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UCGal
ParticipantCongrats – and being in the LJHS map boundary is a good thing if you plan on raising kids there.
ParticipantCongrats – and being in the LJHS map boundary is a good thing if you plan on raising kids there.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Participant[quote=briansd1][quote=AN]I’ll let you in a little secret… I’ll be passing this house down to my kids.[/quote]
What does that have to do with the cost of purchase or owning the house?
Plenty of women overpay for jewelry that they pass-on to their kids. The kids never wear it except perhaps for the wedding.
Maybe the kids would rather have a fat trust fund. [/quote]
Maybe the point is that AN is not buying as an investment, per se. He’s buying shelter that can be passed onto future generations. If future generations don’t want it – they can sell.
Same can be said for overpriced jewelry – kids who inherit or are gifted the jewelry can sell it.
If the kids prefer a fat trust fund – good for them… But life doesn’t guarantee you a fat trust fund. Parents are free to spend their money as they see fit.
Participant[quote=briansd1][quote=AN]I’ll let you in a little secret… I’ll be passing this house down to my kids.[/quote]
What does that have to do with the cost of purchase or owning the house?
Plenty of women overpay for jewelry that they pass-on to their kids. The kids never wear it except perhaps for the wedding.
Maybe the kids would rather have a fat trust fund. [/quote]
Maybe the point is that AN is not buying as an investment, per se. He’s buying shelter that can be passed onto future generations. If future generations don’t want it – they can sell.
Same can be said for overpriced jewelry – kids who inherit or are gifted the jewelry can sell it.
If the kids prefer a fat trust fund – good for them… But life doesn’t guarantee you a fat trust fund. Parents are free to spend their money as they see fit.
Participant[quote=briansd1][quote=AN]I’ll let you in a little secret… I’ll be passing this house down to my kids.[/quote]
What does that have to do with the cost of purchase or owning the house?
Plenty of women overpay for jewelry that they pass-on to their kids. The kids never wear it except perhaps for the wedding.
Maybe the kids would rather have a fat trust fund. [/quote]
Maybe the point is that AN is not buying as an investment, per se. He’s buying shelter that can be passed onto future generations. If future generations don’t want it – they can sell.
Same can be said for overpriced jewelry – kids who inherit or are gifted the jewelry can sell it.
If the kids prefer a fat trust fund – good for them… But life doesn’t guarantee you a fat trust fund. Parents are free to spend their money as they see fit.
Participant[quote=briansd1][quote=AN]I’ll let you in a little secret… I’ll be passing this house down to my kids.[/quote]
What does that have to do with the cost of purchase or owning the house?
Plenty of women overpay for jewelry that they pass-on to their kids. The kids never wear it except perhaps for the wedding.
Maybe the kids would rather have a fat trust fund. [/quote]
Maybe the point is that AN is not buying as an investment, per se. He’s buying shelter that can be passed onto future generations. If future generations don’t want it – they can sell.
Same can be said for overpriced jewelry – kids who inherit or are gifted the jewelry can sell it.
If the kids prefer a fat trust fund – good for them… But life doesn’t guarantee you a fat trust fund. Parents are free to spend their money as they see fit.
Participant[quote=briansd1][quote=AN]I’ll let you in a little secret… I’ll be passing this house down to my kids.[/quote]
What does that have to do with the cost of purchase or owning the house?
Plenty of women overpay for jewelry that they pass-on to their kids. The kids never wear it except perhaps for the wedding.
Maybe the kids would rather have a fat trust fund. [/quote]
Maybe the point is that AN is not buying as an investment, per se. He’s buying shelter that can be passed onto future generations. If future generations don’t want it – they can sell.
Same can be said for overpriced jewelry – kids who inherit or are gifted the jewelry can sell it.
If the kids prefer a fat trust fund – good for them… But life doesn’t guarantee you a fat trust fund. Parents are free to spend their money as they see fit.
Participant[quote=AN]I’ll let you in a little secret… I’ll be passing this house down to my kids.[/quote]
Me too – except I might *sell* it to them rather than give it to them. Kids should have to work for stuff.
Participant[quote=AN]I’ll let you in a little secret… I’ll be passing this house down to my kids.[/quote]
Me too – except I might *sell* it to them rather than give it to them. Kids should have to work for stuff.
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