Building your own home
"D K" wrote in message
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John H wrote:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:07:51 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III, Esq."
wrote:
John H wrote:
On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:48:59 -0400, "Don White"
wrote:
"Calif Bill" wrote in message
...
"D K" wrote in message
...
Don White wrote:
"John H" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:29:54 -0400, "Don White"
wrote:
"Vic Smith" wrote in message
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On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:34:39 -0500, Boater
wrote:
Gene wrote:
On Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:03:49 -0500, "Reginald P. Smithers III,
Esq."
wrote:
We are thinking about using this downturn in the housing
market to
build
a new home, and acting as our own General Contractor. Has
anyone in
the
group done this and do they have any words of advice?
Yes, with three houses and two workshops. Not only was I
General
Contractor, I was also 50% of the labor.
Your only real savings, in this market, will be sweat equity.
You can
buy cheaper than you can build.... you just have to find an
equally
desperate mortgagee and mortgagor.... or you could do it the
seat
equity route, if you have the cash, tools, and a desire to
make it
happen.
No bank is going to let *you* (as their mortgagor) serve as
General
Contractor unless you hold a contractor's license.
Advice? You're crazy to even attempt it...... uh, but wasn't I
thinking about adding on to the workshop.....
.... Oh, never mind......
It's an incredible burner of time. I had to do it because the
general I
hired to build a custom home in Northern Virginia turned out to
be way
overextended financially from previous projects, and could not
line up
the subs I wanted, and was teetering.
I can imagine the waste of time. I had the misfortune to have
my
house torched once - if it wasn't for a neighbor coming home at
2 AM
and raising the alarm we might have been killed.
Anyway, I hired a private adjuster, and you wouldn't believe the
****
I went through with him and his crews.
Had to show his "carpenter" how to cut stringers.
Came home from work one day and his "plaster guys" had done the
kitchen with 1/2" drywall, no shims, to replace the nearly full
inch
of plaster and lath. There was almost a half inch gap between
the
door and window casings and the drywall.
Had it all torn out by the next day I got home from work, but
there
was always some BS waiting for me.
I'd leave work saying, "Let's see what they ****ed up today."
Anyway, I finally got everything done about 85% right, but I
never
yelled so much and got in so many faces in such a short period
of
time. Actually, I went easy on the crews, they were what they
were,
but laid into the adjuster, who's really a GC, a lot.
What was good is the adjuster did keep us in the house because
he was
real good at getting the essentials quickly restored.
That was important to me as I had the wife and 4 little kids to
think
about, and work, so there was no way I even had time to be my
own
general.
Win some, lose some.
--Vic
In 1976 when I was a lot younger and more energetic, I built a
cedar cape
Cod style house myself.
This was the norm up this way at that time. In fact, there was a
Provincial
Govt program where those with minimal savings for a downpayment
could use
sweat equity in order to get a $23K mortgage to build.
Of course I couldn't build my house for that amount...the program
was geared
to small bungalows on modest serviced lots.
I had to find a 2nd mortgage for another $9K. Thought I was in
debt up to
my eyeballs way back then..... but the house was beautiful.on a
2/3 acre lot
with well & septic system way out in the country (about 20 miles
from city
center) To add to my financial burden, I traded in my 5 yr old
Volkswagen
Beatle for a $5K Dodge Aspen S/W.
It all started in march of 1975 when I took over a share in a
co-op program
when a member was transfered to the states by his company.
Wife and I cleared the lot of trees & brush while snow was still
on the
ground so we could burn off as much as possible in big bonfires.
I hired a company to dig the foundation hole and another to put
up the
concrete foundation. Got my brother and a few buddies to help out
putting
the 1st floor on...then the wife and I would build the walls and
ask
relatives to show up to help erect same.
The big 4' x 12" x 16' douglas fir beams were tricky to put up
(post & beam
construction). Once, my brother & law and I fell off the ladders
dropping
the beam and narrowly missing me on the floor.
I did hire a friend of my wifes' family to help finish off the
double course
cedar shingles on the exterior walls, and another guy to lay the
asphalt
shingles on the roof.
(turned out the roofing guy was married to a cousin of mine).
Once inside, an old friend who was a licensed electrician got the
permit but
a friend of my brothers (apprentice electrician) did the work.
Next we got other neighbourhood friends to do the plumbing while
home for
Christmas vacation from Alberta.
Lastly the in-laws gyprocked the entire house no charge. I just
supplied
the materials.
Finally got in in February 1976.
A few years later I added an attached 1.5 story garage all by
myself.
Now when I have a project, I hire a guy from my wifes' former
company to do
most of the work while I act as assistant. (re addition for mon
in 2002,
replacement of all the old windows with vinyl, tearing down of
old garage &
building of 2 new sheds, decking & fence additions etc)
A 1ft by 4ft by 16ft beam is a hefty beam all right.
--
** Good Day! **
John H
Lord help us! I hope you don't ever plan to build your own house.
When I put a " after a number...that means INCHES
when I put a ' after a number...that meens FEET
so...4"x12" x 16' means a four inch thick by 12 inches wide beam
16 feet long.
Wrong. It's 3-1/2" X 11-1/4" X 16'
Depends. If it is dimensional lumber or older lumber. My mothers
house was built in 1908. A 2x4 is 2" by 4". A problem when having
to replace a piece of lumber.
Up here, the lumber yards use the old measurements when selling
dimensional product.
Everyone with half a brain (sorry Johnny) knows that a 2" x 4" is
really 1 5/8 x 3 5/8 inches
Hey Donnie, what's a * 4' x 12" x 16' *?
Or are you going to say it was just a typo?
--
** Good Day! **
John H
That is a very unusual and special piece of lumber. VEry hard to find
in most lumber yards. It is 4 ft. x 12" x 16 ft.
It's even bigger than any bridge timbers I've ever worked with. Hell, now
I
know who's been cutting down our giant sequoias.
--
** Good Day! **
John H
It's usually douglas fir or yellow pine.
And a glulam beam.
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