HI New to the Forum. I live in Alberta, Canada. I,m 20years old (pilot looking for work) but i am currently working as a finish carpenter and general construction for myself. My Dad and I are thinking of building a Spec home in a couple months. We plan on building the whole house our selves including the basement if we decide on ICF’s. He has a lot of experience building he worked on government projects as a painter, labourer, electrician, plumber, finish carpenter and as a farmer of 40 years you learn a few things. he taught me almost everthing he knows, but i have taken 3 years of contruction tech in school. I won silver in cabinet making for alberta in skills canada. I have experiance in all trades in a house although limited to most specialized tradesmen. anyway a couple questions we plan on a home around 1400sq ft main floor, (not big but not small) what are some general things to include or watch out for when building. we both want to build a better home with some value in it, than the junk that’s going up in my area. I have looked into the high volume HVAC systems (unico) but we are unsure of costs and power consumption. also would spending more money on a window like loewen be benifecial in a spec home. any info on homebuilding would be appreicaited. sorry for the long post.
Kevin
Replies
In General Discussion the is a thread tilted 'Spec House From Hell' written from the experience of a long time poster here on 'Breaktime".
Since it's late night with your post you might enjoy reading it. It is considered recommended required reading.
Hit the '#'s Msgs' tab right before the 'Post New' in the 'general discussion' section and you should be able to find it readily.
Edited 1/12/2004 2:08:02 AM ET by rez
Edited 1/12/2004 2:09:33 AM ET by rez
We should all encourage quality at every chance, but don't condemn the builders of "the typical junk" until you have tried to turn a profit on a spec house or two. Construction is not the big profit/ high pay job that some think it is. The most critical decisions to make are choosing the right area and then picking the house to fit the market. What sells someplaces is wasted in others, and local knowledge is the only good guide. I suggest making a list of things that the local real estate agents say sell homes in your area. They are the first to know what people want, and can afford. Good Luck
Dan
Thanks for the response, Definetlly an experience to keep at hand. REZ I do not condemn the local builders for building the "typical Junk" but it is supprising at what some of them can get away with. it all passes inspection but I hope that mine is better than that. one funny example, usually you have two framers on a wall one nailing the top plate and one nailing the sole plate these two confused their marks and the studs on the top were nailed on one side of the line and the bottoms were nailed on the other side. the same builders finish carpenter left 1/8 inch gaps everywhere. I know that this is maybe one builder and that the others in my area are better, but it all still supprises me. oh well it's all fun and games. just to point out, it's late but I plan on doing all the work I can (framing, drywall, electrical, plumbing, hardwood floors, finish carpentry, roofing, concrete forms if they are the ICF's, landscaping, painting, drywall taping and finish mud, t-bar, cabinets, counters (maybe), tile, garage door install, maybe even insulation if it is batting, decks, sidewalks). pretty much everthing if i missed anything let me it maybe just slipped my mind. Also for anyone installing Doors I am conducting a self survey if anybody knows of a jig for installing door jambs. I have one and i can install a door in 15 minutes and the door fits perfectly every time and the door is installed correctly and will take a lot more cycles than some other ways i have heard of. (air nailing one side right to the trimmer and triming the other side). sorry for long post again. Thank You have a good day.
Here's the Spec House from Hell thread Rez was referring to, if you hadn't already found it.
Always glad to have a new poster around. You can learn a great deal from hanging around here for a while.
BTW - You might try breaking your posts up into paragraphs to make them more readable.If you drink don't park - Accidents cause people.
Welcome to Breaktime .
You need to slow down and put caps in plus punuation and lets take on one subject at a time , at least per paragraph if you want answers . Thanks ,
Tim Mooney
Hey KZ,
Been thinking about a spec house myself for a while.
You list all of your qualifications as a tradesman, and those are important, but in my mind the #1 thing is your skill as a businessperson, and #2 is your skill as a project manager. #3 but still very important is probably the trades skills.
My first point of attack is to treat several realtors to lunch and pick their brains about what will sell here, what it's gotta have, and what it will go for. Checkbook is staying in the drawer for several more months. If I do build I'll be hoping the whole time for a bullish stock market and no terrorist attacks or herds of angry cows.
Hi Again.
Sorry for the cramped Messages, It was a little late.
David your absolutly right on the Business side of the spec home, I listed the trades to point out that I will not have to subcontract many trades. Profit made will mostly be "sweat equity".
Thank you for the Welcome.
Hey, do you have a sister named Renee?
no Just a 2nd cousin
Maybe she can help you with the financing.
That, and she could get the thing sold for way over market if she'd act as listing agent and run a couple of open houses.