Single Gal Building House Seeks Help

[fisherchick]

Hi there home improvement friends. I am taking on a huge investment and building a house. I have the land, power is in, well is on property. I have designed myself a two bedroom, one bath with an attached garage 38' x 40' home. I brought my plan into Home Depot for pricing. I have a friend who is framing it in for me, the rest is up to little ole me. I am seeking any advice, suggestions, talk me out of this information. It is slab on grade, in floor heat. I am going to stain the concrete for now, to save on the cost of floor coverings. ANY advice for me otherwise?? Suggestions?? I would be grateful. Even if y'all don't agree, it just helps to get unbias advice, I can pick and choose what to take. I appreciate it!

ALSO, I want to put a woodstove, for a extra source of heat, not a primary. Any suggestions where I can find a "COOL" free standing, antique looking one?? THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE!!

[cavalierowner]

I built my house back in the 80's when I was 30 years old. I would say first and foremost, know what you are getting into. That is a LOT of work. It took me a year of evenings, weekends, holidays and all my vacation to mostly finish my house. I worked on the house virtually every minute I could. Did I mention it was a LOT of work?! You will also want a second set of hands to help you for a lot of the work. That can be difficult to find; if everyone showed up who said they would help, I could have built my house in 20 minutes . I was very lucky in that my dad was working with me at least half the time.

Having said all that, it is an incredible ego trip to look at the house when you're all done and say "I did that myself!". You will also find that what you learn will save save you thousands of dollars in the years to come if you only are buying materials.

Oh, and buy the best quality tools (especially power tools) you can find. I went through 2 cheapo skil saws when I built my house before I figured that out!

[chad austin]

If you plan on using any contractors ask A LOT of questions and get referrals. If they give you 15 referrals call ALL of them.

A few questions I would ask when calling referrals are:

Did they pull all necessary permits?

Do they act/look professional while on the job?

Did they clean up at the end of each day?

Did you have any problems with their work and if so did they come back and resolve the issue?

Would you use them again for your future projects?

You can also look them up to make sure they are registered and if there is any complaints/issues you should be concerned about.

Better Business Bureau

Secretary of the State

Since the downfall of the housing market everyone who owns a tool belt seems to be a roofer, siding installer, trim carpenter etc etc. All I am trying to say is be VERY picky and choose your contractors very carefully.

If your contractor is required by the state to carry a licence for the work they do, then ask them to show you a copy (they should be more than happy to leave a copy with you) and verify it with the secretary of the state to make sure they are in good standing.

Get to know your city or townships building inspector and ask questions if you have any. They are paid to perform a public service and most of them are happy to talk with homeowners if you have concerns.

If you are required to pull permits for some of the specialty trades I.E plumbing, electrical, HVAC, make the contractor pulls ALL necessary permits and if they ask you to pull them that is a huge red flag, in which I would find a different contractor.

Feel free to ask as many questions on here and I (I'm sure others will as well) will do my best to help out.

Good Luck on your project and like cavalierowner said, you will have earned the ego that goes along with building something you can be proud of.

[CigarGuy]

I've been looking at wood stoves for a few months, the kind you and I want are spendy. Look at the Napoleon 1600, Vermont Casting Encore and Quadra-Fire to mention a few. They are very nice looking, double doors with screen option and they throw off some heat. These are the one's I'm interested in, maybe a little smaller than you want, look at the larger stoves from the same manufacturers. A lot cheaper online!

[delcecchi]

So the slab is the floor, no crawlspace? Are these slabs insulated in some way to keep floor from being cold? Foam or something under the slab? I see rereading that you will have infloor heat, so I guess that means you will have insulation under slab, right?

[leech~~]

I know it's a little more then what you will spend in the long run. But did you ever think of a prefab that they just haul in and your ready to go? You would be moved in before the winter!

[Redlantern]

Chad has some good advice. One thing that is very frustrating from a sub's point of view when working with a homeowner doing there own contracting is that they don't always know the correct order of how a house is built. If you have lots of time, patience and money, go for it. But I think you'll be happier with the end result if you hire a general. I also think the project will come together faster.

[Tom7227]

I am assuming that you have limited funds now and expect that to be the case in the future. Why else would you take this on?

Two thoughts.

First - build it correctly. There are places in Northern Minnesota where the building code is not considered important. I believe it to be one of the only ways you can assure that your home is built in a way that will provide you with a safe and long lasting home. You may be tempted to cut corners to save money. Don't. If something comes up and you can't afford it hold off doing it until you can. That may mean for instance that you're going to be living in only part of the structure for a while, or the garage doesn't get built right away. If they have building inspectors where you are building use their services and make sure things are done correctly. As you go along try and make as detailed "as built" plans as you can. Take a lot of photos and make them in a way that will aid in finding something in the future. It is a pain to try and find a wire, or a cavity for another wire, or the location of the sewer line..... without some plans.

Second

Build it is energy efficiently as you can. It is only going to get harder to add energy efficient components later on. You aren't going to like this but your wood burning stove may be a great example. Unless you get something with the right features it could well end up being an energy negative. Also if you buy the wrong one you may not be able to find an insurance company willing to cover your home. Be sure to find out whether the one you focus on will result in an insurable property.

I'm sure that you're going to get a lot of input on this one. What you're considering is something a lot of folks wish they could do and may even envy you. Good luck and keep doing your research.

[K_Josh87]

you've gotten some good advice here...

One thing as a contractor that is very frustrating is people "generaling" there own project, and not having a clue what they are getting themselves into... and 9 times out of ten, your carpenter will end up doing a majority of the generaling for the homeowner... but won't be compensated for it. I am not discouraging you doing this, I am just saying, EVERY build I have done this on, the project would go much smoother if it where left to those who know what they are getting into, and RARELY have I seen folks save money in the long run, especially if they factor in the hours spent vs. money saved.

That all being said, It is a heck of a feeling when you are able to say you built something with your own hands, and something to take a lot of pride in... but if you have never done this before, be prepared to be under stress like never before....

Few things to consider... Are you prepared to eat the cost of the house if it blows over during construction? Burns up? Or are you covered insurance wise in these cases??? Are you prepared to re do and re purchase material if not done correctly? Are you prepared for it to cost 10-25% more than expected? If materials are stolen or damaged during construction are you insured or prepared to cover this?

Is your friend who will be framing licensed and insured? If they do not do there job correctly who flips the bill to correct it, and how are you protected?

If someone gets hurt while on your building site, are you insured and prepared for this?

Once again, not discouraging it, but rarely do people actually consider and think through all of the things that are involved in this... These are all things that have I have seen happen on jobs and job sites....

Basically when its all said and done, if YOU are generaling the project, YOU are the ONLY one responsible for EVERYTHING that happens and is done on that site...

I would think about it, and weigh the risk with the savings? Like I said, rarely have I seen it work out where in the end someone saved a ton of money... one most recently We roofed a house for the cabinet guy I use... Building a brand new 2500+ sq foot house for himself and his wife... Dad dug the trech for the sewer and water, and dug the basement... never compacted the soil in the trench, while we where shingling the house, we had a 4+ inch rain with 65 mile an hour winds, and the footings settled 3 inches in the garage... Long story short, $20,000 dollars of house movers jacking the house up, mason ripping out foundation, and excavation of the poor uncompacted soil, re filling and compacting properly, having a soils engineer on site to test and make recommendations per cities requirements and paying the building inspector to be on site, and re laying new block, and re setting the home on the new foundation.... Would have been a lot cheaper to pay someone to general it, and have it fall on there shoulders if things where not done correctly...

Point being, Once you take on role of general contractor, every barrier of protection and guarantee is gone, and YOU are responsible for it...

So, my advice is, make sure you know what you are getting into, And choose accordingly...

I would also tend to stay away from big box stores for a majority of the building materials, and wherever you go, I would ask what the guarantees of the materials being correct are? I would give a local lumber yard a shot at it, and if they are way out of the ball park, ask them to clarify why and compare apples to apples... my guess is, they won't truly be off that much if apples to apples are compared...

Otherwise, good luck! Hope it works out well, and that when you get it completed you are proud of yourself! It is a lot of work, and can be very rewarding!!!

[Tom7227]

Mr. Kunz makes some excellent points.

But everyone seems to assume that you're going to hire subcontractors to do the work. Are you, or are you planning on doing a lot yourself?

A friend is a general. Several times he has taken over jobs that have had problems. In each instance the owners fired the first general and then tried to do it by themselves. They found that many subcontractors jack up their prices when dealing with the homeowner, often by significant dollars. They do this because they know there are going to be problems and they either don't want the hassle or want to get paid for it.

Another friend ended up firing his general because of incredible problems. This friend literally could not get anyone from certain trades to come and work on the project. A flooring firm that had laid the linoleum in the kitchen wanted 3 times the money to redo it after other structure issues required removal of the first install.

If you intend to do it all yourself I suggest that you strongly reconsider. For example is you try to sheet rock the place you will pay significantly more for your materials. You will spend an incredible amount of time. Most likely you will end up with a result that you won't be satisfied with. When my brother did a complete redo on a HUD home including tearing everything down to the studs and adding a dormer he found that hiring some sheet rockers got the job done in a few days and for only a few percentage points more in money than he would have paid if he would have gone and bought the materials at a big box. The house went from a cold drafty mess to a place his wife could actually accept in less time than it would have taken for him to carry the stuff into the house and do one room.

[Archerysniper]

I see you are going with infloor heat that is a great choice. Make sure you use the right amount of insulation between the slab and the dirt to keep your heat from transfering into the dirt. I would also suggest running it in your garage slab so it is at least their it doesn't mean you have to hook it up. Another suggestion is running future pipes out of each location for the possability of hooking up a outdoor wood boiler in the future.

[titelines]

Check out Woodland Stoves in Mpls. Lots of options and great people.

[Surface Tension]

As my reply went on I realized before I got started that it can only cover a little.

Hope I didn't discourage you but think that you've been going over it in you mind anyway.

From reading your post I'm assuming your not using a GC.

Your going to be going through some stressful times.

I think you'll need be realistic on what work you can do and what you can't then

look at your budget and see if this can be completed.

Is the slab in? If not take the info given earlier. Depending on your house plans the slab might need some additional pads to bare weight.

Being on a slab creates some thought as to plumbing waste lines for bath, kitchen, and utility room. That utility room is going to be big enough to hold everything that would otherwise be in a basement. Boiler, washer, dryer, electric panel, water heater, and so on.

In floor heat for a slab is a good call. You might think electric will be the easiest way out and it is but it is the most costly way to heat as well. Again by your location I'll assume you'll be using propane. Plan to use it for heat, stove, dryer, and water heater.

Looking at your location I'm thinking your going with a septic system.

Have you gotten a design for that yet? If not that site survey and design will be and added expense. That could be based on 2 bedroom.

Keep in mind if you every decide to add a bedroom the septic will need to be expanded.

So for that reason don't go for a 2 bedroom septic system. Your site map will have an alternate site in case of failure.

If you haven't had any prep work done for the slab, that can be done at the same time the septic goes in by the same contractor that does the septic. Point being they are already there with the equipment.

Permits and inspections.

Building, Electrical, and plumbing.

All of which you can do yourself as a homeowner and of coarse they'll all have to pass inspection. If you aren't planning on doing the electric and plumbing then you'll get bids. Ask around as I'm sure the locals can refer you to someone.

If we jump ahead and say your slab is in, plumbing waste lines in, shell is up and roof is shingled. What are you using for siding? This should be done by someone with experience.

Time to rough in the electric and plumbing and get it inspected.

Then insulate and vapor barrier.

Sheetrock and tape. If your not 100% sure you can do a good job can hanging sheetrock, hire it out. Whatever you do, Do not tape it yourself. Your not good enough to do a good job and DO NOT plan on hiding a bad job with texture. Once that is done that is it and the fix is to tear the sheetrock down.

Note that if you hang the sheetrock yourself you might find it hard to have someone come in and tape it especially if you didn't do a good job.

Don't use paneling either but will say removing cheap paneling is the lesser of the two evils. We can back up to the slab and framing. A slab that wasn't level will effect the framing and a framing job with mistakes or corrections that weren't made comes back to bite you when hanging sheetrock. A bad job hanging sheetrock makes for more work for they guy taping. So each phase of the construction all have and effect on the outcome.

This is something a carpenter learns right away when starting out. When your a frame to finish carpenter it is a self measure of how well you did when things go smooth.

Or not leaving a goof or finding someone Else's.

My point is, your about to take on a series of events.

Careful on whom is doing the work.

[jentz]

Make sure you check building codes.On grade slabs for residential now require insulation under and out from the slab edge Min.4ft also the onslab is required to mantain a certain temp all winter, weather you are there or not.So there is no slab movement from frost heave.Trickie construction here in Mn with so many NEW codes! which add to costs!

[SkunkedAgain]

Also if you buy the wrong one you may not be able to find an insurance company willing to cover your home. Be sure to find out whether the one you focus on will result in an insurable property.

Great advice throughout but this one hit home for me. I've got a place in northern MN without road access. That's hard enough to insure but I couldn't believe the amount of documentation required to prove that the wood burning stove was UL rated, installed correctly, vented correctly, etc. A wood stove is a giant red flag for most insurers. Make sure that you've talked to you insurance company first. An antique stove may not be insurable, meaning that your entire house is not insurable for a reasonable rate.

I am nearing the finish line a basement remodel. I did lots of reading, asked lots of questions, and relied on my local building inspectors. I did the carpentry, electrical, and hung the drywall. I had a top-rated firm from Angie's List do the taping and mudding. Absolutely worth the money. I learned a lot from watching and talking with those guys too.

I don't know if I helped but it's more stuff for you to think about. Good luck. At the least, we hope that you'll post a few pictures as things progress and give us some updates.

[WallEYES]

Just a quick Note....congrats and good luck....I have built 5 houses for myself over the years...it is a LOT of work....just a suggestion that was not mentioned here...depending on where you are located a homeowner can only do their only electrical and plumbing work if they own and live in the home....this is a state statue(law)...this would not be possible in your case and a licensed plumbing and electrical contractor would be needed.

[tonkapat]

+1 to what skunked and tom said. Having a woodburning stove is a nightmare to insure and with the cost increase burning wood most likely won't save you a whole lot if any. If you want to burn wood get an exterior boiler.

I have worked in construction for years and my father is a general contractor. I wish you luck because your going to need it. Remember if the place falls apart in 5 years you can only sue yourself.

Make sure the subs (plumbing/electrician etc..) pull there own permits. If you pull the permits for them they are not held accountable.

[Tom7227]

You may get a better focus and replies if you indicate it you intend this as ado it yourself project, to act as your own general contractor, or some combination. If it is a DIY what tools do you own. Also indicating if it is in town, rural, out in the middle of no place, distance from a town with a place that sells building supplies, full electric service, off the grid, using propane/natural gas/electric for heating. If you give some background on your skill level it will also help. So far you've gotten good advice from a number of folks but if you give some more info the answers will be less repetitious and more focused on things for you to consider.

Something that I think hasn't been mentioned is the issue of tools. You can drop incredible amounts of money on tools. Have you added anything into the budget for the things you will need? In that regard I will urge you to NOT consider things like the $20 drill at the big box store. Not saying you need the $400 20 volt cordless drill but you are going to use the tools a lot and junk will drive you nuts.

[Down Deep]

This is all great advice. One time I took on a build and it didn't take long before I realized that I was over my head and brought in professionals. If a building inspector realizes you don't have the necessary skill and knowledge of building codes, you will have and uphill climb in getting anything to pass.

One recommendation I have is to avoid any recommendations the begins with "I have a friend" or "I know a guy". Recommendations by people who had work done, are satisfied with the job and experience and can show you the results are the ones you should listen to.

I see you are in the process of framing the structures so my next recommendation would be moot to you, but for anybody considering a new build make sure it is at least a three bedroom. Two bedrooms only appeal to a small segment of the housing market and are hard to sell. When building you may think that this is my dream home, but situations change and eventually almost all houses have to be sold.

[hawgchaser]

As one who didn't even take a school shop class and has now totally built 5 houses starting with a hole in the ground let me offer a different perspective. There is absolutely nothing that goes into building a home such as you describe that is so mystical/technical that the homeowner can't do it. We trades people (I left the white collar world about 15 years ago to establish my own building contractor business) tend to think of ourselves as indispensable, but hardly any of us are unemployed engineering physicists.

When I started building/remodeling my own homes over 40 years ago, it was with the idea that "if someone could do it, I could do it" and the best advice I can give you is from my signature. Know what you're dumb at and get smart at it. I have no embarrassment about asking dumb questions...picking experts heads... spending hours studying and then fearlessly wading into a project. All of the suggestions & warnings given here are valid, but most can be managed & overcome by knowledge, preparation and good old common sense. My nemesis was always drywall finishing. It took me forever! A free online drywall school site has me finishing with the best of them. I install my own underfloor heating and HVAC systems; do all my own wiring and plumbing; make my own mouldings; even do my own landscaping.

My personal home construction usually exceeds the building codes. Since all my homes have been built in the country, the only necessary inspection was electrical, but I figure the codes are (usually) in existence for the homeowner's protection so follow them or exceed them.

Should you wish to use me as a self-taught DIY resource, feel free. I will tell you what I'd tell my own grown daughter. "You go girl!"

[Tom7227]

The lack of input from the original poster is a bit confusing. If the person is serious then I would expect some response to some questions posted here. Either that or she quickly decided to not take it on.

[Surface Tension]

This thread has reality and at the same time encouragement.

Fisherchick, if you decide to go ahead be sure that we will do what we can to help you along the way.

[K_Josh87]

Right, things may have seamed harsh, but they are the reality... If you take it on more power to ya! most people here are good about helping when possible!

[CAMAN]

The lack of input from the original poster is a bit confusing. If the person is serious then I would expect some response to some questions posted here. Either that or she quickly decided to not take it on.

Her profile says her last visit was the moment she posted this. I'll bet she hasn't even seen the replies yet, and probably forgot she even started this thread.

[Surface Tension]

Caman, if your right and you probably are, I want to believe that someone benefited from all the replies.