Posted by slim on February 05, 2009 at 08:36:04 from (155.76.119.253):
In Reply to: OT - Building a house posted by dr darren on February 04, 2009 at 16:52:25:
I built mine 8 years ago. Sounds like you are doing it the same way I did with a general contractor.
1. Don't cut corners. A couple of hundred dollars now can turn into thousands later.
2. Don't pay for anything until you have seen and checked out the job. I made that mistake with two sub-contractors.
3. If your agreement with the general contractor allows, pay for all your materials yourself. That way you know everything is paid for and you won't have any liens put on your house later. A friend didn't do this and the sub took the money and he ended up paying twice for some materials.
4. Include all standard features in your house. This will affect resale. Example, one friend did not want a dishwasher. They just don't like them. But they did run the plumbing and electrical and designed a removable cabinet to add one later. Having one does affect the resale price.
5. Do everything you can yourself but don't overcommit. If you try to do too much you will slow things down and end up costing more than you save. I was only able to do cleanup and a couple other smaller jobs. But I don't have bricks and trash buried in my flower beds and yard or mud and sawdust under my flooring. I also don't have scratched windows from mortar sand being rubbed on them during cleanup.
5. Take lots of pictures and video of everything before the walls are closed in. You may need to know where a wire or pipe is located at a later date.
6. Landscape yourself. Not only will you save money, but you will get exactly what you want. This is not rocket science.
7. Visit lots of building sites. You will get lots of good ideas.
8. Take nothing for granted. Spell out the details on everything.
9. My best idea gained from looking at other jobsites was hooking two 40 gallon gas waterheaters in series. I don't run out of hot water even with three women and three full bathrooms in one house.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - An AC Model M Crawler - by Anthony West. Neil Atkins is a man in his late thirties, a mild and patient character who talks fondly of his farming heritage. He farms around a hundred and fifty acres of arable land, in a village called Southam, located just outside Leamington Spa in Warwickshire. The soil is a rich dark brown and is well looked after. unlike some areas in the midlands it is also fairly flat, broken only by hedgerows and the occasional valley and brook. A copse of wildbreaking silver birch and oak trees surround the top si
... [Read Article]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
