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[quote=scaredyclassic]I think I need a sauna. Definitely would add that if I were building new.[/quote]

Just buy a house in Phoenix. Probably cheaper.

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I passed final inspection on my own owner-built (i.e. I was the general contractor) about 3 years ago in the 92130 zip code so I think I can help with this one.

This is a seemingly simple question that is very difficult to answer because the “square foot” means different things to different people and costs which don’t vary by square feet are significant.

Also, It is important to know if the lot is a “developed” lot or not. A good indicator of a developed lot is the presence of a water meter.

Real estate agents think “square feet” means livable space, not counting the garage.

A contractor thinks of it as everything, including the garage because a contractor has to build the garage. So, to a realtor, the cost per square foot of a 3000 sq. ft house with 4 car garage is higher than that of a 3000 sq. ft. house with a 2-car garage.

Thinking about building a house in terms of the cost of the structure itself is very dangerous and will put you in a bad spot if you buy a lot only to find out you have to spend $300,000 that you didn’t expect because you
multiplied $250 by the square footage, decide you could afford that, then clicked the “buy now” button.

Be sure to include the cost per sq. ft PLUS all the money that needs to be spent on things that are not the house, such as:
– Design/Architecture/Engineering
– Permitting costs – fees, historical stuch
– Government and utility fees like school fees and utility start-up fees.
– “Development” fees to the government just because they can. (this is the source of mello-roos, by the way). If our lot had not been developed, these fees would have been $66,000.
– Hard “development” costs to bring utilities to the property so you can have the privilege of paying the development fees.
– Bullshit studies to passify the city if you are in environmentally sensitive zone.
– More Bullshit studies and mediation costs if you are in a coastal zone.
– Infrastructure costs of getting utilities from the street to the house.
– Landscaping
– Pool

Another thing to keep in mind – a 2-story house is less per sq. ft. that a 1-story house.

I’d say $250 per livable square foot for the structure including a 2-car garage with reasonable fixtures and finishes – like the nicer things at Home Depot/Lowes but not stupid designer things from Pirch.

For a developed lot, add $300,000 for design, engineering, infrastructure (utilities to the house, grading), permitting, landscaping

For an undeveloped lot, add another $100K.

For a lot in the coastal commission, I’m not sure how much to add but I’d guess $50,000 to $100,000, and a year or two to the permitting process.

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[quote=scaredyclassic]I only go to prostitutes that accept venmo.[/quote]

Post of the year nominee.

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[quote=XBoxBoy]And at this point I don’t think you can say the difference is Republicans cut taxes, and Democrats tend to spend. Instead it’s whoever is in power tries to spend as much as they can, and whoever isn’t in power flails around crying about irresponsible behavior by the other party. It’s all pretty ludicrous but it is what it is.[/quote]

Ding, ding, ding … winner, winner !

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Dixieline reps will know if the windows you ordered will meet code. Try them, Bring in your order and say “save me $1,000 on this so even if I forfeit my deposit, I’m good.”

I also think the firezone windows are only required in certain parts of the house facing out to open space. I think. There’s lots of details to know about that so if you are in the very high zone, maybe

Also, you can lookup your firezone through the city development services … somewhere. Just google “San Diego fire overlay zoning map” and you should be able to see your lot.

P.S. I NEVER hire anyone when a rep shows up with a collared polo shirt sporting the company logo on the chest. Give me the Mexican dude and his father any day, or the rough-looking guy from Ramona. Except maybe for pool work. You need the big company with insurance for that.

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This is all nice and all – but Rich makes charts for us. 🙂

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dup

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Since you paid with a credit card, I would go that route. It is simple and will save you from wasting time and energy on fighting it.

First, tell them you believe the contract is invalid due to the change order required to meet fire code.

Second, ask for your deposit back.

If you don’t get it in a reasonable time, file a claim with the credit card. Send them the contract and all the details. Those cc companies are really good about fighting for you.

Recently, Chase Visa got a full $1100 deposit out of an unscrupulous VRBO host. He was a complete dick until I filed the visa claim. He kept calling me, leaving voice mails asking me to negotiate and “work something out.” I just ignored him and Visa got it all back. Asshole. But I digress.

I’d go to dixieline and order windows, then find a good independent installer to put them in. These big “reputable” firms are really just expert marketers. They aren’t any better than a good handyman, really, when it comes to doing the work.

Even if you forfeit the $1000, you will come out ahead that route. I may know a couple installers if you have trouble finding them but everyone is sooooo busy right now.

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I think most people overuse and misuse sunscreen. I blame marketing. They have led you to believe that you need it all the time and have developed sort of an addiction/reliance to it.

I lived the first 21 years of my life in Tucson and almost never used it. I was in the sun all the time and never wore a hat. I grew up with the understanding that skin cancer is much more common in people that have had one or two very bad sunburns than in people who are exposed to the sun alot. I did have one bad sunburn ( at altitude, not in Arizona ).

I don’t use it in the winter at all and my philosophy is to use sunscreen pre-summer if I am going to be out for a long time but the goal is always to develop a tan because melanin is your body’s way of protecting your skin from the sun. So I manage my sunscreen use such that I get enough sun to tan but not burn. Late in the Summer, I should be tan enough to spend a couple of hours in the sun without getting burned.

I have blonde hair but am able to develop a tan. For those who just don’t tan and you need to / want to be outdoors in the sun, then sunscreen is the only way to go.

There are people who use sunscreen because they have fair skin but the reason they have fair skin is because they use sunscreen all the time.

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In god we trust, everyone else bring data.
California is the leader in percent of net move-outs:

2020 United Van Lines National Movers Study

Not sure if there is any bias in terms of United’s relative foothold in certain states, but this looks like people moving out of blue states and into red states.

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Are you still interested in an answer to this ?

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[quote=Coronita]nothing to worry about. I think what is more likely to happen is that more people in the center are fed up with both extremes on both parties and eventually abandon both parties for something in the center future.

it’s already happening to the GOP. The more the crazies take over, the quicker this acceleration will happen.
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Ya. That is my hope as well.

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[quote=sdrealtor]Would love to see a middle ground party formed. Honestly I think it would have to be a very moderate Republican rather than a conservative Democrat to make it work though. Of course I could be wrong[/quote]

I’d settle for a Republican that can let go of all the religious baggage. Give up the abortion fight, give up the war on drugs, stop regulating morality if it isn’t directly hurting someone else, and just ignore the gay, transgender thing altogether.

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The only way to unwind it is to significantly limit the amount of dollars flowing through the government.

When there is so much money involved, everyone wants control of it and the arguments to prevent the other side from getting control escalate as the dollars increase.

What also increases is the willingness of everyone – from biased media outlets to lobbyists to welfare recipients to corporations – to pay to sway the public to their side.

Also, both sides make deals – I’ll vote to get your stuff funded if you vote for mine. And so government spending only grows. From 10% of your income over poverty in the early 1900s to 60% now, all tax types considered.

Take the money away, regulate only transaction between people and stop trying to regulate society to a specific economic or social outcome. Do that and the people will sort it out without running to the government.

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