quote:
Originally posted by Bad Habit
skinny- why not build your own house? if you dont have the necessary exp. then hire a full time constr. super and let him ride herd on everything. he can also give you a daily walk through and explain how and why things are done.
you control the money and pay the subs draws based on completed work after it has been inspected by the super. i’ve worked a number of home projects like that and they seem to work well. the owners said it saved them 20-30%.
livin at the beach
That sounds like a pretty interesting idea. I definitely don't have the experience and that is why I am trying to do my homework well in advance.
Thanks for the tip.
quote:
Originally posted by Bad Habit
it’s not bull****- it’s a labor only price
livin at the beach
Ok
So I’ve got a co-worker that has a house needing a striup and re-shingle. You’re telling me you’ll do a 22 square job for $550 in labor. The total cost on every quote he’s gotten has basically added up to materials plus 2X materials or about $70-$75/ square
sorry for the hi-jack skinneej.
There is nothing - absolutely nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Kenneth Grahame
no i won’t- but the fn mexis will
livin at the beach
quote:
Originally posted by skinneej
quote:
Originally posted by Bad Habit
skinny- why not build your own house? if you dont have the necessary exp. then hire a full time constr. super and let him ride herd on everything. he can also give you a daily walk through and explain how and why things are done.
you control the money and pay the subs draws based on completed work after it has been inspected by the super. i’ve worked a number of home projects like that and they seem to work well. the owners said it saved them 20-30%.
livin at the beach
That sounds like a pretty interesting idea. I definitely don't have the experience and that is why I am trying to do my homework well in advance.
Thanks for the tip.
Bascially you are hiring a construction manager. I’ve done this on a fixed fee before and all I did was advise the owner. Never pulled a permit, just suggested subs, approved quality and payments, and did the punchlist at the end. Easiest house I ever built. They were happy with their new home but were suprised when I handed them a 4 page punchlist. I don’t know if they ever got it completed as I was done at that time but I know they were suprised I got that picky on a $220K house. Told them I did it like it would have been my own new house.
Mark
Mako 262 Twin Yammaha F200s
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
If you work full time, you dont want to be in charge of building your own house…the only way I see a savings of 20 or 30 percent would be doing some of the work yourself and having friends in the trades willing to give you their contractor rates…then theres that little issue of plans and permits, paying subs, change orders, crack head workers stealing the fridge…because when something gos wrong its not the contractors problem, its your problem…dont take this in a bad way saltydog, but skinee you can get the same services sd mentioned from a $10 book from Lowes and the yellow pages.
If somebody “saved” 20-30% with a construction manager involved for the 8-10 months depending on size, that would mean your looking at a profit margin over 30%- maybe there lies part of the problem. This means 120k out of 400k worth of house went to your contractor…I need to come build some houses in that area Id be happy to get 15% and still build it like it was mine, just sayin…
“OFF COURSE” 27’ Stamas cc w/ twin 225 honda 4 strokes
20%+ mark up is common (or was) in remodel work, I used to do 25% on change orders…right now we do what ever it takes to keep the lights on…From my point of view right now is the perfect time to build. Builders are hurting for work and subs waiting to get in. My problem is that the new construction boys are now putting bids on my remodels.
quote:
Originally posted by charliehorse
20%+ mark up is common (or was) in remodel work, I used to do 25% on change orders…right now we do what ever it takes to keep the lights on…From my point of view right now is the perfect time to build. Builders are hurting for work and subs waiting to get in. My problem is that the new construction boys are now putting bids on my remodels.
Did you not notice that I said fixed fee? Typically as a builder you would use a percentage mark-up for the project, that is how you make your payments and bills. Did you not notice that I was not writing the checks, nor issuing subcontracts, nor was I telling the owner what they had to do. I was hired as an advisor to make sure they got what they paid for. I was hired for my knowledge of what was best suited to their needs (ie cast iron for plumbing drops instead of PVC, type of shingles, framing style etc.). It was not a full time job nor was it my full living. It was a 220K custom home that I charged 10K or less than 5% to keep an eye on. By the way it only took 6 months to build the full brick house not 8 to 10.
Sadly the owners sold their land to a tract builder and instead of moving the house, the tract builder just leveled it.
Guess they didn’t want anyone to compare it to the trash they threw up. 3 million probably made it easier to swallow.
Mark
Mako 262 Twin Yammaha F200s
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
6 months for 220k
8 to 10 for 400k
…a little more for a little nicer or bigger.
It was just an example. I do fixed rate or " cost plus" all the time it helps you know exactly what you put in your house dollar for dollar
“OFF COURSE” 27’ Stamas cc w/ twin 225 honda 4 strokes
I hear that, even electricians that usually do all new build work are trying to do remods now. Thats ok though I say let them do it. I’ll be fixing it later down the road. People worry too ■■■■ much about cost now that the quality is cut down bigtime. Then you have people that watch HGTV and read the books at home depot and think they can build, do plumbing, or electerical work. In the long run they spend more $ cause the stuff doesnt work and they have to call in a pro. Also there are too many “builders” down here that dont know how to “build”. Keep in mind its not too hard to become a “licensed builder”
New and don’t know what to do
I teach negotiations and sales skills to many industries. I also owned a construction co. with 100 full time employees.
I have a number of rules I live by and teach.
One is “Never enter a contract for which you will be angry to fulfill”.
Negotiate a fair deal because if you negotiate a great deal and the people working on your home are angry then they will try to get back at you at every opportunity. I actually like to negotiate the best deal I can and then give some back.
Having said all that buying an existing home is still the best deal as builders are carrying debt and want out.
If you have a home built or have a remodel always get lien releases to prevent mechanics liens from being placed on your property.
WHat is a ball park price per square foot around here?
Only the dead have seen the end of war.