Thoughts on Building a House

I’m constantly researching little house plans and have come across quite a few that I absolutely love. Of course narrowing down my choices to just one will be the fun part. However, trying to estimate how much it would cost to build a particular house plan is tricky from a consumer’s viewpoint. Sure, there are ball-park figures out there to narrow down the cost, but what’s more disconcerting are stories from people who have gone through the process and underestimated the cost by ten’s of thousands of dollars. Often the underestimation is not entirely their fault, it was based on a builder’s estimate that just wasn’t very accurate.

Through enough of my own research, I realize that if the time comes to choose a builder, I’ll be making sure that builder has a few of the following qualities:

1. Highly recommended. I take recommendations seriously; if enough people share rave reviews about a product or service, I take that to mean the provider must be pretty darn good. Of course, I also like to read the negative comments to see what people disliked about a service or product since that allows me to compare and contrast all of the comments. And I can usually pick out the comments that are genuine.
2. Business affiliations. Businesses that are part of local affiliations or the Better Business Bureau are often rated and ranked. A contractor that is part of an association is usually more reliable, or at least gives the appearance of such.
3. Project management software. Contractors that use project management software, like Cordell Estimating Software , can give a more accurate estimates, time frames and track the progress of a job once it begins. That alone could reduce the stress of a job going way over budget. Tracking the project from beginning to end also allows for a more accurate “move-in” date.
4. Ample history of jobs. I’m a proponent of the entrepreneurial spirit and like to give new businesses a try, such as a new restaurant or boutique store. However, when it comes to building a house, or any expensive service that requires technical skills for that matter, I lean toward going with tried and true experience! Botching a project like building a house could be disastrous.
5. Proper certification and insurance. There’s just something fishy about companies that lack proper certification or insurance. I understand that having both of these is expensive, but if a company is promoting themselves as a “business”, then that’s the cost of running a business – official paperwork. And, when it comes to having a home built on property you own, you don’t want to be responsible for accidents before you even live on the premises.

Of course there are other things to consider before taking on such a huge task, such as plumbing, electrical hook-ups, water, land preparation, and so on. And, there are ways to reduce the stress and homework that needs to be done, especially if you can find new home being built in your area within a community. I actually have a cousin who did it this way; found a new community popping up, worked with the builder to modify their home plans, and let them build their home. In some ways, it’s a whole lot easier if the builder already had plans for the property.

In any event, building my own little house is still off in the distance so I have plenty of time to obsess, I mean think, about what kind of house I will eventually want to build.

Have you worked with a contractor? I know Crystal over at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff is currently having a home built. Be sure to pop on over there for more details!