questions on building a house

[yana]

We are thinking of building a house and thought we should get your recommendations/advises...this is our time to build/live in a house and we do not have much experience. We are looking for tips in all phases of the process...

what are the tips in selecting a lot..... how to find about zoning issues...
how to choose a builder (we live in sask)
what things should we include/exclude from the plan.
how to negotiate price/features with the builder?
what are the legal tips/issues?
what if we move while the house is being built?

Thanks in advance!!!!

[mork]

Hi yana,

I'm also in Sask (do you mean Saskatoon, or elsewhere in SK?)

It seems that by "build a house" you mean pay someone to build you a house?

I know many people who have done this in S'toon, so I'll wait to hear if that is your location before replying as I can maybe be more specific.

[ullyeus]

I'd take a look through the "home" forum.

[yana]

Hi yana,

I'm also in Sask (do you mean Saskatoon, or elsewhere in SK?)

It seems that by "build a house" you mean pay someone to build you a house?

I know many people who have done this in S'toon, so I'll wait to hear if that is your location before replying as I can maybe be more specific.

Thanks for your reply, actually i am from Regina but if you have any general information please tell me about
and thanks again

[zoogle]

If you want to save yourself a substantial amount of money while enduring headaches you can be your own general contractor and just call in all the trades to do their part.

[ShopperfiendTO]

How much is the general contractor's cut because this is essentially the price of having someone deal with the headaches. I know that the home owner *always* gets pulled into the mess, but it's nice to have someone to yell at who has to listen if he wants to get paid.

Plus, the trades would likely be more serious about the work/quality and their timeliness to be performed if there was an experienced general contractor hawk watching them than just the home owners.

[ktkn]

How much is the general contractor's cut because this is essentially the price of having someone deal with the headaches. I know that the home owner *always* gets pulled into the mess, but it's nice to have someone to yell at who has to listen if he wants to get paid.

Plus, the trades would likely be more serious about the work/quality and their timeliness to be performed if there was an experienced general contractor hawk watching them than just the home owners.

Just a precaution to take, it happened to somebody I knew. They paid out the contractor, but the contractor did not pay the tradesman or companies he hired to do all the work. In the end, there was a lien against the house even though they fully paid, and had to pay everything twice when they wanted to sell the house. Yes, the contractor did something illegal and not sure how to protect against that, but just thought I'd throw it out there for some thought...

[zoogle]

How much is the general contractor's cut because this is essentially the price of having someone deal with the headaches. I know that the home owner *always* gets pulled into the mess, but it's nice to have someone to yell at who has to listen if he wants to get paid.

Is 20-30% of the cost of your home worth not having headaches? You be the judge.

[bby]

Is 20-30% of the cost of your home worth not having headaches? You be the judge.

Be careful as the person who gets paid to deal with the headaches can be the biggest headache. One piece of advice I have is to spend more money on the plan and paint. I believe those are two places where you can really get bang for your buck.

Like many budgets, but esp here, pad the budget by 15-20%. Be careful as in some places prices are going way up and really fluctuating so can be difficult. Don't forget to budget for all the building permits, fences, appliances, rent, carrying loan etc. etc. things some don't think about.

When you see the structure up and see that you still have much budget to spare be careful as much money starts to get spent.

Talk to a lawyer --get as much detail as possible in your contract if you hire a general and understand it. It is worth the headaches you might save.

I beleive you need an occupancy permit to move in some places. Talk to the city and to the insurance agent about any insurance issues.

I don't recall what pricing structures are called but you can pay the builder a total price for a specific detailed plan, a percentage of the total cost, or a flat fee. In any contract specify when the payments will be made. again talk to a lawyer who knows this area. The cost of a lawyer could save you higher legal costs later.

Drive around, find out where houses are being built and talk to people on the site about your questions.

[manho]

Be careful as the person who gets paid to deal with the headaches can be the biggest headache.

I just thought that this was worth repeating.

This happens relatively often in construction.