Building A Home? Want To Ask A Builder The Right Questions - Not The Dumb Ones!

These are real builder questions that I got from readers of my e-book, "Residential Development Made Easy" with answers from a major USA Master Builder operating in 48 States.

Question 1.

My wife and I are planning a new home. We intend approaching a builder or two in this area, and I plan on asking them these questions.

My wife is very adept at planning and researching. Under what circumstances do you recommend we hire an architect? And Why or why not? (This is not a loaded question. I am not an architect and neither is my brother-in-law. We would prefer to construct without hiring an architect.)

Reply

It would depend on your budget. Some architects in the US charge as much as 10% of the budget of a home to do the plans. Master Builders, as opposed to "Local Builder Bob," don't like to place their clients in a position of hiring an architect until they really need one.

The best advice our clients get is to prioritize their actions as follows:

First: Get the loan;

Second: Get the land;

Third: Get the Interior Designer;

Forth: Get the architect.

In our case, we have in-house architects and structural engineers.

It is best to hire an Interior Designer (ASID) and have them work with you to design the floor plan, which is uniquely suited for how you and your family use space and the style you like.

Armed with this floor plan you would then send it to us and we would create your architect blueprints from it.

Blueprints are part of the quote we provide our clients. This way they don't have 'Sticker Shock' from a local architect.

Question 2.

How much price and quality research re materials can we expect our builder to do or to have done?

Reply

This depends on the builder you hire. For the most part, you can't expect too much. Most builders work in their comfort zone.

They use materials they're used to working with. They usually won't try something else unless insisted upon by the home buyer or developer. And, then they usually hire an outside source to do this.

As Master Builders, we use current technology and one of the reasons why we are both profitable and successful is that we keep abreast to new technology and want our buyers and developers to have this benefit in their homes.

Question 3.

Is it reasonable for us to ask our builder to identify his subcontractors and allow us to talk with the primary subs before we enter into a contract with him (and after)?

Reply

It may appear to be reasonable from your point of view, but, not very realistic. Subs come in and out of a job site. If one is not available another one is called in.

Once you have signed a Contract with a builder, he is your 'one point of contact.' The subcontractors are his subs - not yours. Remember you have engaged him for his building management expertise to complete the job on time and on cost.

That means he must have full control and so by you talking to the subs directly you are creating confusion. You can't have two bosses on a job.

Confusion costs you more money. When you or your wife talk to a sub, you are not engaged in a social conversation. Let's say you made an innocent comment about some aspect of the subs work - like you regret picking those tiles in the bathroom and have seen some nicer ones. That is all you said!

Can you see how a sub could use this against the builder when asked why he hasn't finished the bathroom yet. "Well the client told me two days ago that they were changing the tiles to another type." It doesn't matter that you did not say that - but it caused confusion and delayed the job by at least two days or more.

Instead of wanting access to the subs, with whom you have no expertise, you should concentrate on ensuring the builder has the proper permits and insurance for building. Especially for workman's comp and for liability.

Few clients realize that they can be held accountable, if the builder doesn't have the correct insurance.

Let's say that a child comes on to the site after the builder has left for the day. Decides to climb to the roof and jump. Guess who's liable? Check the references of others clients he's built for.

A Final point on access to subcontractors.

Many house building clients have very poor spatial ability and cannot imagine an overview of the space being designed for them - they just cannot imagine the finished house, never mind what the finished colors and tiles look like.

Because of this, they feel the need to be able to make changes at any stage of the project. This is what is behind this question of being able to speak to the subs. You can make changes to your house design at any time as long as you realize that each change will cost you heaps and blow your budget sky high.

To make these changes you ask the architect to request a cost estimate from the builder for each change. You then can decide if you can afford it or not. If your request is made at the worst possible (most expensive) time, you will be told that as well.

What's the answer to all this? Make all the decisions about what you want and have them included in your plans and specifications.

Question 4.

What does a builder, expect the homeowner to do (other than to pay you as and when agreed).

Reply

A builder expects the home buyer to be reasonable and realistic in their expectations. The time you spend in planning and thinking about what you want in you home is worth real money to you. If you are not good at planning, an Interior Designer will be critical to your final happiness.

If you can't make up your mind on the important aspects of the design, go and inspect examples of what you do like and get the Interior Designer to incorporate what you want in the plan.

The biggest problems that most builders run into is home buyer who change what has been agreed to or is unrealistic in what they want. This is why we have our home buyers sit down with an Interior Designer.

The ASID can sit down with you and help you visualize exactly what you want and help you make any compromises you may have to make.

It is very expensive to make changes during a project. Let's say that you wanted a 17x20 kitchen. Sounds like a big kitchen. Probably too big. However, once the cabinets and appliances start coming in you realize that it's too small and want the kitchen to be bigger.

This may cost you an extra $50k to make those changes. You can save yourself a small fortune by first working with ASID on floor space, storage, placement, design, and style.

Author & $1.2 Billion Developer, Colm Dillon, Has Written The Best Selling 'How-To' E-book, "Residential Development Made Easy," With Readers In All States Of The USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Ireland and 79 Other Countries. His Independent Web Site is: http://www.realestatedevelopmentcoach.com/ez

---

Buy to Let Property Investment

In recent years buy to let has been a popular... Read More

Why Real Estate?

Five months ago I was faced with a decision to... Read More

What?s Your Style? A Guide to America?s Most Common Home Styles

Styles of houses vary across the country. From the New... Read More

Safe, Scenic & Secure Sussex County Delaware

As I write this, there is a considerable concern about... Read More

What is a Loft Apartment?

What is a loft apartment? At the most basic level... Read More

Writing on the Wall - Are REITs a Better Investment for You?

When I was a young child I had many annoying... Read More

The Many Benefits Of Lease Purchasing

Lease Purchasing affords wonderful benefits and opportunities to sellers, buyers,... Read More

Join the Bulgarian Property Boom With Confidence

An Irish property investor in Sydney, Australia has created an... Read More

Best Time to Buy? Best Time to Sell?

When is the best time to buy? When is the... Read More

Selling by Owner Escrow or Closing Checklist

Home sellers should keep on top of their pending sale;... Read More

Preserve Equity, Build for the Future Using a 1031 Tax Exchange

Thinking of trading up on an investment resort property? If... Read More

Selling a Home ? What Personal Property Stays?

The home selling and buying process can be confusing, particularly... Read More

Using Color Psychology to Sell Your Home

When painting your home for resale, choosing the right colors... Read More

NAHB?s Voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines

The voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines are designed to... Read More

How to Afford Your Dream Home

Is it your dream to one day own a holiday... Read More

Lake Havasu Real Estate

Lake Havasu real estate is a hot commodity. With surrounding... Read More

How to Find the Sweet Spot in Real Estate Investing

Psssssssssst, Want to know a great way to make FAST... Read More

Real Estate Problem Solver

IntroductionThere are many areas one can invest in. Since I... Read More

Property Investing Secrets 1

When property investing, pay the seller their asking price but... Read More

Home Inspection Checklist - Home Inspectors

Although architectural details, wall and floor coverings, modern conveniences and... Read More

Renting a House

Renting a house or a room in your home is... Read More

What is a Predatory Lender?

Several months ago, the 3,000-member California Association of Mortgage Brokers... Read More

How to Get Started in the Real Estate Game Fixing and Flipping Houses

If you're looking to get started investing in real estate... Read More

FSBO: For Sale By Owners Chapter One

She reached the phone on its second ring. "This is... Read More

Real Estate Disputes And Partition

What if two people pooled their resources and began investing... Read More

Eleven Questions to Ask in an Agent Interview

Questions Sellers Should Ask in Agent Interviews:1. Is your license... Read More

How to Choose the Proper Entity for Your Business

First, let me state that I'm not an attorney and... Read More

Home Loans ? Identity Theft Protection Could Hurt Home Sales

Identity theft has been a hot topic in the news... Read More

Free Tips That Will Dramatically Increase the Selling Value Of Your House (Part 1)

Did you know that it's a proven fact that a... Read More

The Nose Knows

If you plan on getting the most from the sale... Read More

Burn, Baby, Burn!

Luxury homes are lots of fun to inspect. Sure, the... Read More

Real Estate Investing: America Rents

Most people in America rent a personal dwelling!Just think how... Read More

Seven Questions You Should Ask When Buying a Condo Hotel Unit

You may have heard all the buzz about the newest... Read More