Yesterday I wrote a post about some new House Plans that I had just added to The Plan Collection. These plans were special because they offer full Mother In-Law Apartments, but why would you want or need a separate apartment within your home?

At some point in time, everyone has experienced the chore of entertaining the overbearing house guest. Whether it’s the visiting mother-in-law, a dead-beat friend who’s down on his luck, or even the occasional college student taking a break from her studies, it’s never fun to share your limited living space for long periods of time. It’s especially hard sharing a kitchen and bathroom with said guests. Even the best of friends and family can grow tiresome after awhile. I think Benjamin Franklin put it best when he eloquently penned the words, “Fish and visitors smell in three days.”

You never know when they will drop in, and you never know how long they will stay, but it’s always a good idea to have room to house your guests. It’s even better if you can provide them with a fully-furnished living area with a bathroom and a kitchen. Even if those areas aren’t used very often, an in-law suite will definitely cause your home’s value to skyrocket.

So, if you’re looking for house plans with an in-law suite, The Plan Collection should be your first stop! Check em out!

Tags: house plans, In-Law Apartments, Mother In Law Quarters, Mother In Law Suites

Hey y’all! I don’t have a lot of time today, but I just wanted to let you know that I added a few really nice home plans with mother in law suites. Click Here to check them out!

Tags: home design., house plans, In-Law Apartments, Mother In Law Quarters, Mother In Law Suites

I’m sure that by now some of you are getting sick of my advice for finding a good builder, so I thought I’d get someone else to preach for me today. I found an interesting article on homeadditionplus.com; the author is Debbie Rodgers.

Some of the more interesting tips include:

1. Plan your project carefully. It’s always a good idea to clip pictures, make sketches, and write descriptions. This will help you accurately convey to the contractor what you want the finished product to be.
   (By the way, if you want to find a great plan, you should give me a call at The Plan Collection – our number is (866) 787-2023 – I’ll hook you up with a 10% DISCOUNT)
2. Make a list of contractors. (That’s what I’ve been saying all along!) Ask your neighbors or friends for the names of reputable tradesmen. Contact material suppliers — lumberyards, for example — and ask for recommendations.
3. Get at least three written bids for the project, but don’t give in to the temptation to automatically accept the lowest bid. A higher bid may be worth the price in better materials, workmanship and reliability. If you get a very low bid, the contractor may have made a mistake or forgotten to bid on everything you wanted. If they have deliberately low-bid, they may use cheaper materials or take shortcuts to make a profit.
4. Many states and provinces require registration and/or licensing. For the USA, www.nationalcontractors.com provides a starting point for your state and type of construction. If licences are required in your jurisdiction, be certain to ask to see your contractor’s licences and be sure that it’s not expired.
5. Ask for references and then check them out. Look at the projects and ask the previous clients if they are satisfied with the quality of work done, if it was started and completed on schedule and if it is complete.
6. Get a signed, written contract and be sure you understand it. The Construction Contractors Board of Oregon claims that the single biggest cause of homeowner-contractor disputes is the written contract: not having one, having a poor one, or having one everyone ignores. A good contract should include:
   • The company name, address (not a post office box) & phone number, the name of the builder, contractor and license number, if applicable The total price and payment schedule
   • A detailed project description
   • A materials list
   • A statement that all necessary permits and inspections are the responsibility of the contractor
   • Starting and completion dates
   • Warranties of workmanship, the length of the warranty, and specifically what’s covered and what’s not
   • Contractor’s guarantee that he carries liability insurance and worker’s compensation coverage
   • A statement that clean-up will be done by the contractor
7. Make any changes to the project in writing with a “work order change” to avoid misunderstandings and surprises.
8. Keep pets and children away from the construction site. This will ensure not only their safety, but also that of the workers. In addition, it helps keep the project on schedule.
9. Inspect the work regularly.
10. Pay directly and promptly according to the contract.
    • Be wary of hourly, time and materials or cost-plus pricing where the final price is not determined until completion of the project. Although it may seem higher, a fixed price may give you the best protection and price.
    • Be cautious about upfront payments for more than 15% of the contract price. The schedule and criteria for each installment should be clearly defined in the contract. Any installments should be not be required on a certain date, but correlated to work completion.
    • Do not pay cash. A reputable builder will ask for a check.

Debbie has some really good insights. You should really Check it Out!

Tags: Advice for Building a House, Building a Home, home builder, home builders, home building, Homebuilding Process

I know a lot of people have been interested in seeing house plans from ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, so I just posted a new article on the homepage of The Plan Collection. You should Check it out!

Tags: Extreme Home Makeover, extreme makeover, house plans

Do Your Homework

Okay, so now you know how to make a list of builders and determine whether they specialize in quality, speed, or price. Are you ready to make your choice?

Not yet.

When choosing a builder, you really have to do your homework. Building a home is a major investment, and you should shop for your builder as carefully as you shop for your home. Whether you are building a condo, a townhouse, a house in a subdivision, or a custom built house, you want to know that you are going to get a good quality home from a reputable builder.

The best way to learn about a particular builder is to visit homes he has built and talk with the owners. You might want to consider the following:

• Ask the builders on your list for the addresses of their recently built homes and subdivisions. Builders may even be able to provide names of some home owners who would be willing to talk with you.
• Drive by on a Saturday morning when home owners may be outside doing chores or errands. Introduce yourself and just be honest; tell them that you are going to be building your own home and that you are considering working with the builder who built their home. Talk to several owners, and try to get a random sample of opinions.  You’ll get a much more accurate idea of the quality of a particular builder by talking to as many people as you can. At the very least, drive by and see if the homes look well-built.
• When you talk to builders and home owners, take along a notebook to record the information and your personal impressions about specific builders and homes. Doing so will help you to make comparisons later. Some questions you can ask people include:

Are you happy with your home? If you had any problems, were they fixed promptly and properly? Would you buy another home from this builder?

Usually, people tell you if they are pleased with their homes. And if they are not, they’ll probably want to tell you why.

A Few More Tips

If you want to find a good builder, you really need to look at new houses whenever you can.

Home shows and open houses provide an excellent opportunity to look at new homes. Model homes and houses displayed in home shows are often furnished to give you ideas for using the space, but you can also ask a builder to see unfurnished homes.

When examining a home, look at the quality of the construction features. Inspect the quality of the cabinetry, carpeting, trimwork, and paint.

Ask the builder or the builder’s representative a lot of questions. Get as many specifics as possible. If you receive the answers verbally rather than in writing, take notes. Never hesitate to ask a question. What seems like an insignificant question might yield an important answer.

Hopefully you found something here that can help you.

Tags: Advice for Building a House, Building a Home, home builder, home builders, home building, Homebuilding Process

QUALITY, SPEED, & PRICE

Once you have a list of builders, how do you go about trying to choose one?

The first thing you need to determine about a builder is What Area Does He Specialize In? – Is his main focus quality, speed or price?

Quality

Everyone wants a quality home, but at the same time, you should definitely think twice before hiring the builder with the greatest reputation for quality.

This builder is probably taking advantage of his clients because of his reputation.  You will notice this when he bids your home plans, because his will be the highest bid by far.

A good quality builder is worth some extra, but how much more?  If you specify everything that is to be in your home, the quality guy isn’t going to build it out of gold, just charge like he did.

Speed

Nobody wants to get wrapped up in one of those “never-ending projects,” especially when it comes to your home. The sooner the home is finished, the better. You can start moving your stuff and getting settled down.

It’s always nice to work with a builder who can get the job done quickly, but at the same time, you need to keep in mind that if he focuses too much on speed, the quality will take a hit. You’re also going to be paying more for the extra speed.

A home should take 4-6 months to complete.  There are some builders who promise that they can have your home done much quicker; and it can be done, but don’t lock your mortgage rate just yet.  Chances are it will take longer than he told you.

Price

In today’s world where Wal-Mart dominates the U.S. economy, it’s easy to see that people usually go for the lowest price; but that isn’t always the best idea when it comes to building a house.

NEVER go with the lowest bidder until you’ve had a chance to inspect his work. All builders are in the business to make money, and if they offer you significantly lower prices, it’s safe to say that they’re probably going to cut a few corners to make it worth their while.

My advice is to find the middle-of-the-road builder.  Look at all of the bids and ask lots of questions about their company.  Look at their homes and pay special attention to details like their concrete work, finish work, and paint work.

I’ve mentioned this before, but the NAHB really is a great organization (they’re the ones who sponsor the Parade of Homes).  I would recommend finding a builder who is a member of this association. Click Here to find NAHB members in your area.

I hope this info helps. Let me know what you think!

Tags: Advice for Building a House, Building a Home, home builder, home builders, home building, Homebuilding Process

MAKE A LIST

Hey y’all!

No frilly intros today, I’m just gonna cut to the chase. You’re building a house, and you’re looking for a good contractor. Where do you even begin?

Here are a couple of tips to help you make a list of possible builders.

Talk to your Friends

Undoubtedly, the best way to find a good builder is by asking friends and relatives for recommendations. Be sure to ask them all about the building process. Was it worth it? Are they satisfied with the service they received? Would they buy another home from this builder?

Make a list of their recommendations, but don’t just take their word for it – make sure to do your homework first!

But what if you don’t know of anyone who has recently worked with a builder in your area?

Contact your local Builders’ Association

Your local Builders’ Association can provide you with a broad list of builders who construct homes in your area.

You can find and contact your local Builders’ Association by visiting the National Association of Home Builders’ website, NAHB.org. They have an entire page devoted to helping you find a Builders’ Association in your area – Click Here to check it out.

Check Other Sources

Call or email local real estate agents. They may also be able to help you in your search.

You might also want to look in the real estate section of your local newspaper for builders and projects. The ads and articles can help you learn which builders are active in your area, the types of homes they are building, and the prices you can expect to pay.

Hopefully these tips will help you make a list of contractors who build the type of home you’re looking for, but like I said before, don’t just hire the first guy on the list – do your homework!

More information will follow. See ya!

Tags: Advice for Building a House, Building a Home, home builder, home builders, home building, Homebuilding Process

Last week, I poured out my soul into this blog. Advice for Building a House is, by far, the most in-depth and informative blogpost I’ve ever written; and to tell you the truth, it was more than a little draining.

So from now on, I’m going to break major topics like that into smaller posts – kinda like a miniseries!

The next topic I’m planning to tackle is How To Find a Good Builder. (I just thought y’all might like a bit of a ‘heads up’ for what’s ahead here at HousePlans.info)

Hiring a good general contractor is the most valuable piece of advice I can offer if you’re planning on building your own home — so I’m going to be giving you an in-depth and straightforward insight into this important decision. In the meantime,

Take Luck!

Tags: Advice for Building a House, Building a Home, home builder, home builders, home building, Homebuilding Process

The past few days, I’ve been sharing my opinions on the Build vs. Buy debate. Now I know that a lot of you might disagree with the stuff I’ve been writing, and that’s just fine — in fact, I’d love to hear some of your opinions!

A lot of people view homebuilding as a nightmare full of stress, over-shot budgets, delays, and headaches. And although this is often the case, let me share a few things I’ve learned that can help make homebuilding a more fulfilling — even enjoyable — experience:

• Hire a Builder – Now, this rule isn’t set in stone; I know a lot of very capable homeowners who have built their own homes without the use of a general contractor. Each of them has a strong background in construction, and they have jobs that allow them to spend a lot of time on-site rather than at work, but for the rest of us mere mortals, you really ought to hire a professional. Sure, you’ll end up paying more, but you get to keep your sanity!

  Not only will a good builder take care of a lot of the technical details (such as obtaining permits, coordinating inspections, etc.), a reputable contractor is also able to purchase large quantities of building materials at highly discounted rates. Sure, most of those cost savings disappear when the time comes to pay your contractor, but if you try building a home yourself, you’ll likely end up paying retail price for all of your materials — and retail price = blown budget!

  If you’re like me, you might know a thing or two about construction. As a teenager, I worked for an electrician, wiring up new homes; in the past, I’ve done some volunteer work framing homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina; and I’ve had countless hours painting and sheetrocking. But y’know, that doesn’t amount to a hill of beans! At the very least, I would have to locate and hire someone to pour the foundation and do the plumbing. Try to imagine that — locating and hiring reputable companies to pour the foundation and do the plumbing. Maybe you want to hire someone else to do the tilework. Then there is the cabinetry to worry about — just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach! Finding and hiring a good builder is a difficult task, but at least you only have to do it once.

  If you want to use your construction skills, I’d suggest working out some kind of a sweat equity plan with your builder. That way, you do a portion of the work yourself, and your builder knocks the price down.

• Clearly Discuss EVERYTHING – Especially if you’re building a home that your contractor hasn’t built before (this happens all the time when ordering plans off the Internet). You need to be sure that he knows exactly what you expect. Take the time to draw it out whenever possible. Explain it clearly, and then ask your builder to repeat it back to you, just to make sure you’re on the same page. It might seem a little redundant, but good communication is vitally important!

  Most homebuilding headaches come because there was a misunderstanding between the owner and the builder, and once a mistake is made, you’re either gonna have to just live with it or tear it down and replace it (a very pricey option). I can’t stress it enough — you have to communicate plainly!

  Your goal isn’t just to make sure that your builder understands. You have to make sure that there’s no way he can misunderstand!

  Even if you end up being your own contractor, you’re life will be so much happier if you discuss everything with your spouse. I’m not sure if there are any statistics, but I’ve heard stories about homebuilding experiences that ended in divorce. Heartbreaking, but true. So discuss EVERYTHING — everything from floorplans and structural modifications to paint colors and light fixtures.

  If you end up hiring a contractor, make sure to discuss beforehand who will be in charge of obtaining permits. Discuss engineering needs. Find out what you’ll need to do to bring utilities (water, electricity, phone lines, fiber-optics, etc.) into your site. Ask about how much excavation you’ll need to prepare your lot for building. And most importantly, thoroughly discuss the price. Find out about hidden costs, time estimates, etc. Keep in mind that it could easily cost 20% more and end up taking 2 to 3 months longer than what you’ve been quoted — by doing so, you’ll probably end up saving yourself a lot of disappointment down road.

  Like I said, discuss EVERYTHING! You’ll be glad you did.

• Visit the Site and Get Involved – I know I just got done telling you about how your builder can save you a lot of time and worry, but that doesn’t mean that you can just sit back and eat bon-bons. You should make it a point to visit the site every chance you get.

  There are a couple reasons for this. First and foremost, it gives you a chance to inspect the work. If there has been a miscommunication, you can catch it early — before you reach the costly point of no return. But be careful! You don’t want your contractor and his workers to see you as some kind of cruel, unpleasable Nazi!

  While you’re on the site, if circumstances permit, you should try to learn the workers’ names and get to know them. Be a genuinely friendly human being — it can’t hurt! Compliment them on their work. You might even want to consider bringing a pizza or two, or maybe some cold drinks. You don’t want to distract them or disrupt their work, but making friends with your workers can be very beneficial. Not only did you make a new friend (and who has too many friends, honestly?), but you are also letting them know what kind of work you expect from them. By getting familiar with you, they’ll understand that you have high expectations — and they’ll be more likely to put forth extra effort to meet those expectations. So Get Involved!

So that’s my take on building. There is a lot more to it than that, but this should give you enough to think about for now. Sure, buying an existing home is simple, but like My-House-Plans.com says, building gives you the chance to “watch an empty piece of property literally transform into your own personal kingdom!”

Just make sure you have the right set of house plans!

P.S. This is another personal narrative, the events related herein were merely derived from actual happenings. ;o)

Tags: Advice for Building a House, Building a Home, Building vs. Buying a House, Homebuilding Process, house plans, To Build or to Buy a Home

Last week, I wrote I wrote a pretty biased article about whether to buy or build your own home (Click Here to see the full article). I bought our current home, and I’m not really happy with it. You have to understand that it isn’t a terrible home, but if I had to put a percentage to our satisfaction (See “THE 90% RULE”), I would say that we are about 75 – 80% satisfied — not a bad approval rating! But when you have to live with it day-in and day-out, it can get kinda depressing (there goes my dramatic side again). Anyway, my wife and I have decided to get out of this mold trap as soon as possible — but we’re going  to do things right this time; we’re going to BUILD!

Let me get one thing straight — buying an existing home isn’t always a bad idea. In fact, there are several benefits that come with buying an existing home. One of the most appealing benefits to buying an existing home is the convenience. That’s what drew my wife and me into buying our current home; we wanted to be settle in time for Christmas — which we were.

It really was a painless process; we looked at the house, made a bid, signed the papers, and moved our stuff. I was surprised that we had everything settled in less than a month from the time we made our offer! Convenience is a definite plus when it comes to buying vs. building.

Another benefit is the neighborhood. Most homes-for-sale are located in established neighborhoods; so unless you’re looking at an area that was hit with a lot of foreclosures/short sales you should probably plan on getting familiar with your neighbors — which may or may not be a good thing. In our case, the neighborhood was wonderful! One family brought us cookies; another family invited us to go to church with them; and several neighbors came caroling to us over the holidays. Welcome to Small Town, USA.

And then there’s the landscaping…. You have to understand something — I absolutely love working in the yard! Our current yard was a dream come true for me. It was totally overgrown with weeds; the wooden fence (if you could still call it that) was completely dilapidated; and the yard itself was totally uneven, rising and falling several feet in a completely inconsistent manner. I had such visions for this yard! It was going to be my sanctuary filled with countless hours of work and gallons of sweat! — I guess I’m just weird like that. One of the biggest factors was the mature trees. I love trees, and if you’re going to build a new home, you’re probably going to have to start with trees that you’ve planted all by yourself. So don’t plan on building any treehouses on your property for at least 20 years.

And speaking of time, that’s another draw for buying an existing house — the craftsmanship! You always hear the old-timers say “They sure don’t build ‘em like they used to.” Well, it’s true! Older homes were built using naturally stronger, longer lasting materials like hardwood beams and wood siding; new homes usually rely on smarter design principles and lighter, specially-engineered materials to withstand the elements. Both homes get the job done, but newer homes usually don’t have the same rustic appeal. But you know what comes along with rustic appeal — RUSTY PIPES. Rusty pipes, bad wiring, mold, termites, and backed-up septic systems are just a few of the problems that can come with older homes.

So there really are a lot of pros and cons when it comes to buying a home, but the root of the problem is in the selection. When planning for your Dream Home, you have to take several things into account: the neighborhood and landscaping are important, but you also have to consider the community services (how are the schools? how close is it to shopping centers, post offices, etc.), keep in mind the aesthetic quality of the house itself, and you need to make sure that the layout of the home is practical for your lifestyle (something my wife and I neglected).

So there are several variables to consider, and it’s been my experience that you have a lot more control over those variables when you build it yourself. Buying an existing home limits your selection tremendously. In a given area, you only have a handful of houses to choose from, and it’s up to you to pick the best one. Unless you get extremely lucky, you’ll probably be forced to settle for less than 90%. And let me tell ya — it’s no fun!

But what do you think? I’d really like to hear your opinions. In the meantime, take care!

Tags: Building vs. Buying a House, Buying a Home, To Build or to Buy a Home, Why to Build a Home