Where do I start? What do I need to do? These are the questions I asked myself on our very first new construction project. Now into our third, my process has evolved and I wanted to share with you some tips to get you going and our very first experience.
1 – Goals. Clearly define your goals. What is the purpose of the project? Is this your dream home or a stepping stone? New construction or a remodel? Write it down. Throughout the entire process, you will want to start writing everything down.
2 – Budget. What is your budget? Have a clear idea of what you have available for the project prior to jumping in too deep.
3 – City. Go talk to the city about your project. There may be codes or new ordinance that greatly impact what you can do that you are not aware of.
Personal Experience: Project 1
The very first home we built was a lesson in trial and error. My husband is a contractor (commercial construction at the time) and I am a realtor so, in theory, we had more experience than your average homeowner, but building a home is a different story.
My father-in-law was a homebuilder on the East Coast and offered to have his architect come out to look at our lot and help give us some direction. His name is Greg Wissman, and he is a genius. In 24 hours, he essentially drew out a rough version of our floor plan based on the list and photos we gave him. With that sketch, we started interviewing CA architects. Surprise, we went with the low bid. We even toured one of his current projects. One month in, we realized this had been a mistake. He was not actually a licensed architect but a designer and it showed. So before our project had even started, we ate a couple thousand dollars and moved on.
Our second architect was the right choice. We fine-tuned our plans. Then had to apply for a special variance because of building restrictions in the city. Three additional months later, we were granted our variance (and surprise, surprise one week later the city got rid of the architectural guidelines we had to pay and jump through hoops to comply with).
While we had our plans in at the city, we had started bidding our project out to contractors. Most need around 3 weeks to get proposals back to you. I called ten contractors and received bids from five. We combed through them all. Thankfully, my husband had a better idea than most what things should cost. In one meeting, we told the contractor he was $150,000 too high. He gave us excuses about residential costing more than commercial. We left, and two hours later he emailed us with a revised bid, $150,000 lower than his initial proposal. Needless to say, we did not hire him. Ultimately, the contractor we went with was higher than our initial budget but still less than the others. We had already purchased the property and there was no turning back.
If you would like to follow along as I share the story of our third project which is just about to start, join my mailing list below:
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