brought out the worst in both of them.
In today’s market, you’ll probably get a better deal buying an existing property. Unless of course you have a special situation ie. you already own the land, your family owns a construcion company, or any house you buy would need extensive modification to accommodate physical disabilities.
[/quote]Agree with this.
We were considering buying a lot and building our own house, but after all the costs associated with building, we’d have to get the lot for almost nothing in order for the numbers to pencil out (i.e.: our finished house would have cost more than a similar existing house in the neighborhood).
Every single person we know who did this has said they would never do it again.
June 30, 2009 at 1:04 PM #423080Participant[quote=DataAgent]Our friends built a house from scratch. Extremely time-consuming. Those friends are now divorced. The house project brought out the worst in both of them.
In today’s market, you’ll probably get a better deal buying an existing property. Unless of course you have a special situation ie. you already own the land, your family owns a construcion company, or any house you buy would need extensive modification to accommodate physical disabilities.
[/quote]Agree with this.
We were considering buying a lot and building our own house, but after all the costs associated with building, we’d have to get the lot for almost nothing in order for the numbers to pencil out (i.e.: our finished house would have cost more than a similar existing house in the neighborhood).
Every single person we know who did this has said they would never do it again.
June 30, 2009 at 1:34 PM #423028UCGal
ParticipantI have heard stories about the nightmares of getting plans approved in Del Mar and RSF. There are “design police” that want to make sure your plans fit the look/feel of the community. I know several architects that charge extra to deal with these communities.
Not sure about other areas in N.C.
I have personal experience with the development services department in San Diego. But it sounds like that would not be applicable here.
We built a companion unit (detached granny flat) on our property, in San Diego. The permit process was just the start. We had very bad experiences with our first contractor, and only medium experiences with our 2nd contractor (after the first one ripped us off and abandoned the job.)
Some things you need to consider.
* It will take longer than you think it will.
* It will cost more than you think it will.
* It will stress you out more than you think it will.From a cost point of view – it’s more expensive to build a custom house than to buy one built by a developer. You can buy a nice “used” house for $250/sf. Good luck getting property and construction for that price. Heck, it’s challenging just to get construction (if the land were free) for that price.
Are you planning on hiring a General Contractor or do Owner/Builder? There are pros and cons of both.
If you hire a general – do your due-diligence and even then you might get burned. Check the status of the license. Don’t just call the references – ask if you can come visit and see the work. Make sure the references are of the same scope as you are contracting. Check the bond company to make sure the bond is in force.
https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicense/LicenseRequest.aspEven if the CSLB shows the license is clean – be aware that a complaint can take up to 2 years before it shows on the website. And most homeowners are exhausted by the process and give up before it ever gets posted. Be sure you check that the license number they give you matches the name of the contractor. (Yes, fraud happens.)
Oh – and check to see if the contractor is being sued.
http://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/portal/page?_pageid=55,1056871&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTALIf they are being sued (or are suing) call the counter party and find out what the complaint was.
yes – I’m bitter because I’ve been burned. Learn from my mistakes.
Edited to add: Sometimes it makes sense to build custom. In our case it did – we need a detached house for the in-laws that was handicap accessible. There was nothing on the market that met our needs.
June 30, 2009 at 1:34 PM #423257ParticipantI have heard stories about the nightmares of getting plans approved in Del Mar and RSF. There are “design police” that want to make sure your plans fit the look/feel of the community. I know several architects that charge extra to deal with these communities.
Not sure about other areas in N.C.
I have personal experience with the development services department in San Diego. But it sounds like that would not be applicable here.
We built a companion unit (detached granny flat) on our property, in San Diego. The permit process was just the start. We had very bad experiences with our first contractor, and only medium experiences with our 2nd contractor (after the first one ripped us off and abandoned the job.)
Some things you need to consider.
* It will take longer than you think it will.
* It will cost more than you think it will.
* It will stress you out more than you think it will.From a cost point of view – it’s more expensive to build a custom house than to buy one built by a developer. You can buy a nice “used” house for $250/sf. Good luck getting property and construction for that price. Heck, it’s challenging just to get construction (if the land were free) for that price.
Are you planning on hiring a General Contractor or do Owner/Builder? There are pros and cons of both.
If you hire a general – do your due-diligence and even then you might get burned. Check the status of the license. Don’t just call the references – ask if you can come visit and see the work. Make sure the references are of the same scope as you are contracting. Check the bond company to make sure the bond is in force.
https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicense/LicenseRequest.aspEven if the CSLB shows the license is clean – be aware that a complaint can take up to 2 years before it shows on the website. And most homeowners are exhausted by the process and give up before it ever gets posted. Be sure you check that the license number they give you matches the name of the contractor. (Yes, fraud happens.)
Oh – and check to see if the contractor is being sued.
http://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/portal/page?_pageid=55,1056871&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTALIf they are being sued (or are suing) call the counter party and find out what the complaint was.
yes – I’m bitter because I’ve been burned. Learn from my mistakes.
Edited to add: Sometimes it makes sense to build custom. In our case it did – we need a detached house for the in-laws that was handicap accessible. There was nothing on the market that met our needs.
June 30, 2009 at 1:34 PM #423095ParticipantI have heard stories about the nightmares of getting plans approved in Del Mar and RSF. There are “design police” that want to make sure your plans fit the look/feel of the community. I know several architects that charge extra to deal with these communities.
Not sure about other areas in N.C.
I have personal experience with the development services department in San Diego. But it sounds like that would not be applicable here.
We built a companion unit (detached granny flat) on our property, in San Diego. The permit process was just the start. We had very bad experiences with our first contractor, and only medium experiences with our 2nd contractor (after the first one ripped us off and abandoned the job.)
Some things you need to consider.
* It will take longer than you think it will.
* It will cost more than you think it will.
* It will stress you out more than you think it will.From a cost point of view – it’s more expensive to build a custom house than to buy one built by a developer. You can buy a nice “used” house for $250/sf. Good luck getting property and construction for that price. Heck, it’s challenging just to get construction (if the land were free) for that price.
Are you planning on hiring a General Contractor or do Owner/Builder? There are pros and cons of both.
If you hire a general – do your due-diligence and even then you might get burned. Check the status of the license. Don’t just call the references – ask if you can come visit and see the work. Make sure the references are of the same scope as you are contracting. Check the bond company to make sure the bond is in force.
https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicense/LicenseRequest.aspEven if the CSLB shows the license is clean – be aware that a complaint can take up to 2 years before it shows on the website. And most homeowners are exhausted by the process and give up before it ever gets posted. Be sure you check that the license number they give you matches the name of the contractor. (Yes, fraud happens.)
Oh – and check to see if the contractor is being sued.
http://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/portal/page?_pageid=55,1056871&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTALIf they are being sued (or are suing) call the counter party and find out what the complaint was.
yes – I’m bitter because I’ve been burned. Learn from my mistakes.
Edited to add: Sometimes it makes sense to build custom. In our case it did – we need a detached house for the in-laws that was handicap accessible. There was nothing on the market that met our needs.
June 30, 2009 at 1:34 PM #422753ParticipantI have heard stories about the nightmares of getting plans approved in Del Mar and RSF. There are “design police” that want to make sure your plans fit the look/feel of the community. I know several architects that charge extra to deal with these communities.
Not sure about other areas in N.C.
I have personal experience with the development services department in San Diego. But it sounds like that would not be applicable here.
We built a companion unit (detached granny flat) on our property, in San Diego. The permit process was just the start. We had very bad experiences with our first contractor, and only medium experiences with our 2nd contractor (after the first one ripped us off and abandoned the job.)
Some things you need to consider.
* It will take longer than you think it will.
* It will cost more than you think it will.
* It will stress you out more than you think it will.From a cost point of view – it’s more expensive to build a custom house than to buy one built by a developer. You can buy a nice “used” house for $250/sf. Good luck getting property and construction for that price. Heck, it’s challenging just to get construction (if the land were free) for that price.
Are you planning on hiring a General Contractor or do Owner/Builder? There are pros and cons of both.
If you hire a general – do your due-diligence and even then you might get burned. Check the status of the license. Don’t just call the references – ask if you can come visit and see the work. Make sure the references are of the same scope as you are contracting. Check the bond company to make sure the bond is in force.
https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicense/LicenseRequest.aspEven if the CSLB shows the license is clean – be aware that a complaint can take up to 2 years before it shows on the website. And most homeowners are exhausted by the process and give up before it ever gets posted. Be sure you check that the license number they give you matches the name of the contractor. (Yes, fraud happens.)
Oh – and check to see if the contractor is being sued.
http://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/portal/page?_pageid=55,1056871&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTALIf they are being sued (or are suing) call the counter party and find out what the complaint was.
yes – I’m bitter because I’ve been burned. Learn from my mistakes.
Edited to add: Sometimes it makes sense to build custom. In our case it did – we need a detached house for the in-laws that was handicap accessible. There was nothing on the market that met our needs.
June 30, 2009 at 1:34 PM #422523ParticipantI have heard stories about the nightmares of getting plans approved in Del Mar and RSF. There are “design police” that want to make sure your plans fit the look/feel of the community. I know several architects that charge extra to deal with these communities.
Not sure about other areas in N.C.
I have personal experience with the development services department in San Diego. But it sounds like that would not be applicable here.
We built a companion unit (detached granny flat) on our property, in San Diego. The permit process was just the start. We had very bad experiences with our first contractor, and only medium experiences with our 2nd contractor (after the first one ripped us off and abandoned the job.)
Some things you need to consider.
* It will take longer than you think it will.
* It will cost more than you think it will.
* It will stress you out more than you think it will.From a cost point of view – it’s more expensive to build a custom house than to buy one built by a developer. You can buy a nice “used” house for $250/sf. Good luck getting property and construction for that price. Heck, it’s challenging just to get construction (if the land were free) for that price.
Are you planning on hiring a General Contractor or do Owner/Builder? There are pros and cons of both.
If you hire a general – do your due-diligence and even then you might get burned. Check the status of the license. Don’t just call the references – ask if you can come visit and see the work. Make sure the references are of the same scope as you are contracting. Check the bond company to make sure the bond is in force.
https://www2.cslb.ca.gov/OnlineServices/CheckLicense/LicenseRequest.aspEven if the CSLB shows the license is clean – be aware that a complaint can take up to 2 years before it shows on the website. And most homeowners are exhausted by the process and give up before it ever gets posted. Be sure you check that the license number they give you matches the name of the contractor. (Yes, fraud happens.)
Oh – and check to see if the contractor is being sued.
http://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/portal/page?_pageid=55,1056871&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTALIf they are being sued (or are suing) call the counter party and find out what the complaint was.
yes – I’m bitter because I’ve been burned. Learn from my mistakes.
Edited to add: Sometimes it makes sense to build custom. In our case it did – we need a detached house for the in-laws that was handicap accessible. There was nothing on the market that met our needs.
June 30, 2009 at 3:01 PM #423302sdrealtor
ParticipantA good idea only if you have alot of time and alot of money. If you are doing it to save money look elsewhere.
June 30, 2009 at 3:01 PM #423073ParticipantA good idea only if you have alot of time and alot of money. If you are doing it to save money look elsewhere.
June 30, 2009 at 3:01 PM #423141ParticipantA good idea only if you have alot of time and alot of money. If you are doing it to save money look elsewhere.
June 30, 2009 at 3:01 PM #422568ParticipantA good idea only if you have alot of time and alot of money. If you are doing it to save money look elsewhere.
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