Come along as we build a custom home Thread II--Construction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if I read you correctly in the prior thread, you are aiming around $253 per sq. ft for 5500 sq. ft, and that is doing cost-plus with a builder and you are somewhat involved in the process. And, decent finishes above builder grade?. So somewhere around 1.3-1.4 build cost on top of land?

Yes, exactly. We're aiming for $1.4 (ish) million to build, and that's construction costs + builder fee.
Pretty decent finishes--at least, from my point of view. I'll post the brands we chose for tile, plumbing, cabinets, appliances. And for brick etc. Definitely possible to save money here or spend a lot.

Doing a stack LG washer and dryer let us know your definition of quality. But at least they be easy to remove in 3 years when you have to replace them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Foundation: Cost was $86K


This is the total paid to the sub for time + materials, for the footing, walls, and slab?

Was this a complicated wall layout or a straightforward rectangle? What's the square footage of your footprint?
(THANKS!)

Not OP, but my costs were probably half that, which makes sense since my house is probably 2000 square feet less than what OP is building.

From my experience, that was total costs for material and everything. What the contractor pays out to their workers was not itemized out.

Regarding another post about how it may be cheaper to buy something instead of building, my wife and I thought about that a lot. But, just to use this as an example, if we bought a house with a decent sized island and you wanted to swap out the counter top, it's not like it's a couple of grand, its in the thousands. Several thousands just for a mid-tier quartz. Flooring is also costly, even if you do LVP. For the most part, it's not the materials of the house that are going to be an issue, i.e. lumber those costs don't fluctuate much unless you run into the issue OP had where lumber went up fast during the pandemic. It's also not the the site costs, those are fixed too. It's once you start putting things into the house, i.e. your recess lighting budget was 10K, but you added 15 more recess lights so now that doubled. Instead of standard appliances, you splurged and got Wolf or something high end. Black windows instead of standard white? That's an extra 10-15K or so.

Yes, the 86K included everything, from labor to materials for everything associated with the foundation itself (footings, slab, etc). It also included the work 'around' the foundation to protect from water (eg gravel filtration).

I don't know that there is a way to save money here--other than just building a smaller structure. I suppose you could build up not out, but that's still going to cost in materials and labor.

Did that include storm water management or is that a separate line item along with arborists? TY

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So far, our experience has been pretty smooth, after the shenanigans of permitting. But here is a snag we hit on flooring: It was a mistake to hire one company to finish our stairs (the treads, risers & banisters) and another to install flooring. Because the interplay between stair finishing and flooring is complicated and has to be precise. I wish we had done with a single entity to ensure seamless communication. We did not know this, and thought we had a great deal on a flooring installer that isn't the usual one that our builder uses. The stair installers did the treads and the risers, and we have 2 problems: first, the risers were pine and the stairs are red oak. But our flooring is a scraped maple. So instead of using the exact same planks, we'll have to stain the red oak treads to get as close as possible to the maple--the installer thinks it will be ok and match pretty closely, but the grain won't be the exact same of course.

Second, related: the risers are done in pine, which doesn't stain that well and will never really match. So we'll either need to cover the risers with additional wood, which would be okay....but the top lip that comes down from the riser finishing has already been done, and its not quite long enough that we can use a single 5" plank. It looked like this: https://imgur.com/a/YVaC3DQ

So rather than have an inexact stain, or ripping out stairs- our alternative is to just paint the risers and go with white risers instead of wood stain risers, like this https://images.app.goo.gl/Wk5k5RDC6YZMeSpS6

I actually like white risers as a look, but see them getting scuffed and needed to be retouched a lot, given our active household. So white risers, it is.

On another note, the flooring went down really fast-- we had been told 3 weeks. Whole thing took closer to one week + a week for conditioning.

Do a simple runner on the stairs to prevent scuffs on the risers. Also do your stairs have a landing midway or are they a straight run? With 10 foot ceilings you have added extra steps and it is good to have a break as one climbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are 55 separate budget line item categories for construction of this house. So when we make decisions, we're keeping in mind what was allocated/estimated for each. They are:

Foundation
Waterproofing
Termite Protection
Structural Steel
Framing & Labor
Lumber
Trusses/Roof
Trusses/Floor
Rails-Exterior
HVAC
Plumbing Labor
Plumbing Fixtures
Sprinklers
Electrical Labor
Lighting/Fixtures
Security System
Sound System, TV/Phone
Roofing
Masonry
Fireplaces
Windows
Garage Doors
Interior Doors/Locksets
Exterior Doors
Insulation
Trim-Exterior-Material
Exterior-Labor
Decks/Rear Porches
Gutters & Shutter
Siding
Painting
Tools & Supplies
Drywall
Rails-Interior/Stairs
Hardwood Flooring & Stairs
StoneTileVinyl Flooring
Trim -Interior-Materials
Trim -Interior- Labor
Cabinets & Vanities
Countertops
Appliances
Shower Enclose Acc Mirrors
Deck
Building clean up
Landscaping
Concrete Walk & Pavers
Driveway & Paving
Curb/Guttering/Apron
Storm Drain
Options (Addtl)
Walk through punch list
Builder Fee
Warranty
Port a toilet
Temp Utilities

Where did you incorporate insulation, sealing openings at windows and doors, air exchange, passive radon remediation?

[Anonymous]

Thank you for sharing this information. It is greatly appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if I read you correctly in the prior thread, you are aiming around $253 per sq. ft for 5500 sq. ft, and that is doing cost-plus with a builder and you are somewhat involved in the process. And, decent finishes above builder grade?. So somewhere around 1.3-1.4 build cost on top of land?

Yes, exactly. We're aiming for $1.4 (ish) million to build, and that's construction costs + builder fee.
Pretty decent finishes--at least, from my point of view. I'll post the brands we chose for tile, plumbing, cabinets, appliances. And for brick etc. Definitely possible to save money here or spend a lot.

Doing a stack LG washer and dryer let us know your definition of quality. But at least they be easy to remove in 3 years when you have to replace them.

[Anonymous]

The runner idea is a good one, thank you PP.

For the PP that asked about insulation, sealing, air exchange: there is a line item in the budget for insulation. Look about halfway down the list and you'll see it. We spent 24,380 on blown in cellulose for the walls, and foam in the roof areas.

"Sealing" is part of the installation of the doors and windows. Its included in the budget for those items.

Same deal with "air exchange'--its not a separate cost from our HVAC system.

The county building codes for new homes require radon proofing measures. I've mentioned elsewhere how big a proponent of building codes I am, and this is one example. Most of this is accomplished with best practices with the foundation and we took the extra step of waterproofing (not just damp proofing it), which also helps. Almost done with a 90 day radon test, just to be sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How tight is the building envelope?
How thick is your insulation?
Do your walls and roof have an air barrier?
Do you have energy recovery as part of your hvac equipment?
Do you have a kitchen fan that actually exhausts out and not recirculates the greasy air?

OP seems more focused on aesthetic design features, unfortunately (common mistake)

Hoo boy--you get what you pay for around here. I'm back, to answer a few questions I apparently missed.

First, for all of us who aren't materials engineers, or HVAC specialists--you don't have to understand every nuance of these very technical things. This whole process, in fact, has made me appreciative of building codes/standards, which are perpetually updated. Example: even the 'worst' build today, will be a tighter envelope than the best build 25 years ago.

Second, the insulation, building envelope and HVAC are all part of a system that has to work together. So as an example--if you build your house super tight, that will definitely factor into the type of HVAC system recommended. Our builder, HVAC company and the insulation folks were in close communication and a lot of the decisions for these things were made in tandem.

Third, rather than communicating in terms of "thickness of insulation" "tightness of building envelope" which really doesn't mean anything, we talk about the R value of our insulation, or the 'air exchange rate' for the home. If you've ever done a blower door test, that's what its measuring. Again, newer homes are tighter, and the HVAC tech design systems with 'make up air' (that is, fresh air pulled into homes for ventilation, since new homes dont have as much) that account for this. But yes, we have an ERV (energy recovery ventilator) as part of our HVAC system. And our insulation (blown in cellulose in the walls, foam which is more expensive, only in the roof where we get good bang for the buck by protecting our HVAC duct system).

As for the other questions, they kind of don't apply. If you're building a home in the US, in 2024, you have an air barrier both below grade and above grade. This is not optional. Same with kitchen fans that vent exhaust to the exterior. It is HIGHLY unlikely that in a SFH built in 2024 that you would use recirculated air--but we did ask the builder this.

Bless your heart, PP. Hope this helps, we aim to please.

All sounds good until you went with Andersen Series 100 vinyl windows. Windows are the major energy suck and you could have gone with Series 400 for energy efficiency.

[Anonymous]

We did a custom home about 15 years ago, and our builder said that we should not use HVAC equipment that was assembled in Mexico because the ANSI standards do not apply outside the US. He said that the screws they use do not correctly fit the equipment designed by the US company that has them assemble the equipment.

At the time, we thought it made sense and paid more for equipment made in the US. All of our friends have replaced systems in new homes that were even six years old and made by the company that many builders recommend. Our two systems are chugging on and the service people always comment on how good they are when servicing them.

This gives you at the large number of decisions that have to be made when building a custom house and their implications. Kudos to the OP for explaining all these minute items so well. It is a daunting process, but if you do it with good guidance from a builder verified by qualified members of the trades, you will have a good house. We built at the end of our street and most of the small ramblers on the street have now been replaced by custom or spec homes. The difference in how they are aging is obvious. The spec houses look tired and faded after only a few years. If you do a spec house, try to follow some of the guidance from OP and at least get some value for the cost of local houses.

[Anonymous]

Oh, on the stairs...yes, they have a nice wide landing--they don't go straight up. One of the things I disliked in our former townhome was the narrow, steep stairs. We went really wide and with ample landings. Made it a lot easier to move in furniture as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We did a custom home about 15 years ago, and our builder said that we should not use HVAC equipment that was assembled in Mexico because the ANSI standards do not apply outside the US. He said that the screws they use do not correctly fit the equipment designed by the US company that has them assemble the equipment.

At the time, we thought it made sense and paid more for equipment made in the US. All of our friends have replaced systems in new homes that were even six years old and made by the company that many builders recommend. Our two systems are chugging on and the service people always comment on how good they are when servicing them.

This gives you at the large number of decisions that have to be made when building a custom house and their implications. Kudos to the OP for explaining all these minute items so well. It is a daunting process, but if you do it with good guidance from a builder verified by qualified members of the trades, you will have a good house. We built at the end of our street and most of the small ramblers on the street have now been replaced by custom or spec homes. The difference in how they are aging is obvious. The spec houses look tired and faded after only a few years. If you do a spec house, try to follow some of the guidance from OP and at least get some value for the cost of local houses.

Thank you, PP. Building a custom home is more work, for sure. Its a certain type of personality that geeks out on these things. I also understand that this is not everyone's cup of tea.

[Anonymous]

I think at this point I've covered most of the larger items/decisions. I'll jump to the end of the process, which had its own 'lessons learned'. Before moving in, we had to have a series of inspections. Think of this as sort of the bookend to how this all gets started, with both the County and City having to grant permissions to build. They also give their sign-off that you're done. Once again, this was a headache. Because they each have their own processes and it has to happen in order. We let the builder handle the logistics of this. But I still made a (polite but insistent) nuisance of myself in making sure these were scheduled. Because we had booked movers, we could not afford to have something go wrong here and have to reschedule movers, and also not be out of our rental on time.

So the occupancy permit, as well as the exterior permit (did we plant the right number of trees in the right location), final grading/runoff (did we correctly slope/grade the land). Our original engineer came back and surveyed the site to sign off that the work was completed, and then sent his signoff into the County & the City.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, if I read you correctly in the prior thread, you are aiming around $253 per sq. ft for 5500 sq. ft, and that is doing cost-plus with a builder and you are somewhat involved in the process. And, decent finishes above builder grade?. So somewhere around 1.3-1.4 build cost on top of land?

Yes, exactly. We're aiming for $1.4 (ish) million to build, and that's construction costs + builder fee.
Pretty decent finishes--at least, from my point of view. I'll post the brands we chose for tile, plumbing, cabinets, appliances. And for brick etc. Definitely possible to save money here or spend a lot.

Doing a stack LG washer and dryer let us know your definition of quality. But at least they be easy to remove in 3 years when you have to replace them.

NP. We have a stacked pair of LG. They are rock solid. 10+ years so far. No issues.

[Anonymous]

DP. For radon mitigation, we put down Dry-Lok waterproofing on the basement concrete floor, then put BM floor paint above the Dry-Lok. Huge reduction in Radon level down from borderline / marginal to totally safe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some within our control and some not.

Not in our control (actually this was a mistake earlier on)--we applied for our construction loan way too early. I was paranoid about signing contracts with the builder and not having financing lined up. I did not realize permitting would drag on and on (see earlier thread). This meant the clock started ticketing on our one year construction to perm loan, and we had to pay a ton of bank fees to keep the loan open. On the plus side, if we'd waited, interest rates would have crept up. As it was, we got a 3.25% interest rate, now locked in for the mortgage. But, paid about 20K in additional fees to keep it.

We also went almost 20k over our budgeted amount on HVAC. Original estimate was for a 2 stage system. We went with a 5 stage, heat pump. The energy efficiency has been marvelous. I'll update with the electric bill (house is nearly 100% electric, except a couple of gas fireplaces), but I believe we're at about $350/month on a 4,900 sq ft house with 6 people living in it (4 people full time + 2 addl adults for half of each year).

Exterior stuff: final grading of the property + sod was way more than I'd budgeted or the builder hipped us to. Originally we were going to do grass seed, ended up going with sod (long story). Whole thing was an additional 10K over budget.

Personal preference: It is really hard to say 'no' to some of the upgrades, once you see them and fall in love. Exhibit A: More than 8K over budget on countertops (no regrets, I love them!), decided to go ahead and screen the porch (+5K), got a really beautiful solid teak front door (+5K), heat pump water heater (+1.5K), etc. etc. Those things add up! While I do love the Thermador freedom induction cooktop, I think we could have saved another 10K on kitchen appliances with GE or kitchenaid, which I think are just fine.

OTOH, there were unexpected savings along the way: lumber prices happened to fall while we were building, foundation came in a bit under budget, even with the extra water proofing, etc. And because I painstakingly ordered all of our light fixtures myself, we were underbudget there too (side note, only do this is you like scrolling endless lighting sites as a hobby on evenings and weekends, for weeks at a time).

Heat pump water heaters are pretty great especially if you have an unconditioned basement area for the water heater. I replaced my electric coil water heat with a heat pump water heater and it reduced by electricity bill by around $40 a month.