Building your own house.

[mesamuley]

Has anyone here been stupid enough to do this? I started building last july and have been busting my butt ever since then. I got to hunt one day of the muzzy season last year and my wife bitched about that. It's starting to wear me down. This site has helped keep me from losing it. Any perspective you guys have would be helpful.

 

[foundation]

I haven't done a build from start to finish , but I had a major remodel that took every second of my life that lasted six months . It was a screaming deal on a house that was unlivable that I had to gut , and basically start all over .

I didn't miss any hunting time on my deal , but I sure missed having other kinds of fun and the whole thing just drained me emotionally and physically . It was a very good feeling when it was all done and I could move in . After the fact I was happy with how much money I saved , but it wasn't some thing I won't be doing again in the near future .

Keep pluggin away , and remember it will be done one day and you will find more time for hunting .

 

[WapitiBob]

It's a pretty good way to end up divorced, I know that.

 

[PleaseDear]

It is very demanding and pretty much locks your life up for about 1 year.

If ya are being your own General Contractor----you are saving a nice chunk of change.

If she isn't wanting to 'change alot of chit' every time she sees another home show-----you should be okay.

Plug along and do it 100 % correct/code and you will be content at the end.

Robb

 

[B_BOP_A_LU_LU]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-06-11 AT 05:31AM (MST)[p]I've seen many people try to build their own!

Seen very few of them that were even somewhat right when they were finished!

Here's what I see most:

Alot of people get 40k-60k saved & they think they've got enough to 'Build Their Own House'!

There's several of them here in the Basin that have been perty much destroyed by the weather because the homeowner run short on funds after they got the House Framed & Sheeted!

Wafer Board ain't made to sit out in the Weather for several years!

If you're gonna build Your own ya got to at least get the House Dried Out!

I know very few people/Contractors that know all the codes for all Trades!(I do know some SMART-ASS Building Inspectors that think they know every-f'n-thing!)(I also know some damn good Building Inspectors!)

The 3 most important Trades are:HVAC,Electrical & Plumbing,if you don't know what you're doing it'd be wise to hire Pro's to take care of it & You'll Sleep better when the House is Finished!

A house built Professionally might be more money at the start,but sure is gonna be cheaper down the road in years to come!

I see it all the time where it was not up to code because somebody was pinching Pennies,Bites em in the Ass everytime!

Not trying to Discourage you,just trying to help!

Another thing I see all the time is where people try & sell a House/Try & get a Loan/ that was never up to Code,FHA & others have Inspections done & if it's not up to Code....................it makes for a Tough Sell/Buy!

Keep us Posted on the House Build,there's quite a bit of Help here on MM if you've got questions!









I don't care if they're big or small!
If they throw lead I like em all!

 

[sageadvice]

Living up in the mountains by a great fishing lake, our area is a major retirement destination. Working in the trades myself, i've seen hundreds move here and start building their "dream home". In a lot of cases, they never do finish the home and if they try to run the job themselves, they have no energies left to do anything else. Some even pass away before getting the job done.

I've been tossing over building on a great riverfront lot that i have but even with all the deals that i can pull in using friends in the trades, it'll cost way more than i can just go buy a place, complete with fences and landscaping.

I strongly recommend to older friends to not build new. If you do and can, get a highly reputable General Contractor that will lay out all your costs and have him build it turnkey for you while you stay home and write the checks. There are exceptions to what i'm saying here but as i said, i personally am buying, not building.

Joey

 

[Zigga]

Please post some pics so we can see how you are doing. Like Bobcat said, if you're not in the trades then I would recommend hiring out electrical, plumbing and drywall and taping. These can save you weeks or months of screwing things up. I missed the 09 hunting season because I was spending all my free time working on a house. It got finished but I still need to do a few things for improvements. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Squirrel]

I did it and had a ball doing it and ended up with a nice place on a lake in Ark. It took 5-1/2 months of tent living the first year to get foundation, framing roof windows doors deck power in. Worked all summer for $ (doing construction) went back the next winter and finished the inside- not that you are ever finished when you own a house/land.

The sense of accomplishment is great when we go there to relax. I hired out the excavating/leach field, plumbing supply lines, and hired two young hillbillies to help my set trusses/purlins and set the steel roof in place. I ran the wiring and had an electrician hook it all up. Ark has the advantage of no inspections- they have codes but no enforcement mechanism- kinda different to say the least.

The most important thing I did was keep it simple from a design standpoint 4 corners plus the deck, I had a little help for a few hrs here and there like 2 guys helping me pour the foundation, 1 guy helped me pour the slab etc. local guys stopped by to drink beer (I kept a fridge on the deck as a hillbilly bait station) and helped me stand walls. But overall I did the whole thing by myself. The most expensive cash outlay was the well/pump at $11k.

The 2nd most important thing I did was not get ahead of myself, I could have saved cost on lumber having bunks delivered but it would have been destroyed by Ark rain, so I payed more in gas to go 45 miles one way and pick it up as needed. Same with truss delivery but there was always something to do while waiting for the next major step. Like read up on how to do it right...

Of course my princess would prefer a 6000 foot castle overlooking the lake (she reminds me of this frequently) but this project is functional and came in under budget.

 

[woodruffhunter]

I am building a cabin. With some help, I have stacked all the logs, and built the roof. The roof did not turn out perfect, but everything is structurally sound.

I will hire out the electrical and most of the plumbing, most likely. I am in the process of putting on the metal roof.

I am in no rush to get it finished. I had enough stress setting the ridgepole and support logs. Now that I am close to being dried in, I am going to work when I can and pay when I have the $$$ to do so.

A house in never worth getting a divorce over. I will save a lot of $$$ doing it myself, but it will take me at least another year (I started in September). But that is OK. It will never interfere with my hunt schedule lol...

And no, I will not post pic's. I can't even imagine the lashings I would get!!!

However, here is the method I am using: loghomebuilders.org

 

[NVBighorn]

Here's mine. Took me a while to get her done but it turned out pretty nice. Has flexibility built into it for future repairs. Still working on the landscaping. Anybody know where I can buy those blue tarps at a discount? I need to have a standby according to my inspector.

Here's the little slice of heaven Zigga built. It's not much but it's paid for and I hear he has a darn nice barn nearby where he can hang elk.

 

[drycreek]

Wife and I have not only done it once but three times and have enjoyed it everytime. You get better at it the more you do. To be fair I owned my own construction Co. for a while. My sugestion has always been work for a contractor for a few years before hand and you might not learn everything but you can learn enough to keep you out of trouble. By the way we are in our 60's and plan on doing it at least one more time before we retire. LOL

 

[HorseCreek]

Save yourself some money and drop a match on it.

Traditional >>>------->

 

[woodruffhunter]

"Anybody know where I can buy those blue tarps at a discount? I need to have a standby according to my inspector"

Yeah, Harbor Freight!

 

[Cornhusker]

I built my own, but before I was a teacher I was a contractor. I will build one more on my own somewhere in Colorado or Wyoming. In about 5 years when I retire providing I stay relatively strong and healthy looking for the place to build now.

 

[12gauge]

Didn't do a house but a large attached garage while also re-roofing/stuccoing our existing home. We are just finishing it and broke ground april 2009. Because of full-time jobs, the only time we had to work on it were weekends. I didn't draw for not one tag, but did break away to go with friends/family on their hunts. We did save $ pulling our own permit and hired out what we couldn't or didn't know how to do. I also looked to MM for hope during that time. Little by little it will get done, and like said earlier post some pics of the progress and if you have questions just ask! Tear it up man!

 

[rutnbuck]

B-bop wasn't talking about me. I always bribed her with sex so I didn't have to build it. Ended up building a couple for sex also. Wasn't to bad except the construction part.

Rutnbuck

 

[CAforkedhorn]

I'm an electrical contractor and as was said before, I highly recommend hiring a professional to do the electrical and plumbing. These two trades can destroy your home in no time if not done properly. A large percentage of house fires are caused by electrical problems and I can't tell you how many times I have gone to homes where the owner tried to do things themselves and they are ALWAYS fugged up. Why would you spend all the time and money to build a nice place only to have it burn down because you were too cheap to have it done right. Something as simple as a loose connection can cause a fire and an improperly connected water line can flood you out in a hurry. It's one thing to say you built it yourself entirely and another thing to say it after it burns to the ground. Just sayin'...





Piper, how's your period?

Zigga, don't forget the knee pads!

440Sixpack wants to measure your boners!

 

[mesamuley]

You guys are awesome thanks for all of the advice! I am a hvac guy by trade and have worked in the construction industry for a while. I definetly don't know everything but it has been a good learning experience. We are about 90 percent done now. I will try and post some pics sometime. It has been hard on the marriage but I think if we can make it through this we can make it through most things. The best part of the whole deal is we have been living with my in laws since november. That's a whole 'nother story......

 

[CAelknuts]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-07-11 AT 07:54AM (MST)[p]I'll come at this topic from a little different perspective than most. I used to work in construction and designed and built (to a great degree) my own house. I have also, for the last 18 years, worked in financing homes, both mortgage and construction loans, including for owner/builders, so I've seen just about everything you can, AND....I would recommend that 95% of the people who want to build their own house hire a contractor instead.

When I built my own house, I was working for a general contractor. I drew about 50-60% of the plans myself, and had an architect finish them for me. I then estimated the entire job and hired my boss to build my house, which meant I did one hell of a lot of framing, hod carrying, and finish work. We subbed out the concrete, masonry, plumbing, electrical, roofing, drywall and HVAC. Some of those trades were things we did professionally, and we still felt it would be better to have subs do some of that stuff due to the nature of the project.

Unless someone has direct experience in building homes, I would never recommend trying to do it. Can you? Sure, and you might even get it right. But for the most part, I've seen way more disasters when people try to build their own house, than I have success stories. And I say that primarily from a financial standpoint. I've had way too many people come to obtain financing after they ran out of money and only had a partially completed house. I've also seen way too many people who came to us for financing to start their project, and who had no idea about what it really takes to build a house properly and what it really costs. They all thought they could, or thought they knew, but when confronted with reality, found out how lacking they were in the knowledge and skills necessary to build their own home. As a construction lender, we had to be very dligent in budget analysis, and project management since it was OUR money that was building the house, and I doubt that we ever approved 90% of the owner/builder applicants, simply because most were heading toward a disaster and didn't realize it. There is a reason why almost nobody will lend on owner/builder projects these days.

Staying at a Holiday Inn Express will not make you a competent home builder.

 

[nickman]

My parents rebuilt our home on the ranch while I was in high school. It took all those 4 years and was not finished when I went away to college......I frikken hated it!

After I left home, I was 26 years old before I ever owned another hammer!

I'll help someone with theirs, but outside of adding double pane windows, I ain't touching my own.

Far as I am concerned, that's why God invented prefab.

"whackin' a surly bartender ain't much of a crime"

 

[Bullstodie]

I've worked under a general contractor for 6 years and have built over a dozen houses from the ground up. Every house i build I learn something new. If it wasn't for a contractor helping me out, i wouldn't even consider building a house on my own. But now that I have quite a bit of knowledge, it wouldn't be a problem. Like many have said, hire a plumber and electrician. as far as sheet rock taping and mudding. Its easy to do, but most first timers end up with poor results or a lot of unnecessary sanding.
Good luck, and if you would like any advise I might be able to share, let me know.

"Like a midget at the urinal, always be on your toes!"
www.Anacondatreasure.com
www.rwmurals.com
http://www.themontanagallery.com/

 

[mtmuley]

I've done it. Living the dream now.LOL I built homes for others for twenty years before I constructed mine. When I hear people complain about being too busy or being exhausted, they really have NO idea. 14 to 16 hour days 7 days a week for 10 months of my life, I worked full time and built my 4000 square foot home simultaneously. Granted, I have less than half what the home and my 5 acres is worth into it, but the sacrifices are many. Can't wait till the kids are in college so I can cash in and downsize. I'll buy, not build of course. mtmuley

 

[crazeymaez]

Mesamuley Its tuff but you will get it done.
I am also an Hvac tech and those summer days can get long.
I saved money and decided to build my house.It was a
pain in the arse but well worth it.
I took Drafting in HS I drew up my plans and submitted them to the county. Then it was on to CID for a building permit.

I dug the footings with a pick and shovel(LOOKING BACK THAT WAS STUPID)The foundation is the hardest part.I layed the block for the stem walls.Then a buddy and I framed it.with hammers
(LOOKING BACK THIS WAS ALSO STUPID).I ran the electrical,
plumbing hung the sheetrock ran the ductwork,layed the tile
hung the doors,hung the windows,hung the cabinets,Trim out of electrical and top out on plumbing.Installed the metal roof.The only thing I sub-contracted out was the Insullation(Very Smart}
Tape & textureand the stucco.

Everyone said your gonna love your home.At that point I hated it
cuz I was here non stop.But when your done you will get bored and want to take on another project.

I built my home for about $50,000 Which everyone said I couldn't do about 7 years ago stuff was a little cheaper.
I was 29 at the time and my home is 2496sq ft.And appraised at
8x what I spent.You can do it.

I also added a 30 x 28 game room 10'walls and cathedral cielings
for all of my mounts

 

[eelgrass]

I had our house built in 1975. I owned the land prior to building. I did the siding (1x8 verticle Redwood), insulation, all the cabinets and interior doors and window trim. At the time I was a licensed cabinet and millwork contractor.

I traded a drywall contractor some kitchen cabinets and he privided all the sheetrock, hung, taped and textured. I then traded a tile contractor some cabinets for tile work in the bathrooms. I did all the painting and wood finishing.

I was working swing shift at a plywood mill so was able to put lots of time in at the house.

About 15 years ago I added a 16x20 family room. Except for the foundation, I did it all myself. There was no plumbing. Including foundation, I spent $6300. Before I started I got two bids that were both about $22,000, so I saved a bunch.

Eel

 

[Paul_Crawford]

I read that building a home is one of the biggest reasons for divorce. pc

 

[nebo]

I built my 1600 sq ft home and got it done in 3 months and we where living in it. I had the rocking, plumbing and heating done by a contractor. The rest I did on my won. I did have some experience in building but also had some great people help me do the work. They just came and helped each day. I worked on it before work and after work all weekends and took my vac to get it done. I also wired my home help help from an electrician. It was a great experience. The banker told me that he never seen anyone complete a a hoem that was not a contractor. I would never do it with out building experience.

 

[mntman]

my parents built two houses on their own and did some major remodeling on a third. Even as a kid I could see the hard work it took. My dad would get home around 5 eat, and work till midnight 1 or even 2 in the morning. He'd get up at 5:30 for work and start all over. Work 12-15 hour days on Sat and Sun. We never did anything when they were building them. He was never a contractor of any sort, just had the mind set to do it himself. The only things done for him were cabinets and on the second house the logs were to big for him to handle alone (10") so he hired a guy to help him get the logs and rafters up.
Each time it took 1 year to complete but they sure are proud of what they accomplished. I also wanted to do the same thing but not a chance with my wife in the picture. We wouldn't make it through the process of just deciding to build....

You will be proud and happy when you finish, keep it up.
Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"

 

[chasendeer]

I'm just starting the process. The house will close escrow on Friday. It is just a shell that someone gutted then lost. It will get new trusses and all new plumbing and electric, as well as finish. I can't wait to start! I've done some remodels on my rental property and an electrician by trade. I'm also getting married next February so if we can make it through the house we should be good for the rest.
Wish me luck
Jay