Hey MoSpur- building ?

[easjer]

So, how do you do it? I presume that you use contractors for things like foundation and framing, plumbing and electricity lines? What do you do yourself vs having contractors do? Where do you get the plans? How much prefab do you use and what kind? Have you done any two stories? What was the cost of land and cost of building? What kind of financing was used (if any)?


I'm so fascinated by your suggestion. It won't happen for us in the next few years, but we do plan to move back, and I would love to build exactly what we want.

[MoSpur]

Well, my dad does the steel for the foundation. So that is always taken care of. The framing is done by some friends of ours. WE know some finishers who do a great job once the slab is poored. After that, you start to build up. We have two carpenters that we like to use. They are extremely busy though. From there I am sure you get the hand. You find an electrician, plumber, AC guy, flooring guy, sheet rock guy, painting guy, and etc.

The first thing you do is find a lot. Make sure its the right size. You don't want something too big for you. My preference is finding a lot where there are restrictions because of property value. There are some banks that finance land by itself. Not too many though. You have to do your research. Once that is complete you then decide on what house you want. How big, what style, once story or two story, and etc. You can go to home builders or architects here in town to look for floor plans they may already have or you can have someone design it from scratch. Designing it from scratch is more expensive, but you get exactly what you want. After that, you start to figure out who you want to do what. As far as the foundation and so on.

The most important part is the money. Me, I am going to do it little by little. Pay what I can when I can. You can go to a bank where they lend you money to construct the home. The banks that lend you money for the land usually lend you money to construct, which will be a lot cheaper than borrowing to purchase a home already made.

There is a lot more to it, ask away though.

[Mijo]

Well, my dad does the steel for the foundation. You can also consider a "post tensioned" slab that does not utilize rebar. It is usually more cost effective than reinforced slabs and from what I have seen, it better resists cracking due to foundation movement.

[easjer]

That's so cool.

What made your parents get into building themselves in the first place? How much are you planning to spend (if that's not too personal) and how much do you expect it to appraise for? How long will it take you? How long did it take your parents?

I'm not sure what you mean by finding a lot restricted by property value. Can you explain further? How difficult is it to get permits for things and who researches that, you or the contractors?

I can absolutely see how building it yourself allows for more cost saving and effectiveness, since if you are doing it yourself you have greater flexibility of schedule and can wait for a better deal on something like cabinets or flooring. I've seen that in house flipping - better upgrades for less, but more time consuming.

Have you known anyone who bought plans online? I've heard of it, but never have seen anyone who did it.

What downsides have you seen to building it yourself? How does the energy efficiency rate against a larger builder?

[MoSpur]

Umm..let's see if I can answer all you asked. If I don't I apologize ahead of time. Don't get me wrong. It will probably take longer for you to build if you build on your own. Unless you have a lot of money up front. Permits aren't that hard to come by. Usually plumbers and electricians know how to obtain all that stuff.

My parents wanted to build on their own because they wanted to be debt free. That's the only reason. I want to build on my own for the same reason. To be debt free and not pay over $1K to $2K a month for a house. I don't know how much I plan on spending just yet. I would like to stay underneath $100K. Not sure if I will though. I plan on the house being worth a little over $200K when I am done. The house next to me is going for $294K and isn't all that. Its custom built and is on one acre, but to be selling for $294K is a lot to me.

When I say to find a lot in a restricted sub-division I mean to find a lot where there are restrictions. For instance, where I bought my property a single story home must be no smaller than 1800sq ft. A two-story home must be at least 2500sq ft. or something like that. There can't be any live stock. Restrictions of that sort to keep the property value up. Does that make sense? I hope it does because I can't figure out another way to say it.

Building it on your own cuts out the middle man and therefore saves you thousands. If you go with a builder who contracts the plumber, electrician, painter, carpenter, and etc, he is going to charge you so that he can make money for himself and so on. You cut all that out and go find yourself all that you need. You go out and buy material on your own and sometimes you find good deals. It may take longer, but its worth it in the end.

Buying blue prints/floor plans online are cheap and very good at times, but a lot of those homes aren't figured for S.TX conditions. Know what I mean. You might find a floor plan online you like, but that house might have been figured to be built in Tampa, Fl where the ground is a lot different from S. TX. So you are taking a chance when you buy a floorplan online.

Downsides? Time and money. If you don't have the money well its going to take longer. That's it as far as I know. Sure there are headaches when the painter doesn't show up when he was suppose to. There are times when things get messed up like you may be the wrong materials, but nothing all that bad. At the same time, its a lot of fun because you are picking out everything you like. For instance, I wanted a shower head that is like 8" in diameter. Well, at Home Depot or Lowes that thing would go for around $80-$100. I found it for $29. A builder wouldn't have looked for that deal if he was doing all the contracting. He may have had found that same deal, but would have charged me $100 for it to pocket $80. Know what I'm saying? You can be energy efficient when building on your own. You can put more insolation in your walls if you want. You can buy products that are energy efficient. You can find all that on your own.

[SpursWoman]

I'm not sure what you mean by finding a lot restricted by property value

Some of that has to do with zone ordinances, codes, etc., also ... for example, this is what's currently going on in my neighborhood:




Residents spar over proposal to promote bigger home lots

Web Posted: 03/11/2006 12:00 AM CST
Vincent T. Davis
Express-News Staff Writer

A proposed rezoning ordinance, which could increase minimum lot sizes of single-family homes and reject multiple-family units in a North Side community, has neighbors clashing.


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Yellow signs reading "Don't rezone my home" sporadically dot front yards in the neighborhood inside Loop 410, south of San Antonio International Airport.

Large homes built on spacious wooded lots populate the tranquil area where residents have lived for decades.

And maintaining that calm is at the heart of what the president of the Oak Park-Northwood Neighborhood Association called "the big battle."

Norris Yates, president of the association, cites a stretch of land on Sunset Place where 16 houses are slated to be built where three homes once stood, as an example of what his group is trying to prevent.



Helen L. Montoya/Express-News

The City Council is to vote on a proposed rezoning ordinance to enlarge minimum lot sizes for single-family homes in the Oak Park and Northwood neighborhoods.




"We're not trying to change anything," Yates said. "We just want to protect the homeowners out here. We're fighting to keep large homes on large lots."

A letter from the association cites "dense development from developers" and "increased traffic congestion."

The group has held meetings and passed out letters addressing displeasure with the current zoning, which calls for a minimum lot of 5,000 square feet. New zoning for properties zoned residential would require lot sizes of 8,000 or 10,000 square feet. (mine is 24,400sqft :wow)

Residents sporting signs of opposition in their front yards say zoning changes will take away their rights as homeowners.

Pat and Elsa Pogue have lived on their street more than 50 years. The Pogues remember when beyond a winding creek bed at the bottom of the hill was farmland. And the same rights that allowed farmers to divide and sell their land are the rights they say are in jeopardy if the ordinance is passed.

Pat Pogue, 78, whose family helped build houses in Terrell Hills and Alamo Heights, said there's nothing wrong with small lots. He said in the future he might want to subdivide his property and add a house in the back.

"It's not broken," Pogue said, standing in the shaded doorway of his home built on more than two acres. "They're trying their best to meddle in everybody else's business."

"I don't understand why they want a blanket rule for everybody," Elsa Pogue said. "Why can't they just leave things alone? When we die, our children may want to knock the whole thing down and start over."

Bill Wallace has a different perspective on what residents' offspring do when they demolish family homes. He said many live elsewhere and sell the land to developers, who build the multi-family dwellings that he's against.

"This is to partially restore it to what it was before the city changed the zoning," Wallace, 81, said. "We've been fighting this battle for 25 years. It's like fighting windmills."

Wallace, who said the zoning commissioners know him by his first name, has lived on his one-acre lot for 45 years.

Teena Larson is one of the residents who tore down her family home and built a larger 3,000-square-foot house in its place. She said her neighbors are contemplating selling their land to a developer who could erect a string of upscale condominiums.

"I'd much rather see a single-family home here than condominiums," Larson said. "I don't care if it's high-end luxury condominiums. We're trying to maintain the integrity and look instead of cramming in little houses into one large area."

[easjer]

No you nailed everything (especially the restricted lots, that made perfect sense). Thanks so much. Lots of food for thought. As I said, we're not planning a move back for awhile, but when we do . . . I really want to build. And building ourselves provides some interesting options. Once the drywall is up, there is a ton that I can do myself from there (I can paint interiors, for instance, and hang crown molding myself). But I know nothing about anything before that, it seems really intimidating.

Anyway, it's really a fascinating option. . . I can actually see saving up the money to build on our own in a few years.

Thanks so much for taking the time.

:spin

[easjer]

Although, let's not tell my husband. His head is already on the verge of exploding whenn he contemplates building with me using a builder. I think the idea of MORE options would really give him a migraine (I can be very particular about the things I like, and he generally doesn't care about his surroundings).

[MoSpur]

The most expensive things are, the foundation, the lumber (way up in prices), and the exterior of the home. Such as stucco, brick, and etc. Other than that, its pretty good. I plan on doing the painting, putting up the crown molding, lighting fixtures, landscaping, and a few other things. Its not that hard if you really pay attention to what you are doing and ask questions. You save a lot of money when you do things on your own. You can do it Easjer. I promise. If you aren't planning to move down here for a while, then you have plenty of time to save money. Plenty of time to research.

[MoSpur]

Although, let's not tell my husband. His head is already on the verge of exploding whenn he contemplates building with me using a builder. I think the idea of MORE options would really give him a migraine (I can be very particular about the things I like, and he generally doesn't care about his surroundings).

My mom is lucky. My dad let her decide on a lot of things. Color of paint, tile color, counter tops, and some other stuff. Being picky of things is the fun part. :lol

[CosmicCowboy]

No you nailed everything (especially the restricted lots, that made perfect sense). Thanks so much. Lots of food for thought. As I said, we're not planning a move back for awhile, but when we do . . . I really want to build. And building ourselves provides some interesting options. Once the drywall is up, there is a ton that I can do myself from there (I can paint interiors, for instance, and hang crown molding myself). But I know nothing about anything before that, it seems really intimidating.

Anyway, it's really a fascinating option. . . I can actually see saving up the money to build on our own in a few years.

Thanks so much for taking the time.

:spin

The danger is that if you don't know what you are doing you can REALLY screw up and end up losing money instead of saving it...

I STOLE the house I live in because the person I bought it from got so deep into a badly thought out and executed "do it yourself" remodeling job that it took someone like me that was in the business to salvage it...and he lost over 50K on the deal...

[MoSpur]

The danger is that if you don't know what you are doing you can REALLY screw up and end up losing money instead of saving it...

I STOLE the house I live in because the person I bought it from got so deep into a badly thought out and executed "do it yourself" remodeling job that it took someone like me that was in the business to salvage it...and he lost over 50K on the deal...

True. There is one house I want to buy that is out by 1604 and I37 that this guy built from the ground up and left the skeleton part and gave up. He knows what he is doing because he is a contractor, but for some reason he gave up on his home. He is leaning towards selling because he needs money, so I am waiting.

However, you really need to ask questions when you want to do things on your own. Don't ever be afraid to ask questions.

[SpursWoman]

I STOLE the house I live in because the person I bought it from got so deep into a badly thought out and executed "do it yourself" remodeling job that it took someone like me that was in the business to salvage it...and he lost over 50K on the deal...

I inherited one like this that my mom bought from someone in pretty much the same situation ... I hate it, it's expensive, and remodelling sucks. I'm tired of dealing with it, but I'd have to basically give it away too, and I'd stand to lose about $100K give or take a few grand. At the rate we've been going we might be semi-done in about 20 years.

Want to buy another one? :lol

[easjer]

It strikes me as being very similar to a house flip. I don't do that for a living, but I'm very interested in it and I've researched it. Generally speaking, if you do your research and find solid people to work with you, you can stay on time and on budget, and there are a myriad of opportunities to find bargains and get deals and save on labor by doing it yourself. Now the other side of the coin is that you have to know when you can't do it by yourself or when the professionals are looking more at their interests than yours.

I know I can paint, I've done it before. I know I can hang crown molding, and I know I can lay tile (though for flooring an expert is best). But I don't know about hanging lighting fixtures or caulking windows. So I would either learn how to do that or hire someone trustworthy (getting everything in a written, signed contract).

I would imagine it's being overly ambitious about what you can do that will get you in trouble; that, and not doing proper research. For instance - would you buy a home without your own inspector checking it out? If so, then you get what you deserve when an unstable foundation cracks, or you learn it was poorly framed, etc. It should be the same thing with renovations. You bring in an expert to give you an idea of what is feasible in your space before deciding what to do.

[easjer]

SW, where is it? I'll give you some carrot sticks and another bra dryer (read unused manual treadmill) for it.

:lol

[SpursWoman]

It's in the Alamo Heights/Terrill Hills area, right by the airport ... tons of mature oak trees ... .56 acre lot .... right on 410 ... good schools ... less than 10 miles from the at&t center ... :eyebrows

:rollin :lol

[CosmicCowboy]

I inherited one like this that my mom bought from someone in pretty much the same situation ... I hate it, it's expensive, and remodelling sucks. I'm tired of dealing with it, but I'd have to basically give it away too, and I'd stand to lose about $100K give or take a few grand. At the rate we've been going we might be semi-done in about 20 years.

Want to buy another one? :lol

hehehe...no thanks...my remodeling project turned into one of those "labor of love" things and will never end...I am just hoping I find some very wealthy person that wants horses in town when I finally decide to sell....

[SpursWoman]

I know what you mean ... I've been waiting for my love to get his ass back to laboring for about 2 months now.


:lol :lol

[MoSpur]

Laughing at SW pimping out her house. Way to go SW.

[easjer]

Sure. Carrot sticks and the treadmill, er, dryer. Oh, and since I'm feeling generous, I'll throw in a Cadbury egg and a WalMart bra (to dry on the treadmill). Hell, I'll even throw in a scratch-off. An unscratched scratch-off. You could win big money! It says so in the commercials. . .