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I'm incredibly happy with this guy, it's a night and day difference from the developer. Very similar to working with my friend except this guy has more experience, and I don't have the conflict with it being a friendship. His price is slightly higher but he's just as easy to deal with.Do you get a better vibe from the new builder than the one who was retiring, or do you wish you would have been able to get the guy you knew approved?
Was there any concerns about getting the friend in there that you might jeopardize the friendship working together?
I'm incredibly happy with this guy, it's a night and day difference from the developer. Very similar to working with my friend except this guy has more experience, and I don't have the conflict with it being a friendship. His price is slightly higher but he's just as easy to deal with.
I don't like doing business with friends, but I'd have made an exception in this case. I think it worked out just like it was supposed to though.
We met our builder at the lot last week and he says "you have a 6' sliding basement door in the print....with an 11' ceiling. Do you want me to change that to an 8' door so it doesn't look out of place? Of course I do, i just hadn't noticed it. It wasn't in the contract, therefore i'm not paying any more, he just brought it up and ordered it. The first guy would have never brought it up, and if I'd have noticed it, he would have probably charged me for a change order plus every penny that the door cost over a 6 footer. Just an example
Also the "default" materials varied significantly between the two of them. The developer only does 24" OC and mediocre subfloors (i forget the name). You literally can't even pay him to do 16" on center. I'm doing advantech floors, 16" OC and 2x6 lumber, which is what my guy prefers to do. Told him if my house creaks i'll lose my mind lol.
I added a LOT of options and increased budgets after the first quote, the equivalent of about $50k worth of materials, and even with that, both subsequent quotes (from my friend and from the guy we went with) came in lower than the original quote with the lower budgets/cheaper materials.
I'm honestly not sure what the span will be between columns in the basement. I know in the garage it was over 26' so we ended up adding LVL's to avoid columnsWhat kind of span are you in the basement? It looks like theyre pouring pads for a beam, just trying to get an idea of what kind of span there is....
Are you going with high end insulation like a spray foam, or just doing 6" worth of batt or roxul or something like that?
I'm honestly not sure what the span will be between columns in the basement. I know in the garage it was over 26' so we ended up adding LVL's to avoid columns
Insulation info below
Insulation:
-Foundation insulation R-10 foam boards below grade around foundation perimeter
-Garage Walls R- 13 Batts
-Exterior House wall R- 19 Batts
-Ceilings Blown R-49 blown fiber House Attic
This is another thing. If you design a custom home, good luck finding a good fucking architect. The developer said they're not really architects, most of them are just artists. Lol. They had the prints set up with beams and shit everywhere with the caveat "verify with contractor" on every single one. He had to draw up the garage himself to get them to make it workable. And mind you, they were not cheap.I'm honestly not sure what the span will be between columns in the basement. I know in the garage it was over 26' so we ended up adding LVL's to avoid columns
Insulation info below
Insulation:
-Foundation insulation R-10 foam boards below grade around foundation perimeter
-Garage Walls R- 13 Batts
-Exterior House wall R- 19 Batts
-Ceilings Blown R-49 blown fiber House Attic
This is another thing. If you design a custom home, good luck finding a good fucking architect. The developer said they're not really architects, most of them are just artists. Lol. They had the prints set up with beams and shit everywhere with the caveat "verify with contractor" on every single one. He had to draw up the garage himself to get them to make it workable. And mind you, they were not cheap.
Correct, unfinished basement, trying to figure out rough-ins now. The bathroom is pretty easy but wet-bar, not sure where I want that yet.You said the basement will be unfinished to start right? Just need to figure out where to place the rough-ins for bathrooms?
Laundry room on the main floor?
Architect and developer was all I needed, but the developer did say he had an engineer help with the garage. A good architect should be able to do it all, but mine was not good. I used them because they owned the rights to the original prints, but with all the work we put in to it I probably could have started from scratch with a good architect for the same $$ and got it done faster.Is there like a one stop shop kinda place with mechanical and structural engineers with the architects or do you have to discuss the plans with a million different people?
Are there any restrictions in the subdivision you bought the land in? Like can someone buy the lot next to you and put up a shack, or what kind of limitations are there when you buy the land and go to have something built?
I was going to say the no external buildings kinda stinks if you wanted to put up a nice shed for all the lawn gear, but I assume in this neighborhood you're all getting services....
Speaking of, any plans for irrigation and all that with the landscaping?
irrigation is fucking awesome.
but. fucking priiiicey
I'll do irrigation in the front and maybe sides, not the back. Most of the people in here cut their own grass it looks like. I know I will be.I was going to say the no external buildings kinda stinks if you wanted to put up a nice shed for all the lawn gear, but I assume in this neighborhood you're all getting services....
Speaking of, any plans for irrigation and all that with the landscaping?
I'll do irrigation in the front and maybe sides, not the back. Most of the people in here cut their own grass it looks like. I know I will be.
That's one of the reasons I made the garage extra big, plus made it 11' ceilings with side-mount openers so I can add a lift if I ever wanted to
Legit could liquidate all that I have and not even be able to afford the hole being dug. Jesus fuck.
Good for you Man
Don't worry I don't think anyone on Tour ratted you out for having the surf and turf for dinner.