New Home Construction

[mustangmike6996]

I am looking for input on building a new home in Harrison Township, we are currently in the planning stage but have already purchased a lot. Obviously we are waiting for the price of building materials to come back down. With that said, I am looking for real world experience/input/suggestions.


Who do you recommend for design and building?
Who should we stay away from?
What was your process like?
Any input on financing (specifically for the construction phase)?

 

[1BADAIR]

I forget his name. Worked in the woodshop/janitor at your work. He built his own. Ask him about 2x6/2x8 walls

 

[WhiteHawk]

The people I know who have done it have purchased plans that were ready to go. Sounds like fun though!

-Geoff

 

[Wizeguy]

The people I know who have done it have purchased plans that were ready to go. Sounds like fun though!

-Geoff

Yea agree.. ready made plans can save thousands..
If you do find a builder make sure he's got his own trades and not subbing out the electrical, plumbing, drywall.....
Adam at Hireitdone.com has people and great tips on hiring contractors... might even hear my name on his show now and then

 

[grr456]

Yeah, I kept bouncing back and forth between new and used. I don't think new is in the cards for me anymore since I am over 70 now and don't want to wait a year for something to be finished and then have to move in....

I do have a builder and agent and have been looking at used homes for nearly a year now.While my budget isn't huge, it is quite a bit and you'd think there would be something out there that I'd like, but there isn't much. I have put bids in on a couple of homes (over asking) and lost them to 'cash' buyers which were over my over asking price. Funny thing is both of the 'cash' offers fell thru after 3 or 4 months of waiting. I was able to re-submit my original offer if I wanted, but my health was in limbo at that time and I wasn't sure of the final outcome.

I actually like my current home but I just want to move a little further north...

That's my story.....Anyway, good luck with your new home!

 

[wrath]

My parents and I built their house. We did everything but the concrete block and the furnace.

Spec houses are usually disappointing. It's about minimums to get the profit. In the last ten years I've gone through a lot of spec houses and I'm glad they're not mine. They're about as bad as a modular these days.

If you have good plans (my parents sat down with an architect) there are no surprises.

General contractors are usually awful if they don't have their own groups of people on their payroll to get a job done. General contractors are usually like project managers. They stumble around begging people to do work with little to no control over the work they do if there isn't any documentation and tight words on the contract. This is because the plethora of contractors they hire are also just in it for the profit.

Is this your forever house, or just a rung to stumble up the property ladder?

If this is your forever house, think hard about it. The cost difference for 2x6 walls is negligible compared to heat and sound savings. Plywood vs OSB. Real dimensional lumber vs engineered. 5/8" drywall vs 1/2". Solid core doors vs hollow. Pex vs copper. The list goes on. Also pay attention to layout. Something as simple as adding 10" to the height of the basement, provisions for a "landing" in the attached garage door stairs, central mechanicals so you don't have to wait for hot water, etc. If you think you want to use the basement like a living space, consider insulating the ground away from the foundation 4' or so. If you have more rise above grade on the house, you can put taller windows in the basement, making it feel less like a basement.

 

[sofa king]

Obviously we are waiting for the price of building materials to come back down.

How long can you wait, and how much are you thinking they'll come down?

 

[Rumblestrip]

Just a thought
https://www.barndominiumlife.com/building-a-barndominium-in-michigan/
https://post-frame.com/building-types/barndominium/

 

[grr456]

If this is your forever house, think hard about it. The cost difference for 2x6 walls is negligible compared to heat and sound savings. Plywood vs OSB. Real dimensional lumber vs engineered. 5/8" drywall vs 1/2". Solid core doors vs hollow. Pex vs copper. The list goes on. Also pay attention to layout. Something as simple as adding 10" to the height of the basement, provisions for a "landing" in the attached garage door stairs, central mechanicals so you don't have to wait for hot water, etc. If you think you want to use the basement like a living space, consider insulating the ground away from the foundation 4' or so. If you have more rise above grade on the house, you can put taller windows in the basement, making it feel less like a basement.

What he says is true! Even though my current home was built during the middle 70's, it has all of the features everyone wants, except a current 'open' floor plan. My home is a custom home, built by a builder who built several homes in the sub I live in. The difference is that he built it for himself to live in, so he went above and beyond for the times. All of the homes in my sub are actually custom homes...

I do have 2x6 construction with insulation thru out the house, including the interior walls. Who knew putting insulation within the interior walls makes so much of a difference? I have a 10' tall basement which will spoil you even with a drop ceiling, because you still have the regular 8' ceiling. I have (2) furnaces - One is a boiler and the other is the conventional gas fired. The 2nd furnace is really just for the Air Conditioning and all of the ductwork is in my attic. I just use the boiler for heat and this is the best heat ever - 5 zones and every room stays exactly how you want it without any problems. There is copper plumbing thruout the house, including for the hot water baseboard heat. I also have Andersen wood windows thru out the house and even though they are from the 70's, not one has ever broken a seal and none of them ever leak.

About 7 or 8 years ago I had spray-in foam insulation added to the walls and about 3 feet of additional blown in insulation added to the existing 12" of insulation to the ceiling. Funny thing is I didn't notice much change in warmth during the winter, but I did notice that the additional ceiling insulation helped a lot for the A/C. That is because all of the A/C duct work is in the attic and the additional insulation completely covered the ductwork wp there...

So, pay a little extra up front for some features and you'll be rewarded in the long run....Just my .02....grr

 

[derbydad276]

#1
Get an Architect !!!

#2
Do Not Cheap out on the windows
https://www.acmeglassvt.com/vinyl-vs-wood-clad-or-wood-replacement-windows-for-the-home/

#3
High performance exterior sheeting
https://www.huberwood.com/zip-system

#4
Use COPPER PIPE !!!

#5
Roofing Underlayment
https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/...Is Roofing Underlayment?,rain, snow, and wind.

#6
Shop your lumber ... with a supplier... not a home center
https://www.johnslumber.com/
https://manslumber.com/
http://groesbecklumber.com/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral
https://gutherielumber.com/
#7
watch these movies ...
Mr Balandings builds his Dream House
Money Pit

(edit)
also shop your construction loan...
usually you cant get a construction loan unless the property is Paid Off and Taxes are paid up to date
& you will need your own ready cash / liquid funding to pay for things and get a draw on the loan to replenish .... guestimate 20% of build cost
also remember ...
you are building 1 home ... not a whole subdivision you will not get the same prices as a developer on labor or rapid scheduling

 

[WhiteHawk]

#2
Do Not Cheap out on the windows
https://www.acmeglassvt.com/vinyl-vs-wood-clad-or-wood-replacement-windows-for-the-home/

On windows, I just finished replacing all 33 windows in my house over the course of 10 years. We used Andersen 400 series Woodright. Solid wood, gas filled panes, and vinyl cladding on the outside. Cost anywhere from $600 -$1200 each depending on size but they are phenomenal. Builders try to use cheap windows all the time. And honestly, you are going to spend six figures, don't go cheap on windows! Wallside is for a 50 year old house in Pontiac - get something NICE.

For example. My dad bought a brand new house in 1992 and the builder used these crappy aluminum windows. Within two years he had wood rotting. The aluminum is a great conductor, so it conducted freezing cold right into his house where water would condense and start dripping. Don't fall for that!

-Geoff

 

[WhiteHawk]

#1
Get an Architect !!!

My buddy is starting a house sized addition to his house in GPP this year. He hired these guys: https://www.infuzarchitects.com/ . Gotta warn you though, doing a design from scratch is going to add a lot of cost - maybe you can find something in a book and have it modified by them? It's like lawyers - the expensive ones are $800+ and hour but the cheap ones are still $500 an hour. Maybe they have something they can tweak for you?

-Geoff

 

[camaromann]

I have looked at literally 100+ homes in the last 2 years. Only 2 builders homes stood out to me as being in immaculate shape inside and out from foundation to roof. Fritz builders and also Peirson-Gibbs homes and the GC they used to finish the insides of these homes. Absolutely phenomenal work. Let me say that all these homes she ranged between 1 year old and 20 years old. Great houses.

 

[grr456]

I have looked at literally 100+ homes in the last 2 years. Only 2 builders homes stood out to me as being in immaculate shape inside and out from foundation to roof. Fritz builders and also Peirson-Gibbs homes

My folks had a house built by Fritz Builders in 1962 in Shelby Twp. We moved in on News Day of 1963......I lived there from 1963 until I went into the Army in 69, so I have no opinion on the quality of the house. It is still standing, though!

grr

 

[mustangmike6996]

I forget his name. Worked in the woodshop/janitor at your work. He built his own. Ask him about 2x6/2x8 walls

I planned on doing 2x6 exterior walls.

The people I know who have done it have purchased plans that were ready to go. Sounds like fun though!

-Geoff

I have been looking for pre-made plans. We are basically building a house around the garage and kitchen area. The open concept part is easy to find different layouts, I think making the garage bigger is going to be the hard part (for the amount of garage I want)

Yea agree.. ready made plans can save thousands..
If you do find a builder make sure he's got his own trades and not subbing out the electrical, plumbing, drywall.....
Adam at Hireitdone.com has people and great tips on hiring contractors... might even hear my name on his show now and then

Thanks, I'll look into it. I have heard stories about shitty GCs that don't deliver so that is a big consideration.

My parents and I built their house. We did everything but the concrete block and the furnace.

Spec houses are usually disappointing. It's about minimums to get the profit. In the last ten years I've gone through a lot of spec houses and I'm glad they're not mine. They're about as bad as a modular these days.

If you have good plans (my parents sat down with an architect) there are no surprises.

General contractors are usually awful if they don't have their own groups of people on their payroll to get a job done. General contractors are usually like project managers. They stumble around begging people to do work with little to no control over the work they do if there isn't any documentation and tight words on the contract. This is because the plethora of contractors they hire are also just in it for the profit.

Is this your forever house, or just a rung to stumble up the property ladder?

If this is your forever house, think hard about it. The cost difference for 2x6 walls is negligible compared to heat and sound savings. Plywood vs OSB. Real dimensional lumber vs engineered. 5/8" drywall vs 1/2". Solid core doors vs hollow. Pex vs copper. The list goes on. Also pay attention to layout. Something as simple as adding 10" to the height of the basement, provisions for a "landing" in the attached garage door stairs, central mechanicals so you don't have to wait for hot water, etc. If you think you want to use the basement like a living space, consider insulating the ground away from the foundation 4' or so. If you have more rise above grade on the house, you can put taller windows in the basement, making it feel less like a basement.

This will be our forever home. The plan is to do it one time and do it the right way, but try not to break the bank.

How long can you wait, and how much are you thinking they'll come down?

We were planning on building in 3-5 years but not with the supply chain issues we have been seeing in the last 12-18 months.

Just a thought
https://www.barndominiumlife.com/building-a-barndominium-in-michigan/
https://post-frame.com/building-types/barndominium/

I wish I could get away with a Barndominium or something similar. There are some loose rules we have to follow for building in the subdivision (certain percentage of brick exterior, driveway on the right side of the property, no shed)

What he says is true! Even though my current home was built during the middle 70's, it has all of the features everyone wants, except a current 'open' floor plan. My home is a custom home, built by a builder who built several homes in the sub I live in. The difference is that he built it for himself to live in, so he went above and beyond for the times. All of the homes in my sub are actually custom homes...

I do have 2x6 construction with insulation thru out the house, including the interior walls. Who knew putting insulation within the interior walls makes so much of a difference? I have a 10' tall basement which will spoil you even with a drop ceiling, because you still have the regular 8' ceiling. I have (2) furnaces - One is a boiler and the other is the conventional gas fired. The 2nd furnace is really just for the Air Conditioning and all of the ductwork is in my attic. I just use the boiler for heat and this is the best heat ever - 5 zones and every room stays exactly how you want it without any problems. There is copper plumbing thruout the house, including for the hot water baseboard heat. I also have Andersen wood windows thru out the house and even though they are from the 70's, not one has ever broken a seal and none of them ever leak.

About 7 or 8 years ago I had spray-in foam insulation added to the walls and about 3 feet of additional blown in insulation added to the existing 12" of insulation to the ceiling. Funny thing is I didn't notice much change in warmth during the winter, but I did notice that the additional ceiling insulation helped a lot for the A/C. That is because all of the A/C duct work is in the attic and the additional insulation completely covered the ductwork wp there...

So, pay a little extra up front for some features and you'll be rewarded in the long run....Just my .02....grr

My wife really wants baseboard heat so we might go that route.

On windows, I just finished replacing all 33 windows in my house over the course of 10 years. We used Andersen 400 series Woodright. Solid wood, gas filled panes, and vinyl cladding on the outside. Cost anywhere from $600 -$1200 each depending on size but they are phenomenal. Builders try to use cheap windows all the time. And honestly, you are going to spend six figures, don't go cheap on windows! Wallside is for a 50 year old house in Pontiac - get something NICE.

For example. My dad bought a brand new house in 1992 and the builder used these crappy aluminum windows. Within two years he had wood rotting. The aluminum is a great conductor, so it conducted freezing cold right into his house where water would condense and start dripping. Don't fall for that!

-Geoff

We have a connection with new windows so that should be a no-brainer for us.

My buddy is starting a house sized addition to his house in GPP this year. He hired these guys: https://www.infuzarchitects.com/ . Gotta warn you though, doing a design from scratch is going to add a lot of cost - maybe you can find something in a book and have it modified by them? It's like lawyers - the expensive ones are $800+ and hour but the cheap ones are still $500 an hour. Maybe they have something they can tweak for you?

-Geoff

A good architect is definitely not cheap but Ill look into them.

I have looked at literally 100+ homes in the last 2 years. Only 2 builders homes stood out to me as being in immaculate shape inside and out from foundation to roof. Fritz builders and also Peirson-Gibbs homes and the GC they used to finish the insides of these homes. Absolutely phenomenal work. Let me say that all these homes she ranged between 1 year old and 20 years old. Great houses.

I have seen quite a few Fritz homes, I really like their style. They are on the list of companies to consult.

 

[mustangmike6996]

#1
Get an Architect !!!

#2
Do Not Cheap out on the windows
https://www.acmeglassvt.com/vinyl-vs-wood-clad-or-wood-replacement-windows-for-the-home/

#3
High performance exterior sheeting
https://www.huberwood.com/zip-system

#4
Use COPPER PIPE !!!

#5
Roofing Underlayment
https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/...Is Roofing Underlayment?,rain, snow, and wind.

#6
Shop your lumber ... with a supplier... not a home center
https://www.johnslumber.com/
https://manslumber.com/
http://groesbecklumber.com/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=referral
https://gutherielumber.com/
#7
watch these movies ...
Mr Balandings builds his Dream House
Money Pit

(edit)
also shop your construction loan...
usually you cant get a construction loan unless the property is Paid Off and Taxes are paid up to date
& you will need your own ready cash / liquid funding to pay for things and get a draw on the loan to replenish .... guestimate 20% of build cost
also remember ...
you are building 1 home ... not a whole subdivision you will not get the same prices as a developer on labor or rapid scheduling

The biggest thing I am running into right now is finding good info on construction loans. We were planning on having a 20% down payment plus a buffer for unforeseen circumstances (not sure how big of a buffer we will need). I planned on staying as far away from HD/Lowes/Menards as possible for most building supplies.

 

[derbydad276]

The biggest thing I am running into right now is finding good info on construction loans. We were planning on having a 20% down payment plus a buffer for unforeseen circumstances (not sure how big of a buffer we will need). I planned on staying as far away from HD/Lowes/Menards as possible for most building supplies.

Chelsea Lumber used to have a home building program I dont see it on their website but you might call them maybe they can steer you in the right direction
https://www.chelsealumber.com/

https://homeconstructionmortgages.com/construction-mortgage-lenders-2/

 

[wrath]

The nice thing about the bigger box stores is that it's usually easier to send shit back. I have low tolerance for garbage grade lumber.

If you're looking at 3-5 years out...

We'll probably be in a recession by then. If you're not thinking this is the end-all be-all piece of land or you got a smoking deal on it I'd sell it now and buy something when you're closer to building. Carrying vacant land, whether or not you've borrowed for it, paying taxes on it is expensive. When the recession hits all the people holding out for things to become affordable again will be selling their vacant land in half-finished HOA hellsubs for dimes on the dollar. There is a good chance that if there is a HOA you don't have voting rights until there is a house on it so there is a good chance you will be left holding the bag.

 

[mustangmike6996]

The nice thing about the bigger box stores is that it's usually easier to send shit back. I have low tolerance for garbage grade lumber.

If you're looking at 3-5 years out...

We'll probably be in a recession by then. If you're not thinking this is the end-all be-all piece of land or you got a smoking deal on it I'd sell it now and buy something when you're closer to building. Carrying vacant land, whether or not you've borrowed for it, paying taxes on it is expensive. When the recession hits all the people holding out for things to become affordable again will be selling their vacant land in half-finished HOA hellsubs for dimes on the dollar. There is a good chance that if there is a HOA you don't have voting rights until there is a house on it so there is a good chance you will be left holding the bag.

Yeah, I meant that I am staying as far away from big box stores crappy lumber and subpar materials. Some fixtures are ok. When it comes to plumbing, I like the higher quality stuff you find at a specialized kitchen and bath store.

As for the property, we dont plan on selling. It is one of the last undeveloped lots in the sub, it's on a great canal system. The cost of taxes is about what we would be paying to store the boat at a marina so that is a wash. The neighborhood that we are (going to be) in usually sells really fast, even when the market is poor. The HOA is as minimal as an HOA can be. We are good friends with a handful of the neighbors which is another reason we chose the property.

 

[WhiteHawk]

Just reading your reply about getting stuff from a real lumber yard. Just was thinking about my garage, and John's Lumber basically did the plans and order all the lumber for me. At the time they even sent a guy to build it, but I don't think they do that anymore.

Still, might be worth a call. Especially if you are just tweaking the house plans to make the garage bigger - they may be able to that for for you.

-Geoff